The word has yet to trickle down

I think you might have done a big disservice to readers of your piece on Mercury Insurance Chairman George Joseph. (”This executive takes service personally,” Consumer Confidential, May 21.)

Readers might get the mistaken impression that they will be treated fairly and respectfully when they contact Mercury customer service reps, as opposed to the chairman’s actions in responding personally to Ms. Brown.

We were insured for more than a decade with Mercury, but canceled our auto policies last year because we were unhappy with their claims policy and with the disrespectful behavior by some of their employees.

Rather than praise Mercury for what their chairman did in this isolated case, you should have investigated more thoroughly the actions of their other 5,000 employees, who apparently never got the message that Mercury values its customers.

Thomas P.

and Leslie C. Oatway

Valencia

The column is one of the most ridiculous I have ever read. Mercury has 1 million policyholders, and the chairman responds to eight or nine complaints a month? Impressive?

With over 5,000 agents, Mercury took 13 days for its adjuster to take my statement on a minor fender-bender, and my insurance company’s adjuster took 30 minutes after the Mercury call to settle the claim.

Maybe I should have contacted Mr. Joseph instead.

Lynda Griffith

Los Angeles

Health coverage for adult children

There is another avenue for gaining health insurance for our kids with preexisting conditions that allows for a better level of coverage than seems to be reflected in your story. (”23 and uninsured,” Your Money, May 18.)

When our son, Sam, lost his coverage under our policy after his 23rd birthday, we opted to continue his coverage under COBRA. We continued to pay for coverage under COBRA for the three years allowed and, during the last six months or so, began searching for a way to get him other coverage.

With much digging we found that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 provides that if an insured party loses their insurance benefits and has expended all COBRA benefits, the insurance company must offer that person comparable insurance.

Blue Cross offers several HIPAA plans, and we chose one that had very similar benefits to those Sam had enjoyed under our policy. The deductible and co-pays were somewhat higher, but the monthly premiums were quite a bit less than we were paying under COBRA.

David Schey

Diamond Bar

The story “23 and uninsured” just touched on what is a very frustrating aspect of getting coverage for young adults: COBRA premiums. COBRA really becomes important if there are any preexisting conditions to consider. The problem can be additionally compounded if, as in our case, the child moves or stays out of state.

We experienced an increase of more than 300% in premiums to continue coverage under COBRA.

It certainly seems like an opportunistic fee schedule on the insurance company’s part.

Robert Heiber

Calabasas

Controlling price of gas during war

Regarding ”Chrome, schrome. Truckers are all about mileage now.” (The Garage, May 17):

If I remember correctly, about the time I was in the Navy during World War II, our government had a department called the Office of Price Administration. I believe its purpose was to control the cost of goods during wartime.

The enormous cost of gasoline is placing a tremendous hardship on so many Americans, while the oil companies are making record profits. Why couldn’t an OPA be instituted by our government again?

George Clair Swanson

Sierra Madre

Be careful what you pay for coins

As a serious collector of U.S. coins for many years, I was very happy to see the dollar coin story (”Is this any way to make a mint?,” Consumer Confidential, May 18).

There are too many flimflam artists feeding off the public’s greed and misinformation by making great promises about fabulous value increase potential and … wait, was I talking about coins or the home mortgage business?

Rod Heathcote

Ridgecrest

I have been a coin collector since FDR was president and a part-time coin dealer for more than 50 years.

Your column on how the new presidential dollars are being packaged and marketed is worthwhile reading for the uninformed general public who get sucked into these promotional offers.

My rule for all non-collectors is never buy any coins based on a newspaper or a magazine ad. They are always overpriced and hyped excessively with exaggerations and misleading slogans. Caveat emptor.

Sol Taylor

Sherman Oaks

Emergency care’s various problems

If the state bans balance billing for emergency room services, specialists such as cardiologists and neurologists – whose skills are often the difference between life and death in the ER – would leave hospitals with emergency rooms and go to those without. (”Billing issue has patients feeling ill,” May 17.)

This means ever-fewer critical care specialists available on-call for ER patients.

Would you expect a store to sell an $800 suit for $400 because that’s all you want to pay? The only reason the state health agency expects this of ER specialists is because of insurance companies’ lobbying and political connections.

However, because specialists can choose where to practice and what patients to see, the real losers in this health insurers’ power play will be Californians rushed to the ER in life-threatening circumstances.

Jodie Munden

San Clemente

I was treated last summer at Huntington Memorial Hospital and Huntington Cancer Center in Pasadena. I received excellent care and was treated by a caring and world-class staff.

Dealing with the paperwork and billing was a different matter, however. The billing was confusing, but I promptly responded to each request for payment. The result: I overpaid by more than $1,200.

My credit balance has existed since November. You can be sure that if this situation were reversed, I would have been sent to a collection agency and hounded for payment long ago.

Gloria V. Mullendore

Pasadena

We were in Denmark when my grandson fell and needed stiches in his chin. After leaving emergency my son inquired about the charge. They said, “No charge.” If he needs care now, maybe it would be cheaper to send him to Denmark.

Mary C.Thomas

Garden Grove

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