8:04 PM Eastern - Thursday, October 15, 2009

Insurance company: "Get sterilized"

UPDATE: Check out the first page of the letter that Golden Rule sent to Peggy rejecting her application and suggesting she gets sterilized.

After having a c-section, Peggy Robertson received a letter. It was from her insurance company, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, and it basically said this: get sterilized, or you won't receive coverage.

No insurance company should ever be allowed to demand a woman be sterilized.

Today, Peggy shared her story before a Senate committee. Her experience mortified everyone, including Sen. Mikulski, who called it "bone-chiling" and the insurance policy "morally repugnant." Today, she stood up for herself, her family and millions of American women. We need to make sure she's not standing alone.

But Peggy's story didn't end there. A year later, insurance companies refused to cover her healthy two-year-old son - first, because he was prone to fainting and, later, because he was "too small."

Peggy's son Luke is currently covered by a special program in Colorado that extends insurance to the terminally ill, but there is nothing wrong with him! He's yet another victim of insurance industry practices, just like his mom. Tell Congress about Peggy's story, and why it's time to deliver on health insurance reform.

Watch Peggy's story, then send a message to Congress.

As the health care debate moves to the Senate floor, we need to make sure members of Congress know the human price of their delay. We can't let children like Luke continue to go without coverage because they're "too small." And we can't let the insurance industry deny another woman like Peggy coverage because of "pre-existing conditions" like c-sections. Join us in reminding Congress that it's time to deliver on health insurance reform.

Spread the word

Recommendations on SEIU.org

Comments about Insurance company: "Get sterilized" are welcome. Off-topic comments and other violations of our community guidelines may be withheld or removed. Comments do not appear immediately after posting.
blog comments powered by Disqus