Murder Incorporated

Nataline Sarkisyan, 17 year old with leukemia dies while waiting for Cigna's approval on liver transplant. Cigna denied the transplant at first. The family, aided by nurses organizations and a netroots effort to protest Cigna, got the company to reverse the decision. But it was too late.

Hey! Cigna gets to keep the money! I wonder if the guy who denied the transplant gets a raise?

How about that free market solving everything, eh? Well, it won't save your child's life, even if she HAS insurance when some corporate accountant decides that they can get away with not covering a lifesaving procedure.

The most comprehensive article is here: emax health
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"On Dec. 14, Hilda Sarkisyan was told by the hospital that a healthy liver was available, but because CIGNA had refused authorization, the family would have had to make an immediate down payment of $75,000 to proceed, an amount the family could not afford."
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Other news articles concerning the murder by Cigna:
Yahoo news
Crooks and Liars
Daily Kos
Michael Moore

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I actually found someone who was calling this news his Christmas feel good story- a man who was defending Cigna's sound business decision to let this "cancer bitch" (his words) die. I won't link to that piece of shit's site, but here's my two cents on the business of insurance:
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Yes, it’s a business. And the family paid Cigna to provide INSURANCE, you know, to cover emergencies. And they got shafted by a company that refused to cover its own policies. I hope Cigna loses billions due to this. Well, i won’t have to hope. Cigna will lose plenty in court costs, time spent, and bad publicity. All to save $75,000 grand for the liver transplant.
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That is a bad business decision.
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Did the family try to get loans? Of course they did! A loan for $75,000 takes more time than it did to protest Cigna and get the company to attempt to take responsibility.
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The corporation made the decision to save money by not honoring its policy. They, knowing the full situation of Sarkisyan’s condition, stall for time. A child dies. A corporation is to blame and will be held accountable. I hope this case brings to light the thousands of crimes committed against policyholders each and every day by insurance companies in this country.
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This is the state of health care in America. Unfortunately, it is the state of many factors in American life, where corporate crimes make life a hell of a lot harder for the middle class American just so some Daddy Warbucks can pocket more money that he'll pay less taxes on than you or I.
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Protests, pressure, lawsuits, and voting out the incumbents and the Republicans who have created this monstrosity of a "free market" system- these are the steps we have to take to correct this situation.
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And President Edwards, a man who has fought big business all his life, is the perfect man to get the ball rolling...