The Artvoice reported today that Blue Shield California twice refused to pay $2,700 emergency room claims by Rosalinda Miran-Ramirez, concluding that it was not a “reasonable” decision for her to go to the emergency room that morning when she awoke to a shirt saturated from blood with what turned out to be a breast tumor. Only after KPIX-TV reported the story did the insurance company pay the claim. Further, it reported that the National Women’s Law Center found that the laws of eight states permit insurance companies to deny health coverage to a battered spouse (as a “pre-existing condition”) since batterers tend to be recidivists.

Pfizer Agrees to $2.3 Billion Settlement
The CBS Evening News and the AAJ are reporting that Pfizer was hit with $2.3 Billion in fines for for violating federal drug marketing rules. Pfizer was accused of promoting the pain medication Bextra for uses that were not approved.