Now it's 'official'. The UNUM cat's out of the bag.

Readers tuning in to the BBC's Ten o-clock News last night will have seen the initial report on the questionable activities of UNUM (Provident or not), previously posted here. This initial report was produced by Mark Daley, who readers may remember for his 'Secret Policeman' expose of institutional racism in the Police Force, and his recent expose of Government failure to monitor and keep track of the many paedophiles who had gone missing.

Mark's initial report described UNUM's claims denial activities in the USA and the UK and used the same earlier posted quote from John Garamendi, the previous California Insurance Commissioner, who has described UNUM as an "outlaw company" who have acted in an "unlawful fashion" for many years.

In rebuttal of Mark's comments, UNUM put up Dr. Peter Dewis, UNUM customer relations, who tried to negate UNUM's past unlawful activities on the basis that it was all "part of history", and that they had moved on. It should be noted that he was displaying a marked perspirational discomfiture at the time. Probably the spot-light.

Unfortunately, Peter Dewis failed to mention the tens of thousands of legitimate claimants who had been disenfranchised as a result of UNUM's failure to pay out on their claims. many of whom have been unable to 'move on' as they have either died, waiting for payment, or have simply given up in despair, presumably, themselves, becoming part of UNUM's history.

Incidentally, Peter Dewis previously worked for sixteen years at the DWP as a close colleague of our local UNUM agent Prof. Mansel Aylward, and was instrumental in facilitating the introduction of the UNUM method of claims denial at the DWP.

The report also noted the clear and close involvement that UNUM has with the DWP. This involvement has previously been denied at Ministerial level and this leaves me a little perplexed. Could it be that they would wish to keep it a secret?

Edwina Hart AM, Assembly Health Minister, appears to have selected Prof. Aylward as her preferred person of 'stature and integrity', to oversee the NHS reconfiguration, on the basis of his CV, yet he has neither expertise in, nor experience of, NHS reform. In fact I would be surprised if she could find anyone around here with experience of any fully successful NHS reconfiguration.

One thing that he has expertise and experience of, is saving his masters a lot of money by reduction of service, or failure to provide, without any consideration for the consequences endured by the disenfranchised.

Maybe this is the quality that Edwina Hart seeks.

My previously posted 'alternative' CV for Mansel Aylward has been described by Huw Lewis AM as "defamation", yet Huw offers no response and refuses to address the matter.

As Huw has made the following statement in the Assembly:

"Might we consider that Professor Aylward could move on, after this work, to oversee the overall reconfiguration of services throughout the whole trust area?"

Bearing in mind this BBC report, I think that Huw owes the public a statement on the oft asked, but never answered question:

" Please provide your observations on governmental association with a company that has been described as an "outlaw company", that has operated in an "unlawful fashion" for years".

If any of Huw's pals read this posting, please ask him to drop by and make some sort of response. My reader awaits.

Better still, how about a statement in the Assembly giving a straight answer to the above question. His public awaits.

Your post-provident pal.

johnny.

SiCKO - Coming soon to an NHS near you?

Friday saw the release of Michael Moore's latest film, appropriately called SiCKO.

This latest offering from the maker of 'Bowling for Columbine' and 'Fahrenheit 9/11' now exposes the USA's totally-for-profit healthcare system. See for yourself, it's an eye-opener.

There are currently 50 million Americans who have no health insurance and consequently, if they develop a serious illness, they suffer and die untreated.

This system is totally controlled by numerous insurance companies who are motivated entirely by their quest for profits.

Could it be mere coincidence that the current proposal by the Assembly's Health Minister, Edwina Hart, to use the services of the UNUM Provident, that well known and controversial American insurance company, 'local agent', Prof. Mansel Aylward, as the overseer of Local Health Care reconfiguration?

In fact, Huw Lewis was so overly impressed by Prof. Aylward's 'official' CV that he went on to ask:

"Might we consider that Professor Aylward could move on, after this work, to oversee the overall reconfiguration of services throughout the whole trust area?"

Huw has attempted to dismiss my previously posted 'unofficial' CV of Aylward's activities as 'defamatory', but offers no response or rebuttal to my statements.

A three year investigation into UNUM Provident's activities in the USA has resulted in the following conclusions:

"The investigation concluded that the Company was engaged in widespread violations of state insurance regulations and in fraudulent denial practices. Those included using phony medical reports, policy misrepresentations, low-balling tactics and biased investigations as pretexts for cutting off legitimate claims of disabled, and often destitute, policyholders."

Given Aylward's previous history in the world of claims denials and the use of highly questionable medical reports in the DWP, and his intimate involvement with UNUM Provident, I regretfully foresee a radical change in services that will be made on mainly fiscal considerations.

He has successfully inculcated UNUM Provident's highly questionable methodology of claims denial into the DWP, with the result that many legitimate claimants have been wrongfully denied benefit, and I see no reason why Aylward's involvement in this proposed reconfiguration will bring anything of benefit to the public at large. Money talks.

Readers may have noted that there has been an increase in BUPA's advertising of late. Maybe they know something that we don't.

It is generally acknowledged that the UK is about ten years behind the USA. I would venture to suggest that the gap is closing.

Your patiently patient pal.

johnny.