Abused Dog Left For Dead In Trash Could Barely Lift His Head When Rescuers Find Him

Top 10 health insurance companies in the US In the US, there are a host of private healthcare insurance specialists. However, life/annuity and property/casualty insurers also write this coverage, often referred to as accident and health insurance, as outlined by the Insurance Information Institute. In 2018, the accident and health insurance industry’s direct written premiums reached $1.1 trillion, up by 57.3% from 2009. The largest 10 insurers collectively wrote 51.8% of the total US market, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). Listen in: Sign up for our IB Talk podcasts to get the most in-depth insurance discussions Based on NAIC’s 2018 data, here are the top 10 accident and health insurance groups: 1. UnitedHealth Direct Written Premiums: $156.9 billion Market Share: 14.2% A diversified health and well-being company, UnitedHealth Group’s core capabilities are clinical expertise, advanced technology, and data and health information. UnitedHealth Group serves clients and consumers in the US and more than 130 other countries through two distinct platforms: UnitedHealthcare provides healthcare coverage and benefits services, while Optum provides information and technology-enabled health services. The group invests more than $3.5 billion in technology and innovation and processes approximately 1.1 trillion transactions annually. 2. Kaiser Foundation Direct Written Premiums: $93.2 billion Market Share: 8.5% Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. operates as a non-profit healthcare organization. The organization offers allergy, audiology, cardiology, dermatology, oncology, hospice, laboratory, nephrology, occupational therapy, pain management, pediatric rehabilitation, and pharmacy services. The company serves patients in the US. 3. Anthem, Inc. Direct Written Premiums: $67.2 billion Market Share: 6.1% Anthem, Inc. is a health benefits company that is committed to improving lives and communities and making healthcare simpler. Anthem, through its affiliated companies, serves more than 78 million people, including over 41 million within its family of health plans. It aims to be the most innovative, valuable, and inclusive partner. The group’s affiliated health plans have created various HMOs, PPOs, network-based dental products, various hybrid and specialty products, and health plan services that combine the attributes consumers find attractive with effective cost control techniques. Individual members and employer groups can select from basic and comprehensive plans to meet their specific needs. A wide range of related specialty products and other services is also available, including flexible spending accounts and COBRA administration. 4. Humana Direct Written Premiums: $56 billion Market Share: 5.1% Humana’s cultural foundation is aligned to helping members achieve their best health by providing personalized, simplified, whole-person healthcare experiences. Recognizing that each person, family, and community’s healthcare needs continue to evolve, Humana creates innovative solutions and resources to help people live their healthiest lives on their terms – when and where they need it. 5. CVS Direct Written Premiums: $55.4 billion Market Share: 5.0% CVS Health is a healthcare innovation company with a purpose to help people on their path to better health. Through its health services, plans, and community pharmacists, it pioneers a new approach to total health. CVS has more than 9,800 retail locations, nearly 1,100 walk-in medical clinics, a pharmacy benefits manager with about 93 million plan members, a diversified healthcare benefits company serving about 22.2 million medical members, a dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving more than one million patients per year, expanding specialty pharmacy services, and a standalone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. 6. HCSC Direct Written Premiums: $36.9 billion Market Share: 3.4% Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), a mutual legal reserve company, is the largest customer-owned healthcare insurance company in the US. The company serves more than 16 million members across five states – Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas – and employs more than 23,000 people in over 60 local offices. HCSC offers a wide variety of life and health insurance products and related services through its affiliates and subsidiaries, including Dearborn Group, Dental Network of America, HCSC Insurance Service Company, Medecision, Availity, Prime Therapeutics, and TriWest Healthcare Alliance. 7. Centene Corp Direct Written Premiums: $36.3 billion Market Share: 3.3% Centene Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, is a diversified, multinational healthcare company providing a portfolio of services to government-sponsored healthcare programs, focusing on uninsured and underinsured individuals. It operates in 32 states and three international markets and has more than 15 million managed care members. Centene operates local health plans and provides a range of health insurance solutions. Also, it contracts with other healthcare and commercial organizations to offer specialty services, ranging from behavioral health, dental benefits, life and health, and pharmacy benefits management to care management software, correctional healthcare services, in-home health services, managed vision, specialty pharmacy, and telehealth services. 8. Cigna Health Direct Written Premiums: $29.3 billion Market Share: 2.7% Cigna Corporation is a global health service organization with more than 165 million customer and patient relationships in over 30 countries and jurisdictions. Its insurance plans and products include healthcare insurance for individuals and families, dental insurance plans, Medicare plans, Medicare supplemental plans, other supplemental insurance, and international health insurance. 9. WellCare Direct Written Premiums: $20.5 billion Market Share: 1.9% WellCare Health Plans, Inc. focuses on delivering government-sponsored managed care services to individuals, families, children, and seniors with complex medical needs primarily through Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans, as well as individuals in the health insurance marketplace. WellCare serves about 6.4 million members nationwide as of Sept. 30, 2019. 10. Molina Healthcare, Inc. Direct Written Premiums: $18.5 billion Market Share: 1.7% Molina Healthcare, a Fortune 500 company, exclusively focuses on government-sponsored healthcare programs for qualified individuals and families. The company contracts with state governments and serves as a health plan providing a wide range of quality healthcare services to individuals and families. Molina provides health plans in California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Puerto Rico. The company also offers a Medicare product and has been selected in many states to join in dual demonstration projects to manage the care for those eligible for Medicaid and Medicare.

