It feels like there are stories like this all over the world. In season 3 episode 1 of the TV series “Bull” titled “The Ground Beneath Their Feet” they actually defended an insurance company that denied coverage of a liver transplant.
All of these articles have a central message that we all already know.
Insurance companies suck and there should be something done about them. Yet the question remains what should and can be done?
_patterns on
> But critics say it’s a way for insurers to deny coverage and contribute to massive earnings of $25 billion in 2023 with a 2.2% profit margin
There’s no way to deny less treatment unless insurance gets more expensive, which will make it less accessible
It’s obvious for anyone with high school level education that the only way to improve healthcare is to reduce costs somehow. Anything else will leave someone in the rain
IMakeMyOwnLunch on
People are going to shit their pants when they find out how hard it is to get scans in other countries.
Massachusetts has more MRI machines than the entire country of Canada.
YaGetSkeeted0n on
Is this all predicated on trying to avoid unnecessary procedures and tests? This is probably a stupid idea but what about a cost sharing rule depending on the test result? Like if it finds something like fucking cancer then okay great it’s covered. If it doesn’t find something, then it’s only partly covered. I’d also exempt biopsies from this (like, have them be covered) since they’re generally the gold standard for absolute certainty as to whether there’s a problem or not.
my-user-name- on
Defending insurance companies because they have a tiny profit margin is like defending State-run industries or non-automated ports because they also have a tiny profit margin. They aren’t altruistic for making so little profit, they’re incompetent, and their incompetence is making things worse for everyone.
These companies are lobbying to reduce competition, increase friction, and protect what little market remains. Despite their small profits, they are using their remaining power to ensure their market is protected ever more from competition and innovation which could reduce costs for everyone.
So yes, the insurance companies are still a problem, even if they have a small margin and even if care would still need to be rationed under an American NHS.
5 Comments
It feels like there are stories like this all over the world. In season 3 episode 1 of the TV series “Bull” titled “The Ground Beneath Their Feet” they actually defended an insurance company that denied coverage of a liver transplant.
All of these articles have a central message that we all already know.
Insurance companies suck and there should be something done about them. Yet the question remains what should and can be done?
> But critics say it’s a way for insurers to deny coverage and contribute to massive earnings of $25 billion in 2023 with a 2.2% profit margin
There’s no way to deny less treatment unless insurance gets more expensive, which will make it less accessible
It’s obvious for anyone with high school level education that the only way to improve healthcare is to reduce costs somehow. Anything else will leave someone in the rain
People are going to shit their pants when they find out how hard it is to get scans in other countries.
Massachusetts has more MRI machines than the entire country of Canada.
Is this all predicated on trying to avoid unnecessary procedures and tests? This is probably a stupid idea but what about a cost sharing rule depending on the test result? Like if it finds something like fucking cancer then okay great it’s covered. If it doesn’t find something, then it’s only partly covered. I’d also exempt biopsies from this (like, have them be covered) since they’re generally the gold standard for absolute certainty as to whether there’s a problem or not.
Defending insurance companies because they have a tiny profit margin is like defending State-run industries or non-automated ports because they also have a tiny profit margin. They aren’t altruistic for making so little profit, they’re incompetent, and their incompetence is making things worse for everyone.
These companies are lobbying to reduce competition, increase friction, and protect what little market remains. Despite their small profits, they are using their remaining power to ensure their market is protected ever more from competition and innovation which could reduce costs for everyone.
So yes, the insurance companies are still a problem, even if they have a small margin and even if care would still need to be rationed under an American NHS.