From my friend Mark, usability as done by insurance companies:

There are times when posting about a really bad user experience is simply an effort to amuse myself and my friends in usability, and so we can perform the all-important task of acting snotty and superior for a little while. Then there are times when posting about a really bad user experience is to draw attention to something which truly has a terrible and awful effect on the human condition.

He has a few good points in the article. I’d like to add that insurance companies also deliberately introduce unusability into their products to save money. For instance, my current insurance company automatically denies claims, counting on you not to contest the denial, and then only finally paying it when you call and complain. Those phone trees Mark mentions? If you have the time and fortitude to actually make it through the maze of menus, you get what you want. Maybe. We need better health care, now.