Hi! My name is Alex Stockton. I'm a video journalist with New York Times Opinion and I produced this video. For our reporting, we spoke with more than 50 doctors and patients. They told us horrific stories of being blockaded by insurance companies. Has this happened to you? Let me know about your experiences navigating this system. And I'd be happy to answer any questions. Thanks for watching
It happened to me with migraine medication. My nurse practitioner said that since January, she's noticed insurance companies denying prior-auths a lot more often. Makes you wonder if it's a deliberate budget-cutting measure they all approved this quarter.
@@natashalavender7758 migraine meds? ia it Fioricet? if so you are one lucky person! firoricet contains barbiturates and theres even a version with codeine in it!
I live in France and what was shown, very professionally on this video, would be impossible here. I’m. grateful of the health care system here and wish for US nationals to have access to a better healthcare, but it’s up to them to demand it, the current system is inhumane, to say the least.
@@eveb.6568 je suis vraiment tristes pour tous ces américains gravement malades, c'est une honte de la part des assurances de laisser les gens souffrir et mourir. Battez vous pour un système de santé juste et équitable comme pour les européens.
Luigi is now in jail and even if things change he Will remain there. He might have done it with good intentions but it is still a murderer. It would be a shame if people follow his steps you need to think straight.
So many people let big daddy government manipulate and intimidate them into "healthcare" decisions during convid and the govenrnment has yet to be held liable for all the people harmed emotionally, mentally, physically by that.
@@wholeNwonyes, they will say that they aren’t denying care, just not paying for it, but when they send the doctor and the patient letters saying that they have determined the medical care is unnecessary, THAT is a medical decision allowed only to licensed doctors.
No, that would be the actual healthcare providers themselves (hospitals, clinics, doctors, etc) and the pharmaceutical companies creating and manufacturing treatments, who are all private entities/businesses who are themselves operating for profit.
Capitalism is the cause. Insurance companies play a major role by adding expense without adding any value. Healthcare is an inelastic product that doesn’t adhere the supply and demand model. Unbridled capitalism doesn’t work because demand is constant. Death avoidance is currently extorted and capitalized by shareholders because your life is priceless and they know it.
@@RHLWfalse, insurance companies specifically require hospitals to inflate their prices that charge to all patients during their negotiations. Then the insurance company gets a deal where they only pay a fraction. Negotiating the official price up (not the discounted price) is designed to make it harder for smaller insurance companies or businesses that want to self insure to be able to do that. Insurance companies absolutely increase the cost of healthcare
@@RHLWnot all physicians are in a corporate owned practice or hospital. However, that is the “hard place” for doctors and patients in the “rock and a hard place” of getting squeezed by corporate suits in healthcare. Private firms buying up practices to “streamline” operations (I.e. fire nursing staff, reduce pay where possible, and attempt to strong-arm physicians into seeing more patients for less time and prescribe systematically rather than taking the individual patient into consideration). And the funny thing is, a lot of larger insurance companies are inserting themselves into healthcare in this way too, so they get to manipulate prices by wearing two hats. Healthcare issues in the US boil down to corporate greed from people who don’t even know the first things about medicine.
Not necessarily. The whole payment system is messed up. I think hospitals and pharmaceutical companies are really what's increasing the cost of healthcare, because they charge ridiculous prices to the insurance. Medications in Europe only cost a fraction of the cost in the US.
I hear you! My excellent primary, aged 57, just up and quit one day this year. Shocked the whole system because he was GOOD. But he had a quota to meet and an allotted time with each patient, his office was always busy. I'd had him for 25 years and I could tell something was up because it showed in his face. I asked him, are you planning to retire soon? He said no, still had kids in college so he wasn't going anywhere. But that all changed fast. And the paperwork was killing him. So? Good bye to all......I hope you don't have to leave because of paperwork, that would be a real loss......
Today I literally screamed when insurance requested "peer reviewed scholarly articles" and at least one written testimonial from a provider supporting why the patient needed that particular drug. Oh, and power of attorney. I hate it.
Some years ago I saw a news video about some physicians who had set up a practice where they didn't take insurance. It was a kind of subscription that people paid which seemed very affordable and there was a list of the usual things that people seek out medical care for that was covered. It worked economically because they didn't have to hire a large staff whose job was to do nothing but deal with insurance. I always wondered how it is working out.
You should look into hiring a PA clerk. I’m a pharmacy tech for a specialty pharmacy and my day is spent on just submitting PAs and appeals for medications.
What he did is wrong but he in-turn started: a REAL conversation. PUT HEALTH INSURANCE CEOs ON NOTICE THAT WHEN THEY DO THIS THEY HAVE TO WATCH THE BACK CONSTANTLY while they're making all that money
@@bsktballman08 with that being said, this situation has undoubtedly had a positive effect in the fact that it brought the conversation to a forefront. Now CEOs know that while they're making millions they're going to have to increase their security costs because they're gambling with their lives. all (millions to billions) or nothing (death)
@IT_RUN1 it's kind of interesting to think about how many lives he might have indirectly changed if any change in policy comes about because of what he did, or even change in perspective
@oioi_9000, 3 days ago, you said "That CEO killed and damaged more families yet he's praised as the victim" I am wondering, where is this "praise" that you speak of? I genuinely do not recall seeing any praise for this Apex-person.
This is what happens in a country that measures its success on GDP, the stock market, and profit rather than happiness, life expectancy, and human flourishing.
Correct. Society treasures coin, connections, clout, crews, computer code, control, corrupt communities, and lucrative opportunities. If you lack those, you're utterly w0r+hl3$$. That's just how it be in 202x.
The big argument about Universal Healthcare was nobody wanted a panel of bureaucrats deciding wether someone lives or dies or imposing long waits. We now have a private system that does exactly that.
I did read about the supposed death panels that the loony right used to scare people during the Obamacare wars 2008-2011. Turns out the death panels always existed, but not in the UK or elsewhere in Europe-these panels are in the US and are called insurance companies.
It took 250 calls to get coverage at all and waiting 11 months for needed cancer treatment with a cell type with a 60 percent risk of death in 3 years. The cruelty is unbelievable.PROFIT MOTIVE in Healthcare is a COMPLETE CONFLICT of Interest!
If possible get treatment from other country. I am from Tamilnadu, INDIA. Both my father and mother in law were saved from different stages of Cancer. We have the best doctors in our state. Only issue is that our country won't be clean and beautiful as yours. But healthcare is great if we can afford private hospitals. I am not an agent or sales person. Just informing you an option out of empathy. If you can afford chech in other countries as well. Even UAE provides great Healthcare. We spent around 2000 to 3000 usd for treatment for each person including surgery, chemo and radiation in India. Will pray for your recovery 🙏
@@RicardoMontaniabetter to go bankrupt and then die because you got sick than pay towards someone else getting sick and having free healthcare when you need it. I get you, that's a much better system /s
Saying that violence isn't the answer is a very privileged position and incredibly ironic saying it as an American. It is a country founded by violence, and violence is enshrined into our founding documents.
Faces you will never see, people you will never know, get to decide your quality of life, or death, in the name of making rich people even richer. We are fodder.
I think the term they like to use is “human capital stock”
หลายเดือนก่อน
And the children you produce. All treated like livestock. You are force fed cheap manufactured food to keep you moving for the system. When you get sick from the crap you have eaten they get to decide if you get treatment or you go to the glue factory.
My 17 yr old daughter had to wait 6mos doing PT for back pain to get an MRI to prove what we knew already that she had a herniated disc. This pain ruined her senior year and she gave up a honors program she worked hard to be in and ultimately homeschooled until we finally got the MRI to be able to get epidural shots to resolve the pain. Her back got worse during the six mos of waiting and her mental health declined. She didn’t get into her first pick college due to all her challenges. Thankfully she is now in college managing her back pain. All of this was due to insurance not approving her MRI! Health insurance companies ruin people’s lives.
How much is the mri in usa? Because in my country for goverment hospital is around 100 sometimes its free but if will have it in private clinic it would be around 200-400 usd …
I'm sorry to hear that. Here in Toronto Canada an MRI is free and I could get one immediately in an emergency or go to get one in days maybe the week just to be safe. I have family in America and sometimes my family up here has to help them. Privitization of healthcare and the prison system is horrible. It's all about not just money but greed.
Doc here... the insurance always hides behind "well we aren't saying you can't get the care, just that we won't pay for it, your doctor is still in charge and we aren't practicing medicine without a license" and this has given them near-total immunity over these absolutely criminal actions.
