Insurance companies dictating to doctors

Unfortunately, I’ve being hearing this too often. A doctor determines a prescribed medication or treatment for a patient, only to be turned down by the insurance company. A surgeon schedules a cancer patient for tumor removal on Friday. However, on Tuesday the doctor is told that the surgery cannot take place, and the needed operation is put on hold. So, WTH is going on and who exactly is in charge of your health? Your doctor or a board of civilians who only have one priority: their profit margin. Does it scare you? It should.

According to a 2023 survey conducted by The American Hospital Association (AHA), the following data was collected.

• Most patients (62%) have had medical care delayed because of their insurance provider in the last two years. Nearly half of those patients (43%) say their health has gotten worse as a result.
• Most patients (83%) want their health care provider to determine what care they receive, not their insurance company.
• Over half of patients (54%) have difficulty affording insurance costs and premiums.
• Nurses overwhelmingly believe (84%) insurance administrative policies delay patient care. About three in four nurses (74%) say it reduces the quality of care and 63% say it interferes with a patient being transferred to the right care setting.
• Meanwhile, more than 80% of physicians said insurance practices and policies affect their ability to practice medicine.
• The increase in insurance administrative requirements has taken a toll on clinicians with 56% of nurses saying their job satisfaction has decreased because of it and 84% of physicians said these policies make it difficult to operate a solo practice.

A year ago, I was informed that my insurance company would no longer cover my anti-anxiety medication. Why? Who knows. Oh wait… We do know the reason. Let’s be honest, it was a profitability issue. They had no concern that my medication was working for me. Was I even part of the equation? Oh sorry, that was a rhetorical question. Don’t you think that’s a decision that should fall between my doctor and me? I would say yes, but the doctor and I are no longer relevant in the equation.

While insurance denials and decisions are anything but funny, I think the following videos make their point by expressing themselves through comedy.

When you watch “United Healthcare interrupts surgery”, you may laugh aloud, but insurance companies make demands, many of them outrageous and the doctors must play their game.

Now here’s a real-life story:

And the nonsense keeps piling up!

What’s your take on the health care system? Me, I’m not all that impressed.