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.

Jury awards punitive damages against manufacturer of surgical mesh
The jury in the first federal trial involving transvaginal mesh returned a verdict of $2 million Thursday. The woman brought suit against C R Bard, Inc., alleging the manufacturer failed to warn about product defects which caused injuries, including bleeding and pain requiring her to undergo two surgeries