This demonstrates the difficulty in getting to the real story. It's not exactly easy for an insurance company to tell the world that they haven't been paying claims on time because of Y2K. They seem to be waiting until they believe that they have a handle on it...

http://www.jsonline.com/bym/tech/0128comp.asp

-- Reporter (foo@foo.bar), January 29, 1999

Answers

Reporter, In monetary terms, the article you cite is the biggest snafu I've seen. Are you aware of any foul-ups in the domestic US which have involved more money or is this the prize winner so far?

-- Puddintame (dit@dot.com), January 29, 1999.

Since when do businesses advertise their problems? Especially a Y2K problem, which already worries at least some people.

I wonder if we'll see a pattern, where good news ("XYZ Widgets Is Now Y2K Compliant!")is trumpeted (as much as lawyers will allow), while bad news is hidden away. After all, the JoAnne Effect no doubt hit a lot more businesses than we ever heard...

-- Drew Parkhill/CBN News (y2k@cbn.org), January 29, 1999.

Reporter,

We have been hearing about this problem since the beginning of the year, though. There was an article in the Washington Post on January 5 at this now dead link...

http://search.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1999-01/05/041l-010599- idx.html

...about federal employees having trouble, if memory serves, with their Blue Cross insurance. The title of the article was "Company Erroneously Denies Federal Workers' Drug Benefits".

I personally know a woman with Blue Cross insurance who had to pay for prescriptions out of her own pocket the first ten days of this year. This was insurance through a NON-government employer. When the drug store tried calling up her policy on their computers, her coverage simply did not exist. She was told later that the problem started when 1998 turned into 1999.

Finally, there's this article from the January 9, 1999 issue of the Louisville Courier-Journal...

http://www.courier- journal.com/localnews/1999/9901/09/990109foulinsurance.html

"Insurance foul-ups hit hundreds"

...about insurance glitches in Kentucky. Here's a quote from the article:

"Mike Howard Sr. was charged $200 instead of $20 for four medicines he needs because his insurance was erroneously cancelled."

Do any of you know about other precription glitches this month?

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), January 29, 1999.

OK, people, I couldn't stand it any longer. I have worked in a business for years that deals with the insurance companies making their payments to the hospitals. I am here to tell you MOST, not all, but MOST, do not pay the bills on time to the hospital. It is not uncommon for me to spend months, calling, faxing and whatever it takes to get these people to pay the hospitals their money. Their being behind has nothing to do with y2k!! Maybe they have found a nice scapegoat! Lots of people will believe it and they can sit with their money in the banks and pull interest on the millions plus they owe hospitals. Then when they decide they have made enough they pay the bill.

GEEZ

-- Moore Dinty moore (not@thistime.com), January 30, 1999.

OK, I can understand the slow payments situation. But, what about the prescription glitches? I also saw a story in USA Today (the link is now dead) about this, too.

The information so far is only crumbs, but it's multiple crumbs.

Does anyone else have information about glitches in prescription medicine benefits earlier this month?

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), January 31, 1999.