Healthcare Savvy

On October 3rd of 2011 I wrote a post about trying to understand why my health care premium,  purchased through the Connector from Blue Cross Blue Shield, was increased by over 30 percent after one year. In the end, the bulk of the increase was “justified” by the fact that I got a year older. To find that out I talked to (and wrote letters to) people at the Connector, Blue Cross Blue Shield and the Division of Insurance. At the end of a very long effort, Kevin Beagan, deputy commissioner at the DOI, said the Connector had made a mistake in the calculation of my increase. I was told by Kevin that I  (and the others who also were overcharged due to this calculation error) would receive a refund check. On November 30, 2011, I received a check from Commonwealth Choice for $21.36 and a letter stating: “This check represents the unused portion of your payment following your cancellation for non-payment of premium or other reason.” This was the refund Kevin had referred to, although I had expected something slightly larger. The wording of the letter from Commonwealth Choice was clearly vague and in no way admitted to any error on their part. After my long ordeal with this agency, I expected nothing less.