Thank you, Harvard Pilgrim!

The rant below is about statistics, not insurance companies. But I want to take a moment to thank my health insurance company, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. My cancer adventure (and house-selling adventure) this year had enough challenges of their own, but the year could have been sheer hell if my insurance company had been a jerk. Harvard Pilgrim was the polar opposite of that.

This year I’ve run up almost a half million in costs, including dozens of doses of Interleukin-2 at $7,000 a dose. As I chronicled in my journal, the Interleukin (and skillful hospital staff) saved my life, and I don't think I paid a penny for it, and only paid about a grand for everything else.

Early in March HPHC assigned a cancer coordinator to me. At first I was worried that she was a snoop, trying to find out if I was going to break their bank so they should ditch me. But she turned out to be a genuine supportive friend, helping me find information when I needed it, and truly making sure I was getting what I needed.

It's easy for me to see what they've again been ranked the #1 health insurance plan in America. Such rankings aren't perfect (don't get me started) but this one happens to reflect my experience perfectly.

In my first post here, I mentioned my admiration for a CEO who can accomplish great results for people while also managing for good business results. So many people think business is a zero-sum game, where if the company wins, somebody somewhere loses. Great organizations prove it doesn't have to be that way, and great managers (at all levels) make it happen. Blessings on them.

Don't let anyone tell you it can't be done. Thanks to all of HPHC, including both the management team and all the individual workers (like my Helen) who prove it can be done. They made an immense difference in my cancer.