Good grief, you are naive. They have licensed healthcare professionals employed at the insurance companies evaluating the cases. Having said that, I knew someone who did this job for a very short time and then quit because they felt pressured by the insurance company to look more at the bottom line than what the patient needed. It was for an HMO. HMO's are crap. No one should have them but non critical thinking people get enticed by the sales pitch and sign right up.
@@ssquints8056 people who are sick and dying are only costing them money. At a certain point once you’ve paid enough premiums the best case for insurance company is for the patient to die quickly, thus reducing their expenses and then they get to net the profits from that persons 20-40 years of premium payments.
look up Georgia Guideposts for the end game.....bring the worlds population down to 500,000,000 according to the powers that be, one world government, remember this all you globalists.
@@georget.5048 Also profits are already incentivized by big daddy government. The medical industrial complex got paid money by the gov't for denying people life saving treatment during convid and putting them on vents unnecessarily which led to their deaths. They also got money for the injections. It's a whole corrupt system all the way around. The people have been sold out on all sides. So if you think all these healthcare workers are just trying to save you and only insurance companies are bad, you are very naive.
Why a health insurance company has the power to deny a treatment? Shouldn’t doctors have the one and only power to decide on this? That system makes no sense.
My dad was diagnosis with stage 4 lung cancer, he lost his battle after 9 terrible weeks. I wish I tracked the amount of time I spent on the phone with his insurance fighting for treatment, medicine and medical equipment. Hours upon hours trying to get things approved, messaging his doctors for them to resubmit the same request allover agian. Having someone you love who is sick and dying is so hard, having to deal with these insurance companies is just cruel. Those hours I spent on the phone I could have spent with my dad, holding his hand, hearing his stories, telling him I loved him. Our system is beyond broken.
@@MMMMM-v5m not her insurance companies fault. She made the wrong decision trying to get chemotherapy and other non-effective expensive medication’s covered by her insurance. She should’ve tried Dr. Seby’s diet or other natural cures for cancer, not saying it would’ve been effective but when you understand the poison that chemotherapy is no one should fight for it.
Something like that. The wealthiest and most powerful have the most sway. The poorest and least known... have none. That's just the reality of existence. People need to remain in their own lanes, or else... they gotta get RICH. If they can't, then that's the way it be. Acceptance is key.
This is preposterous, even if that is true! Insurance companies and other big corporations are not and should not be the boss of the government, no matter how much money they have to cheat us normal taxpayers out of education and health that our taxes SHOULD be covering, instead of military bases in other countries.
I live in Canada. Several years ago I had black spots and flashes in my eyes and I went to the hospital emergency. Yes I had to wait three hours to see the doctor. After my initial exam, he said your retina is threatening to detach, you’re not going anywhere we are calling in a specialist to do laser surgery on your eyes.I waited another two hours the specialist arrived and did the surgery. I paid nothing out out of pocket except for the parking fees.
Unfortunately that’s the best case scenario for Canadian healthcare. Where I live you expect to wait 12+ hours in the Er if you even get seen, and specialist care involves years waiting time. I haven’t seen a doctor in 10 years because of how much of a shortage there is in care providers. And I still pay for insurance every month to cover prescription drugs, dental and eye care. But sure, Canadian healthcare is so much better…
It’s ok, we wait 3-5 hours to be told nothing can be done here in the US. Don’t see how my fellow Americans can use your system as a negative comparison now “oh, but they take hours to see a doc in the ER!” Or “it takes months to see a specialist!”. Yeah… that is the reality now here too except worse 🤦
@@melissamargolese8782 I don't think that's an accurate picture overall. If urgent care is required it is generally done expedititiously. It is indeed possible to wait months to see a specialist if the issue is not urgent. But 'years waiting time' is clearly an inflated statement. There is a definitely a shortage of family doctors, but in my city at least there are also walk-in clinics and a number of Urgent Care Centres that act as a relief valve for busy ER's. After years of regular annual monitoring, I had an MRI last summer to investigate a possible early stage cancer (i.e. 10 -15 years survival expected without any treatment). The result indicated a biopsy, which was done in November. I had my first appointment with the oncologist in February and the treatment was done in March. If it had been an aggressive form of cancer it would have been dealt with more quickly. Again, the only cost to me was for a handul of over-the-counter medications. The Canadian healthcare system is far from perfect but every single individual in the country is covered regardless of financial or social status, and - bottom line - survival rates for all conditions are comparable to other developed countries including the US, despite spending only half as much as the US per capita. There are definitely frustrations, and perhaps we should be spending more. But after my experience this year I'm incredibly grateful that health care is seen as a basic service provided to all citizens, and that money considerations for individual patients don't come into it.
My mother lived in Canada, she waited 1 year to see a specialist, then 6 months for the surgery than got bumped foe a more urgent case, got the surgery another six month later then got to see her doctor for after surgery care 8 months later,!, I don’t know where or when you went but for most Canadians this is now the norm.
I’m a pharmacy technician for a specialty pharmacy. My job for 8 hours a day is literally getting prior authorizations approved for patient’s medications. I’m just one of a very large team.
One thing that isn't touched upon is just how enraging the phone trees are. When you call the insurance company for a prior authorization you typically don't get somebody right away. The phone tree is designed in a way to completely infuriate you and to try to make the doctor give up before they ever even reach a human being.
No doubt the more they manage to frustrate providers and pharmacies, the more likely some of those people give up, and the insurance company "wins" and saves money. It's bad customer service by design.
@@marymccluer1630we are not the costumers that need satisfying, the rich and powerful stake holders are. They’ll make more money if they provide a poor service or run an understaffed industry. Capitalism breaks down when the costumer’s opinion on what business deserves their money doesn’t matter.
The worst part is the people working hardest are getting the least remuneration for their efforts and then shamed in the media for not taking more hours, more work despite the poverty wages. 40% of people in work need state support. That’s a reflection of greed not poor work ethics by working people. This is being done by design, by greed.
I agree with you and I believe that the secret to financial stability is having the right investment ideas to enable you earn more money, I don’t know who agrees with me but either way I recommend either real estate and stocks.
I’ve been diligently working, saving and contributing towards early retirement and financial freedom, but since covid outbreak, the economy so far has caused my portfolio to underperform, do I keep contributing to my 401k or look at alternative sectors to meet my goals?
@@rougeur I've always delegated my investment decisions to an advisor, since suffering major portfolio loss early 2020, amid covid outbreak. I'm now semi-retired and only work 7.5 hours a week, with barely 25% short of my $1m retirement goal after subsequent investments to date.
I would not mind looking up the professional that helped you. I will be retiring in two years and I might need some management on my much larger portfolio. Don't want to take any chances.
*Mr Gary Mason Brooks* a highly respected figure in his field. I suggest delving deeper into his credentials, as he possesses extensive experience and serves as a valuable resource for individuals seeking guidance in navigating the financial market.
2 months ago I went to my doctor for recurring pain in my neck, shoulder, and arm. I hadn't injured myself in any way that I could remember. My doctor said, ok, let's get you an xray, and mri, and a nerve test to check for damaged nerves, pinches, broken bones, etc. My insurance allowed xrays and nerve test.. They denied my mri, telling me I needed to do 6 weeks of 'conservative' treatment which was basically physical therapy. I did the 6 weeks of physical therapy, which has made the pain in my neck WORSE. My doctor says it's definitely a nerve issue, that the mri would have given us a clear indication of. But now I have pain that MIGHT be permanent because my insurance decided that their profits are more important than my health and happiness. This video is my story, and the story of hundreds of thousands of other Americans. We need to burn this whole system to the ground.
I once was in a similar bind, and my mother recommended I pay out of pocket to get the care I needed. I did, and it was worth the piece of mind to have the health issue resolved.
@@marymccluer1630 I pay over $400 a month for insurance (and that's just my contribution, employer contributes more in addition). The MRI I need has an out-of-pocket price range of $500 to $11,800, depending on provider, location, contrast. I am entitled to coverage from my insurance. I am not paying even more than I already am, and putting myself into debt for the privilege. I am glad you were able to afford such a cost, but surely you can agree that insurance shouldn't be making the decision on what is covered and what isn't.
I’m assuming the nerve test was a conduction study or an EMG. Was that abnormal? If it was, then an MRI should have happened sooner as there may be a lesion amenable to neurosurgical options. However, if the nerve studies were normal MRI would likely not change course of conservative management. You would definitely be waiting much longer for an MRI in Canada, UK, etc. Insurance companies should be able to deny some requests as doctors will often just order tests at the whim of patient’s desires. However, if a doctor calls or writes and explains their reasoning, insurance companies should be absolutely held liable if their delays harm the patient.
