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A Splash of Cold Water! Nov 17, 2004
By John R. Gruber
If you think you have imagined the worst that can happen in our rapidly decaying health care system, Mr. Ellis has a lesson for you. It is quite obvious that he has done his research in the legal and medical arenas. You will readily appreciate the dilemmas faced by the health care provider who wants to do the right thing, the patient who has to trust that provider, and the infrastructure that ultimately wrongs both. You will not be disappointed with this book.
If Only We Could Hold HMOs Responsible! Jun 14, 2010
By Sigrid Macdonald
What if your precious wife died from rare complications during pregnancy? That would be a tragedy and you would be shocked and grief stricken. But if the same woman could have been saved, but had been denied care by a callous, cost-cutting healthcare management organization, that would be a different story. Your sorrow would quickly turn to rage and a desire for justice.
This is the situation that Bob Mitchell finds himself in, in Hugh Ellis's blockbuster novel, Blue Vendetta, when his lovely, 28-year-old wife Julie finally gets pregnant, after trying fertility drugs. Everything is going along smoothly and the couple is ecstatic until Julie begins to experience strange pain under her rib cage. Her otherwise excellent obstetrician Stephen Basil is perplexed. He knows that something is wrong with her laboratory levels, so he calls "Blue Star," the HMO.
Like most corporations, Blue Star is more interested in profits than people. Their dynamic CEO, John Markman, grew up with a modest family income, and vowed that he would not want for anything again. At Blue Star, Markman spent 90% of his time investing the hard earned money that people paid for premiums, to pay for essential health services, or so he claimed. Meanwhile, Markman earned a $250,000 quarterly bonus for saving the company millions of dollars. How did he save that money? By denying as many services as possible, and not adequately informing doctors or subscribers that there was an appeal process.
To complicate this, Blue Star had been granted immunity from medical liability by the government, which was simply trying to make it easier for employers to insure more people. So, Markman and his team felt secure denying legitimate requests, and Stephen Basil's request for further tests for Julie was one of them. The Catch-22 for Dr. Basil was that if his diagnosis had been proven correct, the company would have paid for the tests. But an MRI could have cost $10,000 or more. That's quite a stretch for a physician to go out on a limb by ordering the scan, because if the test had been normal, the cost would have come out of Dr. Basil's pocket. Consequently, Stephen Basil did not order the proper test for Julie Mitchell and she died unnecessarily. But her husband, Bob, just happened to be the District Attorney in Allen County, Indiana, so he sued the HMO in an unprecedented case, charging the corporation with murder.
Blue Vendetta is a powerful story and a page turner. It is clearly biased against profit-based medical insurance, and we have little sympathy for the company that takes cold and calculated actuarial risks with real people's lives. The characters are well developed, although I would have liked another chapter or two on Julie, so that I could have gotten to know her better before she died. There is an exceptionally well researched courtroom scene. The book gets off to a strong start, loses momentum about two thirds of the way through, but has a powerful finish. It is a well-written, engaging and thought-provoking drama that is particularly pertinent for the times.
Sigrid Macdonald, Reviewer for BookPleasures
A great book - enjoyable and enlightening! Apr 16, 2009
By M. Mcgee
"mcgee west"
For a fictional book with a basis in truth, Blue Vendetta was entertaining, enlightening and informative. The reality of how America's insurance companies are corrupting medicine and the related laws is astonishing. They pressure the physicians with their monetary and legal controls, leaving the doctors with few alternatives. It's all about the bottom line for the insurance companies, as they risk the lives of innocent people. Blue Vendetta is a deeply moving and tragic story of one man's fight to expose the corruption that killed his wife and unborn child. This book is a must read for anyone interested in this industry and it's reform and for others who are just looking for a great book.
Inspiring Feb 19, 2006
By Matthew
"Dewey"
Blue Vendetta by Hugh Ellis is a great story that captures your attention from the first page and holds it to the last word. Ellis produced a great read and I am looking forward to many more from this brilliant author. I highly recommend this one!
Justice Is Served Dec 17, 2003
By Christine
I have had a few run-ins with my medical insurance companies - this book was right up my alley. How encouraging to see the big boys get knocked down a notch - a big notch. The horror stories which resound throughout the United States ought to be a wake-up call for all of us "middle class" citizens to unite against the medical insurance companies who are playing god with our health.
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