If it hadn’t been for a Good Samaritan finding him, Charlie the Pit Bull would have likely died in a trash heap. Charlie was covered in flies, filth and head wounds and lying in the trash next to a dumpster when Nikki Rubino found him.

Nikki had been tagged in a Facebook post about the dog dumped in the garbage near a recreational center. A vet tech for many years, Nikki knew from looking at him that he was on death’s door. Charlie wasn’t moving when she first approached him to unfasten the string that was attaching him to a pole. That he was even able to lift his head was a miracle.

Nikki and a friend got him to the car and rushed him to Philadelphia Animal Hospital, where his condition has been “touch-and-go” ever since. But the 2-year-old Pit bull has a whole group of supporters rallying to help him heal.

“The following photo is hard to look at but is very important,” the Philadelphia Animal Hospital wrote on Facebook.

“It’s a terrible tragedy when innocent animals are treated in such a way, and we recognize that this is not an isolated incident,” the hospital continued. “Charlie is a very sweet dog and is in stable condition.” The vets are “taking every measure to ensure he gets well.”

An investigation into who is responsible for harming Charlie is also now underway through the Pennsylvania Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ humane law-enforcement unit.

The PSPCA said that Charlie does have a microchip, which was implanted by them as port of their front clinic/vaccine clinic services. Based on Charlie’s wounds it appears he was used as a bait dog for dog fighters.

There has been an outpouring of donations for Charlie, and the Philadelphia Animal Hospital is asking future donations to be directed to the City of Elderly Love: Save a Senior Pet.

“While not our typical rescue, Charlie’s wonderful finders sure brought him to the right place,” City of Elderly Love wrote on Facebook. “Philadelphia Animal Hospital will be caring for and treating him free of cost and as their exclusive rescue partner, we’ll be handling his post-recovery care. We have high hopes that Philly’s amazing Humane Law Enforcement team will be able to bring Charlie’s abusers to justice.”

Although doctors are still very concerned about Charlie developing sepsis due to his wounds, it’s been a few days since his rescue on October 26, 2017 and there are some positive signs he is recovering. As of October 29 (three days after his rescue) he’s “happily trotting around” the hospital.

“There’s no set timeline on his recovery and we’ll have to take it day by day, but Charlie is strong and the worst is over,” the rescue group said. “Tomorrow, he’ll have surgery to remove more of the dead tissue on his face. He’ll need a series of procedures to make a full recovery, but is more comfortable than he has been in a long time.”

His rescuers are making sure he gets lots of rest and cuddles as he recovers.

The animal hospital added, “Tomorrow he will have surgery to remove much of the dead tissue around his face and muzzle. It will be just one of a series of surgeries he will need, but it is a step in the right direction. He is eating well and is much more comfortable than he has been!”

Thank goodness for kind people like Nikki and the rescuers and doctors working to save Charlie’s life and making sure his future is bright.