@bearsagainstevil, 3 days ago, you said "Luigi needs to be found not guilty". It may devolve into a lengthy series of trials and retrials, unfortunately. Justice may not be quick with this one I would think. There may be situations where there are just enough system-people on the jury to hang the trial outcome, precipitating a retrial, and then it is a case of rinse and repeat. However I do not claim to know very much about the American Judicial system, but I would be interested to know if the scenario outlined here in this comment is possible?
On several occasions my insurance has denied diagnostic treatments that my doctor said I needed. Each time I told my doctor to go ahead and do the treatment and if my insurance does not pay, I will. Each time, the treatments proved to be successful and the insurance paid the bill in full. I refuse to put my health in the hands of insurance companies even if I can't pay the bill. I also informed my congressman and senators about these situations. This is how I am fighting back.
Except the majority of our reps are not interested in fighting for us to have quality, affordable care and to preserve Medicare. Keep writing them though, and let's let them know they won't get our vote if they don't make healthcare a priority.
Remember when politicians were talking about the “death panels” that would spring into existence if we had universal healthcare? The insurance companies apparently thought that was a really good idea.
This US hellscape in healthcare, education, judicial systems and work life looks so scary from Europe. Who tf would want to live like this? This used to be an attractive country to live in.
There's nothing anyone can do. The generations who care own the least wealth to change anything. The boomers created this system when they thought self interest would be a good, sole regulator for a economic system. Now it's entrenched
Poor people from third-world countries where the situations are much worse, the ones who want extremely high income with limitless opportunities and the ones who love firearms
We are late stage capitalism and unfortunately it’s hard to undo. Learn from us and ALWAYS vote to restrict lobbying, improve democracy and never treat a corporation as being more important than the workers. Trickle down economics doesn’t work. Too much to cover in a TH-cam comment but it’s complicated and the interest of the federal government no longer aligns with that of the people.
I was a healthcare worker for 40 years. Everyone deserves proper medical and dental coverage. We need universal healthcare. It should not be a for profit industry. Unfortunately there are many politicians who would even end the AFA. The insurance companies only care about the bottom line.
@@RicardoMontania People aren't always to blame if they need medical care. You can be in an accident or you can be born with complications like I was. Luckily I live in Brazil so I got two surgeries and don't owe anyone a dime.
@@RicardoMontania You already are. That's how insurance works - public or private. You don't pay into a fund called "Ricardo's premiums" which then pay out when you get sick. You, and a thousand other people, pay into a pool - and then when one of you gets sick, everyone's money is used to treat that one person. And what happens when someone gets sick through no fault of their own?
Universal healthcare would be great OR politicians should have to buy their health insurance just like the rest of us. That way they'll have full knowledge of how the system works and doesn't work. Every aspect of healthcare in America is a dreaded nightmare. This is not an overstatement--it literally dictates how I live my life in the most ludicrous way just so I can manage to stay covered. It forces doctors to have to work the system in ways they never imagined just to process their patients' treatments. To say that decades ago, prior authorization wasn't as prevalent is nothing compared to the fact that decades ago, your employer paid for your health insurance and you were just responsible for the co-pay. Over time, it shifted to where you had to make small contributions from your paychecks. Now, your tier is based on your gross salary--not net. So if you make a meager $60k you have to pay a premium of $500-$700/month and then there's the $7k deductible. Not feasible (after taxes) with high NYC rent, expenses and bills. Forget about saving for retirement! The American healthcare system is a broken, unnecessarily complicated, exhausting, traumatizing and demoralizing experience. Just this week, my treatment was denied and my doctor will have to work his magic to make things right. What a waste of precious time! Thank you NYT for highlighting this issue. My heart goes out to all the people featured in the piece.
Because they believe the idea disseminated by the rich that free enterprise is the best of all possible economic systems, that supply and demand will provide the best benefit for all, and that profits of any amount are to be protected above all else, even life. They are terrified of socialism, because most have never read a book since high school.
Too busy fighting each other over issues they deem more important because they aren't immediately in poor health. Look into how much the insurance industry gives to politicians, democrat, republican, independent, libertarian etc. This is an issue by design.
I would love to revolt, but unfortunately the US system mostly links health insurance to employment. I can’t really choose my insurer because it’s one of two options my employer provides, and I’m not the one deciding which insurance companies to contract with.
When I had a major medical problem years ago and saw what had happened to 2 people in my life who died trying to get care, I knew I was going to have to really fight. I didn’t feel good enough to fight for care but I did it. I was not under threat of death. Can you imagine you find out for example that you have cancer, you are very sick and you are having to spend every day of your life fighting and fighting and fighting for care? It’s evil.
I am not happy about you being fired but i am truly happy that you were able to follow what your mind and eyes deemed right! That is really inspiring. Praying for you to get greater professional oppirtunities.
In Austria, we got universal healthcare. There's some drugs that need prior authorization - you get them within 30 minutes of your doctor asking for it. The most expensive medication we get is THC, which gets denied if you don't take it for later stage cancer so you have to buy it out of pocket. That's 210€ a month.
Bonjour. My son and I noticed that our server was hearing impaired. We usually didn’t order beverages in order to leave a larger tip. We were chatting with the server and she told us that she was working at the restaurant as a second job because her hearing aids were not covered by her insurance in SC. I was so mad that I cried. The US healthcare dysfunction is just one reason that I now live outside the US. My current doctor has no nurse or receptionist. I can usually get an appointment within three days and he has televisits every night. I almost cried when my two specialists talked to each other during my visit. I never had that kind of care in the US despite having a well paid white collar job. I am happy to pay cash for my healthcare because it is amazingly affordable. Sometimes doctors do not even charge me. Visits are not limited to 15 minutes. I saved my life by leaving the US. With a broken Congress and the power of lobbyists, I can’t see things changing. I sincerely wish y’all good luck.
I’m also assuming France? France has its own down side, but I only see more upsides to France compared to the US. This country is a death machine filled with successfully brainwashed hordes. I don’t want to be here anymore and am working on leaving.
As someone with both Crohns and Ulcerative Colitis - insurance is an extreme nightmare and nobody wants to approve any treatments for either of these issues
Prior auths are one of the main reasons I work inpatient, instead of as a primary care physician. It broke my heart when I couldn’t get my patients their medications for absurd reasons.
My husband was diagnosed with degenerative osteoarthritis in the neck. He could not move his head. The Dr. thought that some of his vertebrae were fusing. The Dr. ordered an MRI, but the insurance company ordered it stopped mid-procedure and required physical therapy first. That almost paralyzed him permanently.
Primary Care Nurse here ✋️THANK YOU for bringing attention to the insane hoops that insurance requires providers to go through JUST to provide patient care! Nurses and Providers alike waste HOURS daily on prior authorizations and stay super late after the clinic closes to try to complete them just so our patients are able to get what they need!
It's common sense. How can a doctor who went to school for years to practice, tell a patient they need surgery BUT some high school grad at an insurance company determines whether the patient gets the surgery or not?! If this is not Violence (just without the gun), I don't know what is?! Thank you for this Enlightening video!! God Bless you! @astocktonfilms
I never thought I'd say this, but in comparison, Indian health insurance companies look like angels. They covered close to 95% of my parents' hospitalisation, and they just accepted the hospital 's word for it.
They saw a less than 2cm uterine cyst. They denied treatment and removal for over a year. It had reached over 4.5 cm, caused heavy monthly bleeding, triggered anemia, neutropenia, and subsequent infections all over my body before it was removed. I had to get extremely rude with the clinic before they took me seriously. My heath took a 180 after a less than fifteen minute procedure.
I’ve been having so much pain during the first few days of my period for a few months now. I went about two months after it keep happening and they told me I have a cyst the size of a grape in my ovary. Should I get it removed? I think they told me if it’s that small they can’t remove it :(
@@keilearreola3344 they kept telling me that too, that it was small and they don’t remove them when they’re small. That’s why I had to be rude and insist that it be removed. I knew my period was different and not in a tolerable way. The clinic insisted it was normal changes. My symptoms got so bad I developed anemia and neutropenia, I was getting bacterial infections that I’d treat then I’d get a yeast infection because of the antibiotics, the anemia was affecting other organs and systems. I alternated between the two every month for a long time. For some reason my digestive system basically stopped. I don’t know if it was the anemia or the size of the cyst. Having it removed really did make a big difference. My period shortened, the bleeding lightened, the pain went back to my normal my first period after the procedure. My bowels started working again and my anemia improved. I’m definitely not a Dr but I don’t see how getting it removed when they cause any symptoms, no matter the size, is a bad thing. It was so fast and minimally invasive. I opted to be knock out for the procedure. It wasn’t even a requirement. If getting the cyst removed is a viable option for you and you have symptoms/changes in your cycle or health I would consider getting it removed even if you have to get a little pushy. No matter how small it is a cyst has no place in a healthy uterus or ovaries.
