WellPoint adopting parts of breast cancer act

	Tweet

Health insurer WellPoint Inc will implement key provisions of a proposed law designed to protect breast cancer patients, in a new effort to highlight its standard of care for policyholders.

Beginning July 1, WellPoint said it will standardize clinical guidelines for women recovering from mastectomy to offer a voluntary 48-hour minimum hospital stay.

The vast majority of WellPoint’s members already receive the standard of care indicated in the legislation, the company said, but it believes applying the provision widely will encourage others in the industry to adopt it as well.

Other provisions of the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act introduced by U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro include more transparent benefit language.

WellPoint has come under heavy criticism from lawmakers and President Barack Obama’s administration following a Reuters article last month that said the company used computer algorithms to target women with breast cancer for an investigation, with the intent of canceling their policies.

WellPoint called the report inaccurate, but Reuters has stood by the story.

It has also been asked by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee to explain flawed calculations that led the company to propose a 39 percent premium rate hike for some members in California.

The insurer has since taken steps to improve its coverage policies, including the early adoption of provisions to end rescission under U.S. healthcare reform.

DeLauro on Wednesday hailed WellPoint’s move, saying the insurer is guaranteeing patients “will have the freedom to discuss their treatment options with their physician without worrying about being discharged from the hospital before they are ready.”

---
NEW YORK (Reuters)

RELATED STORIES:
Childhood Cancer Survivors Show Inadequate Screening for Breast Cancer   Personalized medicine can cut breast cancer risk   PET Techniques Provide More Accurate Diagnosis, Prognosis in Challenging Breast Cancer Cases   Dana-Farber study finds new points of attack on breast cancers not fueled by estrogen   Vitamin A derivative provides clues to better breast cancer drugs   Watercress may ‘turn off’ breast cancer signal   Glaxo drug slows breast cancer in study   Shortening radiotherapy feasible for breast cancer   Stopping hormones might help breast cancer to regress   Nurse Runs to Raise Funds for Family Fight Against Breast Cancer   Hair Stylists Promote Breast Cancer Prevention Messages to Clients   Breast Cancer and the Environment   Researchers develop standard of care for breast cancer survivors with lymphedema   Metabolic syndrome predicts breast cancer relapse   Racial disparity in breast cancer explained   Woman Beats Breast Cancer With Treatment In China   Bitter melon extract attacks breast cancer cells   HER-2 Status Predicts Success of Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer Treatment   Study Finds Diet and Alcohol Alter Epigenetics of Breast Cancer and Could Predict Severity of Diseas   Breast cancer doesn’t have to mean losing your breast   Mammography-detected breast cancer in 40-49 year-olds has better prognosis   Higher Vitamin D Intake Needed to Reduce Cancer Risk

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]