r e snubs regulators

I MONEY 2 CAREERS
I
A55
r e snubs
regulators -and Pavs
WATCH
GllGOFF
t a t e r r y l a t a r ~ray that.
like consumers and health
gct timciy or adequate responscs when they asked Cigns
Health Care ofNewYork to
amwar questions about complaints, so they fined the health
insurer S150.000.
organization ma ofcignaadmitted violations ofNewYorklaw
from 1999 through last year. One
infnftion mas Ci&s failure to
r c s ~ o n dto t h c d e o m e n t
prGmptiy.
Cima has done oooilv bv
mpiamti upheld by the
department, and also in evalua- evento regu1atonl"That's
tions by private organizations.
chutzpah, or dumb." raid Invin
"We're confident the problems Mala. a Longlrlanderwho
aJe behiod us? Cigno spokesE e W e s h a nonprofit'r prowoman Patricia Caballero said tohelp consumers resolve
last week
healthimwmce disputes, when
A n m o w c e m e n t by the
he ww told of the fine.
In an interview
department when
the apcement
1 s t week Salvawassilsignedso~s Since admitting
toreCasti&on+
thnt state law
chiefof the lnnurequires H M O ~ delays and being ance Depmand insurers to
ment's Consumr-pondwithinlfi
fined, 'they've
erServicesBuhappen. 7%; result was the
business days
rrnu. said he was Pl50.000 fine."
when the lnrurimproved
"surprised"
D:p.mment findings uf rhc
ance Department
Cignalct the
ramsor similar violrtiom by
h?a.'h miurcrs 3 1 not
~ anore;.
dramatically.'
problem continsendsthemconsumer complaitx%
ue so long. But he edcnted, but they are un&ual
%deadline Cigna
added. "Since
- t h e deosrtment cited comoa- Salvatore Cartiglione tlvzysipcd the
repcatedlyfded
to meet."
of the state Insurance rtipulatioaInrurancc
Department on thry'veimproved
Superintendent
Cigna Health Care dramatical1y"in
replatory action of this nature
Howard Mills said
theirdeal'ingr
goes beyond the small fine.
in thestatement at
with the bureau.
Castiglione said, by genemting
the time:"Wewill not d o r v a
Before the agreement. "they
adverrcpublicity and camcompany to dngitr feet to the
didn't give us all the informamanding the attentionoftop
detriment of its customern:
tian that we asked for ;md rhe
company executive.
Not respondmgproprrly
tnfomatron thai was n e c e s s ~ CabdIero, the Cigm spokes-
'I have rights,' a consumer
learns, and now he helps others
primarily as the father o f a sonwho wasdiagnored as having Crohn'a disease, an illness involving the gastrointestinal tract, at
the age of12.The son is 23 now. Maltr has
had disputes about which doctors and
treatments would he covered
He prevailed insome clasher,ioet inathers, but along the way. Moltr said. "I
learned I have rights, and I could ftghtmy
insurer." As one of the owners of a family
business. he's still active in four shoe
stores on Long Islmd aperating under the
Stkide Rite name, and his service in the codition's program is just one of his voiunterr iletivities.
"It's very rewarding knowing you can
do some good for people who are just trying to get by: he said.
T o contact that program call 36-6163345 and leave a message. or send e-mail
to [email protected] To 1e.m more,
go to www.lipc.org, click an "projects"
and then on ..MCCAP" under .wealth
woman, raid thecampany
"takes rcguiatory~ompliance
a d our members' concerns
venr seriouslv." and she noted
Consumer Watch would
apprcciote hearing about your
erpcricnce ingetting heolth
imancenflwyou left ajob,
whrthmvou obtained thecovw
age youieededsimpiy ond
ouickiv with o ch~~meofemnlov-
1
cess to the latest guide to health insurers
in the state, jointly issued by the lnsurance Department and Health Department. It includes rankings based on complaints upheld by the Insurance Department per $1 million in premiums. The
guide is also available by calling the Insurance Department's phone number for
complaints and asking far a free copy of
publication No. 3 when requested by recorded prompts.
The state attorney general's office offers areiswnce through its Aenlth Care
Bureau and a Helpline (800-771-7755,
choosing option three and then one. 830
a.m. to 430 p.m. weekdays) and a section
forhealthcare onww.oagstatr.ny.ur.According to spokeswoman Christine Pritchard, the bureau can give consumers information on how to obtain health care to
,.:w;u,~,
~~~~nr~l~b~t~~Ak~cw,,,
which they are entitled under their coverage and state l u ~ e s and
,
take comp~sintr Irwin Malt2 of Bellmore, who fought battles over health insurance for
-HENRY GILGOFF his son, volunteers with a free consumer-assistance program.
far investigation.