So Bernie Sanders was right after all; and the same ppl who said Medicare for All wouldn't provide good care, are waking up, wishing we had quality universal healthcare the way many countries of the world have had for a long, long time. The needs of the American ppl are not a priority to our lawmakers, but the wants of their donors -- the big health ins companies, & big Pharma -- are. Enough already.
There are some countries in Europe whose healthcare is covered by private insurance companies, and they don't have this problem. We are probably in this pickle because America very anti-regulation. We mostly let companies operate as they please.
@@marymccluer1630they can be private but non profit. I think that’s the solution. That’s the way all health care was in the early 20th century. In the 80s 75% of doctors were in small private clinics and now 75% are in giant corporate conglomerates, and that reflects insurance trends too
@@vickyvey1657People often say America as shorthand for the USA, kinda like how people sometimes say EU to mean the continent Europe as a whole (albeit mistakenly they say this), which is different than the European Union. Or how people sometimes will say Britain or Great Britain (just England, Scotland, and Wales) and the UK interchangeably, even though they’re different. It’s just one of those things, you can look up America in the dictionary and see USA.
Thank you for this!!! I have chronic health issues, and prior authorizations are a NIGHTMARE. it's SO SAD how Healthcare in America is now. Hear me out- they're basically making the job of the Doctor unnecessary. Yes, the Dr's diagnose, BUT THE INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE THE ONES DICTATING HOW TO TREAT
I injured my right knee. It was obvious that I needed an MRI to diagnose the injury, but 9 months later those requests were still being denied and the insurance company wanted me to go to physical therapy without a diagnosis. I chose to pay for an MRI myself; result, torn lateral meniscus. My injury was nothing compared to other stories told here , but it was clear that my quality of life was of no importance. My insurer is Providence and I have the best plan available.
As a physician, I abhor what Prior-Authorizations stand for. When I prescribe a test or a treatment, it’s in the best interest of the patient. Stop telling me how, and when, and if I should do my job.
There should be CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT against claim denials! Use COLLECTIVE LEGAL FORCE to stand for your human rights (i.e. actual health care) and contractual rights (i.e. premiums paid). Someone start this. Spread the word to law firms, cases of those denied care, ngos, etc. C'mon America! Stand up for yourself! Use this moment of awareness to do real action!
Anytime a third party administrator gets hired to “administer” benefits, more of your benefits are spent on third party wages and compensation while they deny the subscriber benefits. PERIOD! These third party people get paid rather than provide benefits. The more layers of bureaucracy that make money doing this the less value your getting out of your benefits due to practicing medicine without a license. 🤷🏼♀️
@@Aros4 I am a retired RN who used to do those hurdles the HP throws at us, documenting the rationale for prescribing or ordering diagnostics like MRI, CT scanning.
This is my life- it is so emotionally exhausting. Getting PAs for albuterol for asthma patients, epipen for patients with food allergies, even prior authorizations for prednisone!!! for temporal arteritis patients. Constant denials. After hours of fighting it gets approved only to have to do the prior authorization again in 3 months. 5 full time staff to deal with prior authorizations just for one physician.
My excellent primary doctor just up and left his practice because he had to see so many patients each day, and the paperwork was horrendous. He just walked out one day, never told anybody. Shocked all the patients he had too. And he is not practicing anywhere else. He quit. He's 57. Just THIS year. I could tell something was up; I'd had him for the past 22 years. Very fortunately my health is not at a critical state BUT my meds for diabetes and operations I have every 6 months to remove kidney stones is all covered. I'm 72. This is my definition of the health care system here: it's like legalized vampirism. They sink their fangs into you to bleed you of as much money as they can until you're dead. You are just a "premium" to them. Being sick is a very big business. I was talking with a insurance rep about why a certain medicine was not approved. They said the doctors there don't feel it's necessary. I said, all right, give me the number of your doctors, because they are obviously smarter than the one I have now, I should go to them. Silence on the other end. I've told my husband, maybe we should buy a number of shares in these insurance companies: at least we'd make enough dividend back to cover the co-pays we pay out. And I still miss my old primary........ You are watching this system implode. What a mess.........
One of my former coworker's wife had diabetes and needed dialysis. They had three insurance plans. I thought that was great, extra coverage. He said, no, it's terrible, because they all refuse to pay, saying the other two companies have to pick up the tab. This was more than two decades ago. She needed dialysis 3 times a week, for $10K each time.
I’ve had two primary care doctors just up and quit in the last ten years. One returned to his native Italy. The other is doing well operating a small chain of spas and salons. At least we don’t need prior authorization to get a haircut…..yet.
It's important to note that these decisions are made by recommendations from the AMA (American Medical Association) which is a lobbyist group that pays doctors to agree with insurance companies so they can make up rules for care that benefit big business. Lobbyists are doing this to enrich themselves and politicians are working with them, to enrich themselves. It's a circle of extraction at the expense of your life.
I'm certainly not a defender of the AMA. In attempting to continue lobbying against the influence of the insurance racket in health care, they got into bed with Congress and that was their undoing. They can't out-bribe the industry, esp. since Congress granted insurance cos. special protection from regulation in 1945.
This is categorically FALSE. One of AMA's KEY issues is fighting against Prior Authorization, and has been for several years. Are you perhaps a health insurer? The physicians in this video are AMA members. #FixPriorAuth
Je suis française, quand je vais voir le médecin, je ne demande pas à l'assurance maladie l'autorisation pour obtenir mes médicaments, j'ai une maladie des yeux et tous mes soins sont pris en charge à 100%si je n'avais pas fait la chirurgie je serais aveugle. En France quand tu as le cancer, sclérose en plaque, maladies du cœur, tu est couvert à 100% par l'assurance maladie.les femmes après 50 ans font des mammographies gratuites. Pourquoi un grand et puissant pays comme l'Amérique ne protège pas tous ces citoyens?
The same applies to HMOs - I broke my hand when I was 17 years old and was covered under my dad's insurance. I had to go through the HMO process - instead of getting it fixed, I spent 12 weeks seeing follow-up appointments with my primary care doctor and a hand surgeon. Did weekly tests only for them to say "your injury is healed and if you want to fix it, we will need to break your bone again so that it can heal properly." My parents were angry and I got my first true experience with insurance companies. When I was old enjoy to have my own insurance, I vowed never to deal with HMO insurance policies.
My 96 year old mother’s experience in the U.K - it isn’t perfect but here is our journey 1. Felt unwell, ambulance sent. Emergency hospital- X-rays, possible pneumonia, sent home at her insistence with antibiotics. 2. Next day still unwell, rapid response paramedic sent, home oxygen machine ordered, GP ( family Dr visits) home oxygen machine delivered. 3. Starting to feel better. 4. Has a stroke, rapid response arrives, ambulance arrives, ER hospital, CT scans. 5. Next morning transferred to stroke assessment ward. 6. Hospital assessment, multiple visits - occupational health, social services. Stays in hospital until condition improves. 7.sent home with 3 visits per day from home carers - paid for by the hospital. 8. Hospital sends specialist to her home to approve and install any aids she needs.
THANK YOU for providing these details, and I wish your mum all the best. I’m so tired of seeing people on here spread misinformation about the NHS (because, errr, “communism” or something) when they have literally NO experience with it.
@@JebusHypocristosX Interesting. It is available but I doubt it is easily accessible. Can easy connection be made between who gives money for what and how the legislator votes?
Well they do if it's actual liquid assets like US dollars. But they certainly don't track foreign exchanges of money, gifts that got written off as something or other. The rich and corrupt trade directly in promises paved by "small" gifts as a forward payment.
They do. Which shows you just how little they care and how cheaply they are bought. But of course they have the absolute best healthcare plan our taxes can buy them.
The Supreme Court has ruled, again and again, that donors who give big money to political super packs can remain anonymous. For that reason, we seldom know who is campaigning for or against important issues. There'll be some group no one has heard of, created for that one campaign, and the donors never get disclosed.
