Politics Daily (4/23) reported that HHS Secretary Sebelius "has asked insurance giant WellPoint to stop its reported practice of canceling coverage for patients recently diagnosed with breast cancer." In a letter to WellPoint CEO Angela Braly, Sebelius "wrote she was 'surprised and disappointed' to learn from a Reuters investigation that the Indiana-based company has 'specifically targeted women with breast cancer for aggressive investigation with intent to cancel their policies.'"

        NBC Nightly News (4/23, story 9, 2:25, Williams) reported on WellPoint's practice, saying it is "one of those stories that may make a lot of people angry." NBC (Myers) added, "WellPoint acknowledges it routinely reviews claims after policyholders receive medical treatment for certain serious illnesses. It says it's to look for fraud. Critics say the company is looking for some excuse to cancel coverage, called a rescission." Sebelius "called the practice 'deplorable and unconscionable' and asked WellPoint to stop."

        CQ HealthBeat also reported on Sebelius' letter to WellPoint, and noted that on Friday, Braly responded, saying that "both Sebelius' letter and the news story on which it was based 'grossly misrepresent' WellPoint's efforts to prevent, detect and treat breast cancer among policy holders. 'To be absolutely clear, WellPoint does not single out women with breast cancer for rescission. Period,' said Braly," who "asked for a one-on-one meeting with Sebelius to discuss the 'erroneous' points in the secretary's letter." The Hill's (4/24, Zimmermann) Blog Briefing Room, the Los Angeles Times (4/23, Muskal) DC Now blog, and Reuters (4/23, Gershberg) also covered the story.