The four largest health insurance companies in the US denied coverage to more than half a million individuals because of their pre-existing conditions from 2007 to 2009, according to a congressional investigation.
On average, the four companies – Aetna, Humana, UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint – denied one out of seven applicants’ coverage based on conditions such as pregnancy, angina, diabetes and heart disease.
The investigation found that the number of people who were denied coverage increased about 49 per cent from 2007 to 2009. In that period, the groups refused to pay 212,800 claims for individuals who were already insured based on their previous medical conditions.
Yesterday, the Chamber’s chief lobbyist Bruce Josten, who has been spoon-feeding much of the media distortions about our report, went on Fox News (whose parent company donated $1 million to the Chamber recently for its ad campaign) to again try to dilute the issue by dissembling about the Chamber’s fundraising and membership. “We have probably 60 or so foreign multi-national companies in our membership that we have had for decades, many of which have been in the United States for half a century or a century,” said Josten.
The Chamber is being deceptive. In addition to multinational members of the Chamber headquartered abroad (like BP, Shell Oil, and Siemens), a new ThinkProgress investigation has identified at least 84 other foreign companies that actively donate to the Chamber’s 501(c)(6). Below is a chart detailing the annual dues foreign corporations have indicated that they give directly to the Chamber (using information that is publicly available from the Business Council applications and the Chamber’s own websites)...
Again, the information above documents the fact that foreign donations that go directly to the Chamber without any intermediary, like an “AmCham” or another Chamber affiliate organization. In fact, a Chamber spokesperson acknowledged the foreign funds go into the Chamber’s general account. Any responsible reporter should have to note these direct donations given to the Chamber, which the Chamber has refused to discuss. Or, reporters should contact us directly if there is any confusion about our report.
Forty-year-old aerial photographs of Russia's Caucasus Mountains revealed clues to the ancient civilization.
Early humans appear to have occupied a much lower link of the food chain than their modern counterparts. Read more 
Early humans must have taken care of this elderly member of their group, providing some of the first evidence of compassion.
Did you ever wonder about those ads on a web site that specifically mention your hometown? You also see ads for products you looked at online, but never purchased. And some online ads seem frighteningly tailored to your likes.
By simply visiting a Web site, you reveal more than you probably realize. They know where you're located and other sites you've visited. Sites can even learn intimate details about you, like medical conditions.
A photograph that has appeared in two high-profile repugican campaign commercials, used in both cases to depict what some have called "scary" illegal immigrants, is actually a photo taken in Mexico, depicting three Mexican farmers whose crops were destroyed, a British photojournalist has revealed.
In research just released by Applied Economics professor Jose Luis Garcia Delgado, Spanish language is second in the number of speakers behind English.
