IDON’T USUALLY LIKE to write edito- rials that reference content appearing elsewhere in the issue, but for all rules, there are exceptions, and this is one of them. Starting on page. 14 is “Tragic
Tale,” a feature written by yours truly, and
one that is very likely to be one of the
longest pieces of journalism National Underwriter has ever produced. it is the story
about a comic book writer named Bill
Mantlo who had a great career with Marvel
Comics, writing for almost every title Marvel put out. Then he switched careers and
became a public defender, which he also
excelled at. But then he was nearly killed
in a...well, I’ll let you find out for yourself.
The reason why I’m bringing this up is
because the article itself throws a fair bit
of criticism toward a prominent health
insurance company (and an advertiser, it
must be noted) in how it handled Mantlo’s
case. but the criticism goes beyond that
and takes a hard look at how the health
insurance industry operates. Even beyond
that, there seem to be some fundamental
questions about how healthcare is struc-
tured from the ground up. Indeed, there
are too many people to count whose lives
are saved and made better by the kinds of
medical care made possible through our
modern healthcare system, regardless of
how the Patient Protection and Affordable
Care Act will end up changing it. But there
are serious disconnects within the system,
too, disconnects that have given rise to a
pretty condemning narrative being told
by policyholders amongst themselves. It is
being told by industry professionals after
they leave the industry. It is being told by
media types who sense a compelling story
(that’s where I come in). And it’s being
told by politicians who are either genuine
crusaders trying to fix something they feel
is out of whack, or who are opportunistic
patrons looking to score easy points by
harshing on insurance folks.
I can speak best to the media side of
this equation, obviously. The Mantlo story
is one I began to pursue out of a personal interest in comics and in Mantlo as
a writer. I had heard he had health problems and that his fans were trying to raise
money for him. I thought, wait, what about
health insurance? Doesn’t this guy have
any? And the more I looked, the more
I take no pleasure writing
things that may make certain
companies look bad. But we do owe it to
ourselves and to those we serve to ask hard
questions and to not flinch from the answers, especially in a business that directly
impacts people’s lives and well-being. If I
have one criticism of this industry, it is that
it seems to tell itself only what it wants to
hear sometimes. A great friend is one who
will tell you even what you don’t want to
hear. National Underwriter is that kind of
friend to this industry. We will call things
out when something appears to have gone
horribly awry. But we will also stand in
defense of the industry when it is being
unfairly put upon, also. That is only fair,
and this industry deserves nothing less.
Thanks for reading. And let us know what
you think.
Bill Coffin
Editor in Chief
LifeHealthPro.com
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