I work in billing. Insur co’s dictate what they will pay, called the allowable amount. A hospital/ practice agrees to accept this as part of the contractual agreement to be “in network.” The allowable cuts in half whatever was charged, then the patient is billed any denial/ deductible/ coinsurance/ copay. Aging boomers have strained resources in other countries but universal hcare is still superior; their people live longer while most US bankruptcies are caused by overwhelming medical bills.
those last few sentences…. my heart absolutely just broke for her. this is so many americans’ story, so many just like these. we HAVE to do something about this this can’t be legal. absolutely disgusting how much those companies made in ONE YEAR… how many claims were denied for that kind of profit?? how many ppl lost their sight, their livelihood, their LIFE over that kind of profit??? absolutely disgusting and gut wrenching i can’t believe this is the country we live in. despicable
Hi! My name is Alex Stockton. I'm a video journalist with New York Times Opinion and I produced this video. For our reporting, we spoke with more than 50 doctors and patients. They told us horrific stories of being blockaded by insurance companies. Has this happened to you? Let me know about your experiences navigating this system. And I'd be happy to answer any questions. Thanks for watching
It happened to me with migraine medication. My nurse practitioner said that since January, she's noticed insurance companies denying prior-auths a lot more often. Makes you wonder if it's a deliberate budget-cutting measure they all approved this quarter.
@@natashalavender7758 migraine meds? ia it Fioricet? if so you are one lucky person! firoricet contains barbiturates and theres even a version with codeine in it!
Thank you for this reporting, Alex.
I live in France and what was shown, very professionally on this video, would be impossible here. I’m. grateful of the health care system here and wish for US nationals to have access to a better healthcare, but it’s up to them to demand it, the current system is inhumane, to say the least.
@@natashalavender7758 I'm sorry to hear that! I've heard about delays and denials for so many types of medications
Defend, Deny, Depose.
".....It needs to be done" Luigi Mangione
Free Luigi!!!!!
Depose doesn't make sense unless he was talking about "deposing" the CEO.
@@craftsandstuff3349depose doesn’t just have a legal definition. It also means to bring one to an end.
@@eveb.6568 je suis vraiment tristes pour tous ces américains gravement malades, c'est une honte de la part des assurances de laisser les gens souffrir et mourir. Battez vous pour un système de santé juste et équitable comme pour les européens.
Wow. This kinda of thing might make someone angry enough to do something crazy!
Rightfully so
Crazy like repealing Obamacare?
When a person takes drugs for pain, they can cause side effects which could change their mental state.
When a person takes drugs for pain, they can cause side effects which could change their mental state.
I heard some guy with an Italian name recently did something about it. Not sure if it gained any traction or not. 🤔
These are examples of crimes against humanity. These companies need to be held accountable.
I think there's a guy who's figured out the EXACT RIGHT way to do JUST THAT!
@@capnkirk5528who's that? Someone is suing the company?
They won’t be held accountable when Trump becomes president
Somebody call Luigi.
I think we found a solution
Luigi did us all a service. He's a TRUE patriot!
💯💔🤍💙
Despite his extreme actions he still Raise a lot and deserves to be free ❤
you are 100000000 times right. A true patriot.
Agreed! He is a patriot.
Luigi is now in jail and even if things change he Will remain there.
He might have done it with good intentions but it is still a murderer.
It would be a shame if people follow his steps you need to think straight.
If insurance companies are making medical care decisions and patients are being harmed they should be legally liable for malpractice.
Insurance companies donate lavishly to Congress. They are unlikely to pass any legislation against them.
So many people let big daddy government manipulate and intimidate them into "healthcare" decisions during convid and the govenrnment has yet to be held liable for all the people harmed emotionally, mentally, physically by that.
They would say that they never tell a physician how to practice only what they will pay for.
thankyou - yes - if i were one of those pts id prob take this to the court system itll happen just watch i tell you
@@wholeNwonyes, they will say that they aren’t denying care, just not paying for it, but when they send the doctor and the patient letters saying that they have determined the medical care is unnecessary, THAT is a medical decision allowed only to licensed doctors.
Aren't insurance companies the primary reason healthcare is expensive to begin with?
No, that would be the actual healthcare providers themselves (hospitals, clinics, doctors, etc) and the pharmaceutical companies creating and manufacturing treatments, who are all private entities/businesses who are themselves operating for profit.
Capitalism is the cause. Insurance companies play a major role by adding expense without adding any value.
Healthcare is an inelastic product that doesn’t adhere the supply and demand model. Unbridled capitalism doesn’t work because demand is constant.
Death avoidance is currently extorted and capitalized by shareholders because your life is priceless and they know it.
@@RHLWfalse, insurance companies specifically require hospitals to inflate their prices that charge to all patients during their negotiations. Then the insurance company gets a deal where they only pay a fraction. Negotiating the official price up (not the discounted price) is designed to make it harder for smaller insurance companies or businesses that want to self insure to be able to do that. Insurance companies absolutely increase the cost of healthcare
@@RHLWnot all physicians are in a corporate owned practice or hospital. However, that is the “hard place” for doctors and patients in the “rock and a hard place” of getting squeezed by corporate suits in healthcare. Private firms buying up practices to “streamline” operations (I.e. fire nursing staff, reduce pay where possible, and attempt to strong-arm physicians into seeing more patients for less time and prescribe systematically rather than taking the individual patient into consideration).
And the funny thing is, a lot of larger insurance companies are inserting themselves into healthcare in this way too, so they get to manipulate prices by wearing two hats. Healthcare issues in the US boil down to corporate greed from people who don’t even know the first things about medicine.
Not necessarily. The whole payment system is messed up. I think hospitals and pharmaceutical companies are really what's increasing the cost of healthcare, because they charge ridiculous prices to the insurance. Medications in Europe only cost a fraction of the cost in the US.
As a physician, this is the bane of my existence everyday. I didn’t go all these years of medical school and training to do this BS paperwork
I hear you! My excellent primary, aged 57, just up and quit one day this year. Shocked the whole system because he was GOOD. But he had a quota to meet and an allotted time with each patient, his office was always busy. I'd had him for 25 years and I could tell something was up because it showed in his face. I asked him, are you planning to retire soon? He said no, still had kids in college so he wasn't going anywhere. But that all changed fast. And the paperwork was killing him. So? Good bye to all......I hope you don't have to leave because of paperwork, that would be a real loss......
Today I literally screamed when insurance requested "peer reviewed scholarly articles" and at least one written testimonial from a provider supporting why the patient needed that particular drug. Oh, and power of attorney. I hate it.
Some years ago I saw a news video about some physicians who had set up a practice where they didn't take insurance. It was a kind of subscription that people paid which seemed very affordable and there was a list of the usual things that people seek out medical care for that was covered. It worked economically because they didn't have to hire a large staff whose job was to do nothing but deal with insurance. I always wondered how it is working out.
You should look into hiring a PA clerk. I’m a pharmacy tech for a specialty pharmacy and my day is spent on just submitting PAs and appeals for medications.
Clearly, the hassle is by design. The insurance companies hope they have annoyed you enough that you won't bother to call them.
Free Luigi Mangione!!!
Deny, Defend, DEPOSE!!
Free him like he freed that CEO😂
FREE LUIGI MANGIONE!
keep up the fight! Against greedy Insurance companies!
@Michael-yb7jh he will free you too 🤣
@@anirbanmitra4189 Don't tempt me with a good time
@@anirbanmitra4189 Better alternative than dealing you you lot
Here because of Luigi Mangione! It’s so heartbreaking how many I have heard this story from, because they are still living in pain.
After your comment I realized it was an old video. There’s far too little views. TH-cam absolutely needs to push this video more!!!
It'll be really heartbreaking when Luigi gets "deposed" won't it?😂
@@Michael-yb7jh he won't lol
LUIGI IS THE VOICE TO THE PEOPLE WHO COULD NOT SPEAK AND WHO DIED
@@whoknows4756 He spoke for the CEO?
Luigi Mangione is a hero.
What he did is wrong but he in-turn started:
a REAL conversation.
PUT HEALTH INSURANCE CEOs ON NOTICE THAT WHEN THEY DO THIS THEY HAVE TO WATCH THE BACK CONSTANTLY while they're making all that money
@@IT_RUN1lol. Not, not wrong.
@@bsktballman08 I get where you're coming from. But two wrongs don't make it right for a reason.
@@bsktballman08 with that being said, this situation has undoubtedly had a positive effect in the fact that it brought the conversation to a forefront. Now CEOs know that while they're making millions they're going to have to increase their security costs because they're gambling with their lives.
all (millions to billions) or nothing (death)
@IT_RUN1 it's kind of interesting to think about how many lives he might have indirectly changed if any change in policy comes about because of what he did, or even change in perspective
That CEO killed and damaged more families yet he's praised as the victim
He is a victim, a victim of JUSTICE. I’ll leave it at that
DARVO on a large scale
@oioi_9000, 3 days ago, you said "That CEO killed and damaged more families yet he's praised as the victim"
I am wondering, where is this "praise" that you speak of? I genuinely do not recall seeing any praise for this Apex-person.
