Check out this Explanation of Benefits (EOB) I got from Anthem Blue Cross:

Now take a look at the EOB I got from CIGNA for the same exact service a month or so later:

What message does each send you? I'm unfortunately used to the unfriendliness of Blue Cross EOBs. But I always wonder why they don't make it easier for their customers to understand. It can be done, as evidenced by CIGNA's simple, plain language, user-friendly approach.

Is it intentional obfuscation, or having no clue about what customers want? Either way, it's bad performance on the part of Anthem Blue Cross, and an opportunity for competitors to get an edge in a very concrete way about something every customer cares about- their out of pocket costs.

So CIGNA, tell the world how (at least with EOBs) you're giving customers what they want! And Anthem, get a clue about connecting with your customers.

The Senate is considering tossing the public option in favor of an experiment: See if private insurance companies play fair for a couple years, and if not, then include a public option. In a very clever reframing, cartoonist Andy Lubershane paints a picture (draws an animated cartoon actually) of what would happen if we treated firefighting services like we do health insurance - complicated contracts, pre-existing conditions, etc. Check it out.

Whatever your opinion, now's the time to express it.