BlueCross's internal talking points memo for Sicko

Blue Shield's Vice President of Corporate Communications, Capital BlueCross, Barclay Fitzpatrick, created this internal "talking points memo" for BlueCrossers who are trying to stem the bleeding from the wounds they suffer in Michael Moore's brilliant, must-see documentary, Sicko. Fitzpatrick's bottom line is: people are fat and lazy, and that makes it hard to run an HMO. Michael Moore was mean to us. He should be nicer. Some people don't hate HMOs.

1) The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) and the 39 Blue Cross and Blue Shield
companies are committed to improving the U.S. healthcare system for our nearly 100 million members
through continuous innovation that reflects the ever-changing healthcare landscape and the needs of
the consumer.

2) The Blues recognize the need for improvement of both the coverage and delivery of healthcare.
But the divisive tone set forth by Michael Moore and his movie "Sicko" is not helpful. Positive
change to our healthcare system can be best achieved through shared responsibility, not
recrimination. To ensure Americans have access to the best healthcare that is both timely,
efficient, and of high quality, requires the collective contribution of all stakeholders –
consumers, providers, employers and the government.

Link

(Thanks, Kent!)

Update: Bob sez, "Blue Cross of Nevada owes my wife and I $17,000 that we will most likely never see. Indeed, Blue Cross of Nevada is so poorly looked upon that many hospitals in the Las Vegas area don't event accept the coverage. When someone like you, with a wide readership, can take them to task? Well, it really makes my day."

Update 2:

A reader writes,

When I was working as a freelancer, I tried to get health insurance through BC/BS of Texas. They told me I didn't qualify because of my weight (I weighed 305 lbs at the time and was actually hoping to see a doctor because of it…) but said that they'd be happy to put me on a temporary, 6 month insurance – provided I didn't leave the state of Texas. Oh, there was a $1000 deductible too.

It sucked, but I got the insurance, because – hey, what if I got into a car crash?

A few months later, while I was "covered," I had a cancer scare.

Even if I could have afforded to see the doctor, I couldn't afford to have the cancer diagnosis come out with a positive result. The end decision? I didn't get my cancer screening until I finally landed a full-time job and got insurance through my employer. If I didn't have cancer, I wouldn't need to be treated for it. If I did have cancer, I couldn't afford to be treated for it.

So I waited until I was sure that a positive result meant I could afford to get it treated.

That was a full year later.

Turns out it was nothing, but I'm very lucky it wasn't!

Update 3:

Mike sez, "I just wanted to point out that Blue Cross/Blue Shield is actually a
collection of franchises. I don't know exactly how many companies make up
the BCBSA, but each one is restricted to a given region, and their
reputations and corporate structure vary widely. For instance, Blue Cross
Blue Shield of Massachusetts is routinely listed in the 5 best plans in
the country (unfortunately for them, Tufts and Harvard Pilgrim, their 2
biggest regional competitors, are often in the top 4), and is a non-profit
with a $70 million/year charitable foundation. Capital Blue Cross only
covers 21 counties in Pennsylvania, and it's officers do not speak for the
Association "

Update 4:

Biella sez, "Here is a blog link to my Blue Cross experience, which happens to be
with Horizon (one of the ones noted in the memo/movie), and tells the
story of the Public Relations director writing me within 2 hours of me
criticizing them.
I have yet to hear anything back, but an interesting tidbit."