Go watch Fox News coverage and you’ll see what you’re looking for. They tried to make it the usual issue but it fell on deaf ears, from both sides.
@@cormacmc8874 Turn on the news channels and you'll see plenty.
THIS is why Luigi Became a HERO!
This is what happens in a country that measures its success on GDP, the stock market, and profit rather than happiness, life expectancy, and human flourishing.
Correct. Society treasures coin, connections, clout, crews, computer code, control, corrupt communities, and lucrative opportunities. If you lack those, you're utterly w0r+hl3$$. That's just how it be in 202x.
RFK Jr. 2024
@@carolyng.6405 He got sick from Covid
@@carolyng.6405LOL
He's a kook who doesn't believe in medical science.
Profits over people: The American Way.
The big argument about Universal Healthcare was nobody wanted a panel of bureaucrats deciding wether someone lives or dies or imposing long waits. We now have a private system that does exactly that.
Not a free market system
Oh, the irony of it all.
@@Bigshoots11 "Muh freemekuht lul!!!1"
We have always had a medical system that does that it needs to stop!
I did read about the supposed death panels that the loony right used to scare people during the Obamacare wars 2008-2011. Turns out the death panels always existed, but not in the UK or elsewhere in Europe-these panels are in the US and are called insurance companies.
It took 250 calls to get coverage at all and waiting 11 months for needed cancer treatment with a cell type with a 60 percent risk of death in 3 years. The cruelty is unbelievable.PROFIT MOTIVE in Healthcare is a COMPLETE CONFLICT of Interest!
If possible get treatment from other country. I am from Tamilnadu, INDIA. Both my father and mother in law were saved from different stages of Cancer. We have the best doctors in our state. Only issue is that our country won't be clean and beautiful as yours. But healthcare is great if we can afford private hospitals. I am not an agent or sales person. Just informing you an option out of empathy. If you can afford chech in other countries as well. Even UAE provides great Healthcare. We spent around 2000 to 3000 usd for treatment for each person including surgery, chemo and radiation in India. Will pray for your recovery 🙏
@@VijigilliPeople shouldn't have to go to another country for treatment if they are paying insurance in a wealthy country like the US.
I know 3 people who died because of treatment denials by insurance companies. MAKES ME SICK!!!!!!!!!!🤬
absolutely ridiculous system of healthcare here in America
more like deathcare...
Its better than paying for someone elses mistakes!!!
@@RicardoMontaniabetter to go bankrupt and then die because you got sick than pay towards someone else getting sick and having free healthcare when you need it. I get you, that's a much better system /s
The US doesn't have a healthcare system. It has an insurance system.
@@WhichDoctor1 they'll be begging for that care when they need it and don't have it. Can't wait to see it.
Fighting the insurance companies was harder than fighting the cancer I had.
Geez
Every day above ground is a beautiful day. Cheers to being on the right side of the grass, Sir!
😢
They insurance companies are a cancer to society clearly
Are you ready to repeal Obamacare?
“We don’t solve our problems through violence.” But it sure does bring them to light.
Saying that violence isn't the answer is a very privileged position and incredibly ironic saying it as an American. It is a country founded by violence, and violence is enshrined into our founding documents.
@@kena4977not to mention the occasional useless wars and exorbitant military budget
Thank you Luigi for shedding light on this issue. You did this for all of us, and I appreciate it. I hope something positive happens for you
@@azzuri09 He is detained in the "DRAGON'S lair". His life is at risk. Those psychos are VERY DANGEROUS, and l don't mean the inmates!
Faces you will never see, people you will never know, get to decide your quality of life, or death, in the name of making rich people even richer. We are fodder.
Fodder and product.
Always
Faces that dont exist. They are using ai now. Ai that they know has a 90% error rate
I think the term they like to use is “human capital stock”
And the children you produce. All treated like livestock. You are force fed cheap manufactured food to keep you moving for the system. When you get sick from the crap you have eaten they get to decide if you get treatment or you go to the glue factory.
My 17 yr old daughter had to wait 6mos doing PT for back pain to get an MRI to prove what we knew already that she had a herniated disc. This pain ruined her senior year and she gave up a honors program she worked hard to be in and ultimately homeschooled until we finally got the MRI to be able to get epidural shots to resolve the pain. Her back got worse during the six mos of waiting and her mental health declined. She didn’t get into her first pick college due to all her challenges. Thankfully she is now in college managing her back pain. All of this was due to insurance not approving her MRI! Health insurance companies ruin people’s lives.
As a healthcare provider, images are the number one source of denial.
How much is the mri in usa? Because in my country for goverment hospital is around 100 sometimes its free but if will have it in private clinic it would be around 200-400 usd …
@@marvinjuliusmag-aso1137how is this relevant
I'm sorry to hear that. Here in Toronto Canada an MRI is free and I could get one immediately in an emergency or go to get one in days maybe the week just to be safe. I have family in America and sometimes my family up here has to help them. Privitization of healthcare and the prison system is horrible. It's all about not just money but greed.
Why is MRI not free in USA ? Because the AmeriKKans are calling it ComMunISm 🤪🤪
So insurance companies (who aren’t doctors) are the ones making judgements on what a patient needs? Makes total sense
Doc here... the insurance always hides behind "well we aren't saying you can't get the care, just that we won't pay for it, your doctor is still in charge and we aren't practicing medicine without a license" and this has given them near-total immunity over these absolutely criminal actions.
@@paintballplayer700 They are corporate death panels.
Good grief, you are naive. They have licensed healthcare professionals employed at the insurance companies evaluating the cases. Having said that, I knew someone who did this job for a very short time and then quit because they felt pressured by the insurance company to look more at the bottom line than what the patient needed. It was for an HMO. HMO's are crap. No one should have them but non critical thinking people get enticed by the sales pitch and sign right up.
@@MicheleBartonThomas Wendell Potter former executive tells us different. Quit lying,
No, they decide what they will pay for.
This video was 8 months ago. LUIGI IS A HERO
He probably saw it!
If someone was on the jury they could refuse to convict. Google “jury nullification”
People in the US need to rise up and throw off these insurance companies. They are standing between you and universal health care.
Doctors 10 Important points click here 👇👇 earnmoneyonlineskk.blogspot.com/2024/04/doctors-10-important-points.html
Really? The insurance companies are the ones that lobbied for Obamacare.
So . . . This was a good start.
Yes, we all need to cancel our insurance. Not more premiums sent to them! Since congress is not on board, we need to take things into our own hands!
@@l.w.paradis2108 Not the preferred method to be sure.
Prior authorisation is a euphemism for death farming.
Corporate death panels.
.....that's good one.....wow!
I guess the insurance company doesn't factor in that if a patient dies - they lose a premium paying customer
@@ssquints8056 people who are sick and dying are only costing them money. At a certain point once you’ve paid enough premiums the best case for insurance company is for the patient to die quickly, thus reducing their expenses and then they get to net the profits from that persons 20-40 years of premium payments.
look up Georgia Guideposts for the end game.....bring the worlds population down to 500,000,000 according to the powers that be, one world government, remember this all you globalists.
Healthcare should NOT be for-profit, period.
What a stupid thing to say.
@@MicheleBartonThomas
Since a free-market in health care is functionally impossible, it’s not stupid at all.
@@timdowney6721 we are not operating in a true free market so your statement is flawed.
@@MicheleBartonThomasand that's a good thing, because if it were, then providing the minimum care possible to increase profits would be incentivized.
@@georget.5048 Also profits are already incentivized by big daddy government. The medical industrial complex got paid money by the gov't for denying people life saving treatment during convid and putting them on vents unnecessarily which led to their deaths. They also got money for the injections. It's a whole corrupt system all the way around. The people have been sold out on all sides. So if you think all these healthcare workers are just trying to save you and only insurance companies are bad, you are very naive.
Why a health insurance company has the power to deny a treatment? Shouldn’t doctors have the one and only power to decide on this? That system makes no sense.
My dad was diagnosis with stage 4 lung cancer, he lost his battle after 9 terrible weeks. I wish I tracked the amount of time I spent on the phone with his insurance fighting for treatment, medicine and medical equipment. Hours upon hours trying to get things approved, messaging his doctors for them to resubmit the same request allover agian. Having someone you love who is sick and dying is so hard, having to deal with these insurance companies is just cruel. Those hours I spent on the phone I could have spent with my dad, holding his hand, hearing his stories, telling him I loved him. Our system is beyond broken.
