Let us stipulate that the wealthiest citizens of this nation, as a polity, are not greatly concerned with the illness or death of masses of Americans who did not have the good sense to be born into the right social circumstances.   We have a privatized health care system here that would be a cause of great national shame, in a nation where shame for such things was still possible.   We are, as a nation, shameless fucks.   A glance at any of President Fuckface’s recent tweets will confirm this, whatever mix of disgust and shame we may also personally feel as a result.  

Here is a letter I was compelled to write today:

Pat Wang
CEO  Healthfirst
100 Church Street
New York, NY 10007

pwang@healthfirst.org

Dr. Ms. Wang:

I appreciate that you allow your reps to give out your contact information to customers who can’t otherwise resolve issues with your staff.   This encourages me to think that you might be helpful in resolving an aggravating billing situation that has been ongoing for months.    I applaud your willingness to be contacted, it shows integrity and is in stark contrast to the policy of Donna Frescatore, director of the “New York State of Health” (NYSOH) ordering her reps not to divulge her name to callers.

I request a corrected bill and an accounting showing my remaining credit toward premium payments.  The credit situation is described below.

During an August 25th call to Healthfirst to try to resolve the issue of incorrect bills being sent to me, my “case” was assigned an “escalation number” (347-79-923).  I was promised an accounting, showing payment history and current credit toward future premiums.   I received instead a notice, dated September 8 and signed by Christopher A. DiMarco, threatening me with cancellation of my insurance for a claimed past due balance of $28. On September 19 I called Healthfirst and was assured that credit had paid my September premium.  

I was also informed during that call that “finance” had included no notes on my account.   I could not be sent a simple receipt for payment or anything indicating my remaining credit.  I was assured by an extremely sympathetic rep that my account was paid through October, with credit remaining toward November’s premium.

Attached is the invoice I received on September 25.   It states that I must pay $482, on pain of losing my health insurance (as I begin treatments for kidney disease and skin cancer).   It has been mailed to me in error.   I have a credit of several hundred dollars due to overpayments made as a result of NYSOH’s error.   NYSOH incorrectly denied my subsidy for 2017.   It took months, and a ruling by a hearing officer, before NYSOH was ordered to restore the subsidy, about fifty percent of the premium.  

As a result of NYSOH’s error, I was required to pay Healthfirst the full premium from February through June.  When I got a bill for July I called Healthfirst and learned that a credit had been applied for my overpayment.  After payment of July’s premium the rep calculated my remaining credit at $876.

Since then it has been a health insurance headache every month.  In another context, it would be tempting to characterize the attached invoice demanding a large payment for a premium I have already paid as an attempt at fraud.  I am sure it was sent to me in error.    Please have somebody update my account and send me an accurate statement of my payments and remaining credit.

Thanks,