Does this mean the hospital wouldn't perform the procedure without the insurance's OK? I'd think they'd do the life-saving thing first and worry about getting paid later.

I've always assumed that when people said "America has the finest health care system in the world" they were talking about how attractive our doctors and nurses are. I mean, remember when ER had both George Clooney and Julianna Margulies? HAWT!

Lots of info left out of that brief news article. Of course, with national healthcare that decision would have come three months too late.

with national healthcare that decision would have come three months too late.

In my experience, the wait times are very similar.

That is assuming of course that a national healthcare plan in the US is not even more restrictive about what procedures get performed than what insurance companies allow now.

Mark Geragos, huh?

Why do I get the Mark Geragos feeling that this Mark Geragos is going to be less about Mark Geragos justice and more about keeping Mark Geragos' name in the Mark Geragos newspapers?

The caselaw on this, by the way, is a closed book. HMO's can't be liable for refusing to pay for stuff, even if it kills people. The doctors involved can, though. I'm sure Mark Geragos will be suing the evil hospital and the evil transplant surgeon for not putting a free liver in or hooking her up to the artificial liver free of charge.

I hate it when insurance companies play doctor.

Lots of info left out of that brief news article. Of course, with national healthcare that decision would have come three months too late.

Apparently, the info you want in there is NATIONAL HEALTHCARE IS SCARY, DO NOT WANT. Yet the article is not actually about national healthcare, is it?

Michael Moore's Sicko was all about these people. Not the uninsured -- the people who only THINK they're insured. Because the insurance companies get to decide whether or not you are, and they usually don't let you know this until you have a major health emergency.

I've always assumed that when people said "America has the finest health care system in the world" they were talking about...

Nope. Just lying.