The local reporters here tried to break the embargo on Rafael del Castillo; he was interviewed on a piece that aired Friday night at 10pm on KITV.
I cannot find the story on their website, but luckily we were able to get a copy of it. The quote from UnitedHealth's attorney spokesperson, Dianne Brookins, is the most interesting part.
Ms. Brookins states the "existing process is expensive, time-consuming and burdensome... just adds to the cost of healthcare when we can ill-afford it."
Who is we? Is she speaking on behalf of Governor Abercrombie, whose office originated SB 1274? If so, then her referral to ill-affording the added cost would refer to the state.
Or is she talking about UnitedHealth? The same company that showed a net earnings increase between 2009 and 2010 of 21%? The same company that lowered its Medical Loss Ratio by two percent, to less than 80% in the fourth quarter of 2010?
If this corporation can "ill afford" the legal cost of these reviews, and considering Rafael del Castillo's comment that he wins about eighty percent of his cases, then perhaps UnitedHealth should stop putting their shareholders before their enrollees when making decisions about medical necessity.
I have met Ms. Brookins personally. She attended, on UnitedHealth's behalf, the "hit squad" attack at my home on February 18. If the company can "ill-afford" to fly her so many times to Kauai then perhaps it should stop violating federal regulations governing denials, appeals and grievances.
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