News Cut

'Desperate for insurance'

Posted at 4:28 PM on February 10, 2010 by Bob Collins (3 Comments)
Filed under: Crime and Justice, Health

sween.jpg

It takes a lot of guts for someone to get up in front of a roomful of reporters and tell the world you got taken in an apparent scam.

Gary Sween of Owatonna was that person today, when he appeared at a news conference announcing that Attorney General Lori Swanson is suing two Texas health discount companies, saying that they fraudulently represented themselves as health insurance companies to about 4,600 Minnesotans.

The two companies are Direct Medical Network Solutions of Southlake, Texas and Association Health Care of Houston.

Here's Mr. Sween's story:

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Health discount plans offer cost savings for certain doctors and clinics, but do not provide insurance protection.

(h/t: MPR's Elizabeth Stawicki)


Comments (3)

Sounds like those guys are small players in what is the organized crime of our generation - the health insurance industry.

Posted by Jim!!! | February 10, 2010 4:02 PM


This is a story I hear at least once per week in my job as a"Systems Navigator Specialist".
I am not sure who the folks are that are not in favor of healthcare refiorm because I haven't met one yet. If the system was easy or working well, I would be unemployed.

However, I think I can hadle unemploymwnt better than those who have no healthcare because of unemployment. I recognize I am ,at least for today, covered by my spouse's health insurance. But the idea of healthcare being linked to employment is ludicrous at best.
"The health of the people is really the foundation upon which all their happiness and all their powers as a state depend" Benjamin Disraeli

Posted by Minnwhaler | February 10, 2010 8:31 PM


I thought one of the main Republican 'musts' for health insurance reform was the ability to buy health insurance across state lines. This must be different somehow.

Posted by Momkat | February 11, 2010 1:58 PM


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