Insurance insanity

From a Friend:
One small example of why we need Health Care Reform -- just got the cardiac surgeon's bills from the hospital where Jim died -- insurance company denied all payments because there was no fracking referral from his primary care physician. They tell me I can get one backdated but why in the hell should I deal with the primary physician's office -- this the guy who hung up the phone on me when I was tyring to get information from him about my husband's blood presssure medications. How and why does one need a referral through the HMO when one is in the process of dying? Grrrrr...............