HEALTH INSURANCE

For the past eight months my health insurer has has made so many errors that it would take hours (maybe days) to put it all down here. In that short time, they have managed to twice send me two sudden but friendly notes that my coverage, and my family's, had been terminated. Imagine having incurable cancer and getting that note, which AETNA eventually admitted that, very simply, was their mistake.
Anyway, a few minutes ago, a message from AETNA appeared on my Email account. The message was very pretty - lots of blue color, balloons and smiling people. Ah,the world is good. And they actually had the electronic balls to ask me to take a survey about my last telephone call with them, which had happened Tuesday afternoon and also happened to be a disaster for both of us. If the truth hurts, AETNA is on lots of pain killers today. At the end of the survey they asked if I wanted to add anything. Oh boy! Here's what I wrote:

Service in the home office has steadily declined to the point today where it has become worse than useless. Over the past three months, I have been promised six call backs from supervisors "within 24 to 48 hours." NOT ONE CALL HAS BEEN RETURNED. Several months ago when you abruptly ended my coverage by mistake, I was eventually transferred to "a top supervisor" who told the error was made by one of AETNA's computer systems (yes, I know you have two, only one of which can be trusted with any degree of confidence by patients) and he said "no one at AETNA knows how to fix it." Finally, I have asked for a new RN to replace the wonderful woman that served me for almost a decade but who recently retired. But my repeated requests have been repeatedly ignored for six months. I could go on, but I know no human being will ever see it. AETNA has lost its way. Your MBAs have convinced you that your stockholders are your clients. You must remember that your patients' health is what you are responsible for. You have become a walking advertisement for the complete nationalization of health insurance. EVEN THE GOVERNMENT WOULD DO A BETTER JO B THAN YOU. How sad is that?"

As stupid as everything about this is, I'm pretty sure that if (when?) more people take a look at their health care coverage and their insurance, it will trigger something - like really meaningful change if we're lucky. But remember, after we're in charge, the insurance company executives get it right after the lawyers. Start making lists.