Charlie Spiegel said he was "thrilled" when he learned that the Department of Managed Health Care was taking action against two major insurers that sell policies on the Covered California marketplace. The companies, DMHC says, had violated state law by listing doctors on their online directories who were not part of their network.
Spiegel, of San Francisco, is not a Covered California policy-holder, but he's having significant problems of his own with the individual policy he bought from Anthem Blue Cross earlier this year.
Here's the background: Spiegel, 56, says he enjoys good health, but had been postponing various preventive tests due to cost. Before the Affordable Care Act went into effect, he had a high deductible plan.
"I decided this would be the year to get a really good plan and get all the care done," he told me.
He decided to go with a plan that would have a higher monthly premium so that more of his health care would be covered at the time of service. Spiegel, 56, wanted to go with an Anthem plan. He called his doctor -- part of the Sutter Health system -- and his doctor confirmed he would take the insurance. Spiegel then confirmed with Anthem that the doctor was part of its network.