The recently enacted health care legislation is already having a positive derivative effect on our economy. It is creating a full employment environment for a specialized employee of the health insurance industry- the insurance weasel.
These weasels have been around for several years, toiling in anonymity, mostly in the private insurance market. Their mission (which they always choose to accept) is too comb through the details of multiple page insurance applications for any error, no matter how small or insignificant, so that coverage can be denied to some poor sap with a serious medical malady. These weasels almost always get their man (or woman or child). The insurance companies then “regrettably” deny coverage (after all, you did get that one date wrong on your application), refund your premiums and throw you on the trash heap.
Health care reform changed this disgusting behavior, or so we thought. What the President and lawmakers are discovering though, is that the insurance companies employ the best weasels around. They eat the congressional staff weasels for breakfast.
Yesterday we learned that the weasels have identified some language in the health care legislation that would actually allow them to deny coverage to sick kids. The insurance weasels combed through the over 2300 pages in the bill to find the ambiguous language and exploit it. Oh the joy in weasel land at the thought of denying coverage to sick kids. The insurance companies must have popped some champagne over that one.
I wonder how many tea-partiers, holding up some derisive sign about President Obamacare, might have a new cause of action should one of their kids fall into this weasel loophole.