Wellcare's Response

Attached a link to a letter to the editor by Wellcare's vice president of corporate communications published in today's Miami Herald. It contains Wellcare's official response to the ongoing criticism of their efforts to bid for the lucrative Medicaid contracts. The letter emphasizes that WellCare today represents a transformed company "sensitive to the concerns of those advocacy groups that share our mission of service – a mission to provide quality healthcare solutions to the most vulnerable and fragile populations in Florida" Well, I believe that individuals can change and turn their lives around. Nevertheless, they still have to do time for the crimes they committed. Why does a different standard apply to a corporation which engaged in truly despicable actions? Those include ending coverage for sick people and as a result, the company saved $20,000 for every one of the 425 prematurely delivered babies that were dropped from their plan. Employees were also removing certain patients from coverage because they cost too much money.When the goal was reached, the company hosted a celebratory dinner. Such egregious behavior should not be rewarded by allowing the fox back in the henhouse. Wellcare should operate instead under public oversight with an ombudsman (or woman) representing the interests of the public by investigating and addressing complaints reported by individuals. The ombudsman(or woman) should investigate constituent complaints and attempt to resolve them, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. Is that too much to ask for? Yours Bernd