Patients may find themselves wading through a system of pre-authorizations, denials after a pre-authorization, and refusal to pay claims post-procedure.The processes can be confusing and contradictory, leaving patients frustrated and without much-needed care.It is against this cultural backdrop that many responded to the murder of the CEO of one of the major insurance companies in the US.
Before there was any information about the shooter, there was wide speculation that they must have been someone who was denied a claim.While I do not think that this shooting is to be celebrated, I know that the practices of health insurance companies are a tremendous source of pain, grief, anger, and loss for millions of people in the US.These companies have the power of life, death, and ill-health in their hands, and are, too often perceived as choosing the latter two.