It is entirely obvious from just the length of this memo that "SiCKO" is definitely making an enormous impact and hitting home with the health care companies. I can only imagine the number of these types of memos currently circulating throughout those companies. However, I find it amazing that one of Fitzpatrick's talking points centers around the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association's efforts to "work with consumers, providers, employers and the government to provide Americans with the health care services and information they need to lead full, healthy lives". With that being said, I am sure that there are a handful of individuals profiled in the movie who had Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurance but would probably disagree with that talking point (among others), including:
- Amanda Barcus, a young woman who was rejected by BCBSA because her body mass index was too high. Amanda was about 5 feet, 1 inch tall and weighed approximately 175 pounds but apparently BCBSA felt she was "too fat" to qualify for health care coverage.
- Although a cousin recently passed away from a brain tumor and she was experiencing similar symptoms, Blue Shield of California denied the requests of Maria Watanabe for an MRI or a visit to a specialist. However, while on vacation in Japan, a physician performed an MRI on Maria and a benign cyst was discovered. As a result, a jury determined that Blue Shield of California had breached its contract with Maria.
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