Saturday, April 18, 2009
Private security and logistics contractors who come home wounded from Afghanistan and Iraq face an insurance-created nightmare, according to a joint investigation by ProPublica and the Los Angeles Times. Unlike wounded members of the US military, who receive medical care, rehab, and other services from the Defense Department, civilian workers have had to rely on insurance companies paid by the federal government to get the care they need—and, in many instances, they have had to fight for months or even years to get companies like AIG to live up to their contractual obligations. Many of the workers, who totaled 200,000 in Iraq and Afghanistan last year, lost limbs or suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Insurance companies, led by AIG, have hauled in more than $1.5 billion in premiums paid by the US government, earning nearly $600 million in profits. In the case of AIG’s premiums, a military audit deemed them “unreasonably high.” Insurance companies initially rejected almost half of all claims from contractors with serious injuries and more than half of all claims related to psychological stress. These individuals have had to wage lengthy court battles with insurers, ultimately winning 75% of claims that were first rejected.
Civilian contractors have played key roles in Iraq and Afghanistan, transporting fuel to frontline troops, guarding U.S. diplomats and translating for soldiers. More than 1,400 civilian workers have died and 31,000 have been wounded or injured in the two war zones.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Injured War Zone Contractors Fight to Get Care From AIG and Other Insurers (by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica, and Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times)
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