State HMOs deny 1 in 5 claims, analysis shows

[Justin]

State HMOs deny 1 in 5 claims, analysis shows

A nurses group says state government data show that denial rates among the five largest insurers ranged up to 39.6% in the first half of 2009. The firms caution that the figures are misleading.

California HMOs reject one out of five medical claims, according to an analysis by the California Nurses Assn. of data the companies submit to the state.

The analysis -- the first of its kind based on state government-collected data -- concluded that from 2002 through June 30, 2009, five of the largest insurers in the state rejected 31.2 million claims for medical care, or 21% of all claims.

The denial rates ranged from a low for Aetna of 6.5% to a high for PacifiCare of 39.6%, for the first half of 2009. Anthem Blue Cross, the state's largest for-profit health plan, and Kaiser, the state's largest nonprofit plan, each rejected 28% of claims during the first six months of this year, according to the study. And Cigna denied 33%...

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[Katie]

That's funny, I was just about to post, asking this question; that is, how many people are denied at least the first time with their insurance in the US.

Can we take a small poll just here on the board to see how many have had insurance problems?