I am very sorry to hear this. It makes me angry that we cannot seem do anything against this crap.
Which insurance company made you jump through so many hoops? This needs to be brought to light.
I'm terribly troubled by your story. Unbelievable really.
I’m so sorry. What you and your dad went trough was inumane.
@@MMMMM-v5m not her insurance companies fault. She made the wrong decision trying to get chemotherapy and other non-effective expensive medication’s covered by her insurance. She should’ve tried Dr. Seby’s diet or other natural cures for cancer, not saying it would’ve been effective but when you understand the poison that chemotherapy is no one should fight for it.
So much corruption. People deserve proper care.
If you're rich, you're fine. If you're not, you ain't. Simple.
Free Luigi 😊
In the courts too - where you’re supposed to defend yourself.
At $22 billion profit by just one insurance company it’s pretty obvious that insurance owns the government.
Something like that. The wealthiest and most powerful have the most sway. The poorest and least known... have none. That's just the reality of existence. People need to remain in their own lanes, or else... they gotta get RICH. If they can't, then that's the way it be. Acceptance is key.
@@Novastar.SaberCombatwe will never accept a corrupt system!
Capitalism owns the government. This health denial system is allowed to exist because it makes a few already wealthy people even richer.
Only because Congress sold us all down the river. And who voted for them?
This is preposterous, even if that is true! Insurance companies and other big corporations are not and should not be the boss of the government, no matter how much money they have to cheat us normal taxpayers out of education and health that our taxes SHOULD be covering, instead of military bases in other countries.
Defend. Deny. Depose.
I live in Canada. Several years ago I had black spots and flashes in my eyes and I went to the hospital emergency. Yes I had to wait three hours to see the doctor. After my initial exam, he said your retina is threatening to detach, you’re not going anywhere we are calling in a specialist to do laser surgery on your eyes.I waited another two hours the specialist arrived and did the surgery. I paid nothing out out of pocket except for the parking fees.
Unfortunately that’s the best case scenario for Canadian healthcare. Where I live you expect to wait 12+ hours in the Er if you even get seen, and specialist care involves years waiting time. I haven’t seen a doctor in 10 years because of how much of a shortage there is in care providers. And I still pay for insurance every month to cover prescription drugs, dental and eye care. But sure, Canadian healthcare is so much better…
It’s ok, we wait 3-5 hours to be told nothing can be done here in the US. Don’t see how my fellow Americans can use your system as a negative comparison now “oh, but they take hours to see a doc in the ER!” Or “it takes months to see a specialist!”. Yeah… that is the reality now here too except worse 🤦
@@melissamargolese8782 In the US you can also spend 12+hours, see a doctor who will say there's nothing they can do, then charge you $50,000.
@@melissamargolese8782 I don't think that's an accurate picture overall. If urgent care is required it is generally done expedititiously. It is indeed possible to wait months to see a specialist if the issue is not urgent. But 'years waiting time' is clearly an inflated statement. There is a definitely a shortage of family doctors, but in my city at least there are also walk-in clinics and a number of Urgent Care Centres that act as a relief valve for busy ER's.
After years of regular annual monitoring, I had an MRI last summer to investigate a possible early stage cancer (i.e. 10 -15 years survival expected without any treatment). The result indicated a biopsy, which was done in November. I had my first appointment with the oncologist in February and the treatment was done in March. If it had been an aggressive form of cancer it would have been dealt with more quickly. Again, the only cost to me was for a handul of over-the-counter medications.
The Canadian healthcare system is far from perfect but every single individual in the country is covered regardless of financial or social status, and - bottom line - survival rates for all conditions are comparable to other developed countries including the US, despite spending only half as much as the US per capita. There are definitely frustrations, and perhaps we should be spending more. But after my experience this year I'm incredibly grateful that health care is seen as a basic service provided to all citizens, and that money considerations for individual patients don't come into it.
My mother lived in Canada, she waited 1 year to see a specialist, then 6 months for the surgery than got bumped foe a more urgent case, got the surgery another six month later then got to see her doctor for after surgery care 8 months later,!,
I don’t know where or when you went but for most Canadians this is now the norm.
I’m a pharmacy technician for a specialty pharmacy. My job for 8 hours a day is literally getting prior authorizations approved for patient’s medications. I’m just one of a very large team.
Thank you for your service.
One thing that isn't touched upon is just how enraging the phone trees are. When you call the insurance company for a prior authorization you typically don't get somebody right away. The phone tree is designed in a way to completely infuriate you and to try to make the doctor give up before they ever even reach a human being.
No doubt the more they manage to frustrate providers and pharmacies, the more likely some of those people give up, and the insurance company "wins" and saves money. It's bad customer service by design.
@@marymccluer1630we are not the costumers that need satisfying, the rich and powerful stake holders are. They’ll make more money if they provide a poor service or run an understaffed industry. Capitalism breaks down when the costumer’s opinion on what business deserves their money doesn’t matter.
The worst part is the people working hardest are getting the least remuneration for their efforts and then shamed in the media for not taking more hours, more work despite the poverty wages. 40% of people in work need state support. That’s a reflection of greed not poor work ethics by working people. This is being done by design, by greed.
I agree with you and I believe that the secret to financial stability is having the right investment ideas to enable you earn more money, I don’t know who agrees with me but either way I recommend either real estate and stocks.
I’ve been diligently working, saving and contributing towards early retirement and financial freedom, but since covid outbreak, the economy so far has caused my portfolio to underperform, do I keep contributing to my 401k or look at alternative sectors to meet my goals?
@@rougeur I've always delegated my investment decisions to an advisor, since suffering major portfolio loss early 2020, amid covid outbreak. I'm now semi-retired and only work 7.5 hours a week, with barely 25% short of my $1m retirement goal after subsequent investments to date.
I would not mind looking up the professional that helped you. I will be retiring in two years and I might need some management on my much larger portfolio. Don't want to take any chances.
*Mr Gary Mason Brooks* a highly respected figure in his field. I suggest delving deeper into his credentials, as he possesses extensive experience and serves as a valuable resource for individuals seeking guidance in navigating the financial market.
2 months ago I went to my doctor for recurring pain in my neck, shoulder, and arm. I hadn't injured myself in any way that I could remember. My doctor said, ok, let's get you an xray, and mri, and a nerve test to check for damaged nerves, pinches, broken bones, etc.
My insurance allowed xrays and nerve test.. They denied my mri, telling me I needed to do 6 weeks of 'conservative' treatment which was basically physical therapy. I did the 6 weeks of physical therapy, which has made the pain in my neck WORSE. My doctor says it's definitely a nerve issue, that the mri would have given us a clear indication of. But now I have pain that MIGHT be permanent because my insurance decided that their profits are more important than my health and happiness.
This video is my story, and the story of hundreds of thousands of other Americans. We need to burn this whole system to the ground.
Share the name of insurance company, so that we can avoid it.
I once was in a similar bind, and my mother recommended I pay out of pocket to get the care I needed. I did, and it was worth the piece of mind to have the health issue resolved.
@@marymccluer1630 I pay over $400 a month for insurance (and that's just my contribution, employer contributes more in addition). The MRI I need has an out-of-pocket price range of $500 to $11,800, depending on provider, location, contrast. I am entitled to coverage from my insurance. I am not paying even more than I already am, and putting myself into debt for the privilege. I am glad you were able to afford such a cost, but surely you can agree that insurance shouldn't be making the decision on what is covered and what isn't.
should have saved your money and paid out of pocket LOL wake up slave insurance has always been a scam just like lawyers.
I’m assuming the nerve test was a conduction study or an EMG. Was that abnormal? If it was, then an MRI should have happened sooner as there may be a lesion amenable to neurosurgical options. However, if the nerve studies were normal MRI would likely not change course of conservative management. You would definitely be waiting much longer for an MRI in Canada, UK, etc. Insurance companies should be able to deny some requests as doctors will often just order tests at the whim of patient’s desires. However, if a doctor calls or writes and explains their reasoning, insurance companies should be absolutely held liable if their delays harm the patient.
TH-cam recommendation algorithm doing it's job once in a while
This was happening long before the algorithms.
Luigi needs to be found not guilty
10000000000 percent right. Not guilty
@bearsagainstevil, 3 days ago, you said "Luigi needs to be found not guilty".
It may devolve into a lengthy series of trials and retrials, unfortunately. Justice may not be quick with this one I would think. There may be situations where there are just enough system-people on the jury to hang the trial outcome, precipitating a retrial, and then it is a case of rinse and repeat. However I do not claim to know very much about the American Judicial system, but I would be interested to know if the scenario outlined here in this comment is possible?
