Miami, FL - A Federal judge has ruled that breathing is a pre-existing condition and therefore any medical condition that does or could affect breathing is not covered under certain health care plans.
The ruling has far-reaching implications beyond this one case.
The largest health care providers in the United States all applauded the ruling.
A representative for Cigna, a global health insurance service company, said "Cigna is very pleased with the judge's ruling. It means that we can legally deny health insurance claims that we already believed to be out of the scope of our health insurance policies. Perhaps people don't realize just how many health problems can affect breathing. We can now deny such claims and keep our rates low and reaonable for our other customers."
UnitedHealthcare issued a press release that said, in part, "This ruling is long overdue and ensures that we can provide the best possible health care plans possible."
The judge ruled that any health problem that could lead to death affects breathing and is therefore a pre-existing condition. The judge provided examples such as a broken arm that could lead to infection that would eventually cause a person to die. That person's death certainly affects their breathing and therefore their broken arm is not covered.