You know in Amongus when the impostor is seen killing a troll and the lobby decides not to eject him?
As a European, it's chilling to see how monstrous this system is. Completely inhumane.
On several occasions my insurance has denied diagnostic treatments that my doctor said I needed. Each time I told my doctor to go ahead and do the treatment and if my insurance does not pay, I will. Each time, the treatments proved to be successful and the insurance paid the bill in full. I refuse to put my health in the hands of insurance companies even if I can't pay the bill. I also informed my congressman and senators about these situations. This is how I am fighting back.
Except the majority of our reps are not interested in fighting for us to have quality, affordable care and to preserve Medicare. Keep writing them though, and let's let them know they won't get our vote if they don't make healthcare a priority.
DEFEND
DENY
DEPOSE
TRUEEEE
This is crazy! Imagine if someone were to get angry and do something about this!
Right ?! Lol
Luigi is a hero !!!! Free Luigi
Remember when politicians were talking about the “death panels” that would spring into existence if we had universal healthcare? The insurance companies apparently thought that was a really good idea.
Exactly.
The insurance companies are the death panels
Omg I say this ALL THE TIME!! But I guess being in a death panel is ok as long as it's run by a private corporation!!???
@@rrubens3026And let’s hope it’s isn’t initiated by a (gasp) black man.
We already have death panels, just not anything obvious. The insurance companies do it quietly, by denying care.
Time to outlaw “prior authorization“. What a disgrace!!!
time to regulate healthcare products
This US hellscape in healthcare, education, judicial systems and work life looks so scary from Europe. Who tf would want to live like this? This used to be an attractive country to live in.
There's nothing anyone can do. The generations who care own the least wealth to change anything. The boomers created this system when they thought self interest would be a good, sole regulator for a economic system. Now it's entrenched
Poor people from third-world countries where the situations are much worse, the ones who want extremely high income with limitless opportunities and the ones who love firearms
yes its corporations and investors who have taken over our country - the richest are the greediest
We are late stage capitalism and unfortunately it’s hard to undo. Learn from us and ALWAYS vote to restrict lobbying, improve democracy and never treat a corporation as being more important than the workers. Trickle down economics doesn’t work. Too much to cover in a TH-cam comment but it’s complicated and the interest of the federal government no longer aligns with that of the people.
I should also say, as long as you have money in the USA it’s not bad here. The problem is the inequality.
There is no point to have insurance. What do they cover?
Might as well the monthly premiums
I was a healthcare worker for 40 years. Everyone deserves proper medical and dental coverage. We need universal healthcare. It should not be a for profit industry. Unfortunately there are many politicians who would even end the AFA. The insurance companies only care about the bottom line.
I don't want to pay for someone elses mistakes. I earn my own money and they should too.
@@RicardoMontania People aren't always to blame if they need medical care. You can be in an accident or you can be born with complications like I was. Luckily I live in Brazil so I got two surgeries and don't owe anyone a dime.
@@RicardoMontania You already are. That's how insurance works - public or private. You don't pay into a fund called "Ricardo's premiums" which then pay out when you get sick. You, and a thousand other people, pay into a pool - and then when one of you gets sick, everyone's money is used to treat that one person.
And what happens when someone gets sick through no fault of their own?
Universal healthcare would be great OR politicians should have to buy their health insurance just like the rest of us. That way they'll have full knowledge of how the system works and doesn't work. Every aspect of healthcare in America is a dreaded nightmare. This is not an overstatement--it literally dictates how I live my life in the most ludicrous way just so I can manage to stay covered. It forces doctors to have to work the system in ways they never imagined just to process their patients' treatments. To say that decades ago, prior authorization wasn't as prevalent is nothing compared to the fact that decades ago, your employer paid for your health insurance and you were just responsible for the co-pay. Over time, it shifted to where you had to make small contributions from your paychecks. Now, your tier is based on your gross salary--not net. So if you make a meager $60k you have to pay a premium of $500-$700/month and then there's the $7k deductible. Not feasible (after taxes) with high NYC rent, expenses and bills. Forget about saving for retirement! The American healthcare system is a broken, unnecessarily complicated, exhausting, traumatizing and demoralizing experience. Just this week, my treatment was denied and my doctor will have to work his magic to make things right. What a waste of precious time! Thank you NYT for highlighting this issue. My heart goes out to all the people featured in the piece.
The problem also is if you do have reform, you have to layoff so many workers in healthcare because almost a 5th of the economy is spent on healthcare
Why are the US nationals not revolting against this?
Because they believe the idea disseminated by the rich that free enterprise is the best of all possible economic systems, that supply and demand will provide the best benefit for all, and that profits of any amount are to be protected above all else, even life. They are terrified of socialism, because most have never read a book since high school.
Haha they are brainwashed beyond repair
Too busy working extra hours to be able to afford groceries.
Too busy fighting each other over issues they deem more important because they aren't immediately in poor health. Look into how much the insurance industry gives to politicians, democrat, republican, independent, libertarian etc. This is an issue by design.
I would love to revolt, but unfortunately the US system mostly links health insurance to employment. I can’t really choose my insurer because it’s one of two options my employer provides, and I’m not the one deciding which insurance companies to contract with.
When I had a major medical problem years ago and saw what had happened to 2 people in my life who died trying to get care, I knew I was going to have to really fight. I didn’t feel good enough to fight for care but I did it. I was not under threat of death. Can you imagine you find out for example that you have cancer, you are very sick and you are having to spend every day of your life fighting and fighting and fighting for care? It’s evil.
Luigi Mangione is a hero
There should be single payer health care. Nothing less is acceptable. This is EVIL
"maybe i'd have a different life." that last line broke my heart. i'm so sorry.
I’m a RN case manager and I was fired from my position when I fought for my elderly patients denial of service
Sorry to hear you went through that. You're a real fighter and a true winner. Good job on speaking out ❤
I am not happy about you being fired but i am truly happy that you were able to follow what your mind and eyes deemed right! That is really inspiring. Praying for you to get greater professional oppirtunities.
Just great.
Thank you for your sacrifice.
Thank you for your service.
In Austria, we got universal healthcare. There's some drugs that need prior authorization - you get them within 30 minutes of your doctor asking for it.
The most expensive medication we get is THC, which gets denied if you don't take it for later stage cancer so you have to buy it out of pocket. That's 210€ a month.
man that sucks. if only only someone would stand up to them.
Do it yourself
@applejuicejunkie316 are you dumb or just Ill socialized? Obviously he's referring to Luigi.
@@applejuicejunkie316 He was being sarcastic. did you not get the joke
I dated a nurse that worked writing denial letters. She told me there were 20 people writing the denials for every 1 employee writing approvals.
😮 wow. Just. Wow.
What a job
Bonjour. My son and I noticed that our server was hearing impaired. We usually didn’t order beverages in order to leave a larger tip. We were chatting with the server and she told us that she was working at the restaurant as a second job because her hearing aids were not covered by her insurance in SC. I was so mad that I cried. The US healthcare dysfunction is just one reason that I now live outside the US. My current doctor has no nurse or receptionist. I can usually get an appointment within three days and he has televisits every night. I almost cried when my two specialists talked to each other during my visit. I never had that kind of care in the US despite having a well paid white collar job. I am happy to pay cash for my healthcare because it is amazingly affordable. Sometimes doctors do not even charge me. Visits are not limited to 15 minutes. I saved my life by leaving the US. With a broken Congress and the power of lobbyists, I can’t see things changing. I sincerely wish y’all good luck.
Where do you live? I’m assuming France?
I’m also assuming France? France has its own down side, but I only see more upsides to France compared to the US. This country is a death machine filled with successfully brainwashed hordes. I don’t want to be here anymore and am working on leaving.
"those who escape justice in the courts should expect to find it on the streets"
Marcus Tullius Cicero
As someone with both Crohns and Ulcerative Colitis - insurance is an extreme nightmare and nobody wants to approve any treatments for either of these issues
Prior auths are one of the main reasons I work inpatient, instead of as a primary care physician. It broke my heart when I couldn’t get my patients their medications for absurd reasons.
My husband was diagnosed with degenerative osteoarthritis in the neck. He could not move his head. The Dr. thought that some of his vertebrae were fusing. The Dr. ordered an MRI, but the insurance company ordered it stopped mid-procedure and required physical therapy first. That almost paralyzed him permanently.
oh, I forgot to add that the hospital in question was self-insured, so it was their bean-counter's decision against advice of the Dr.
That’s terrible to hear, I hope you’re doing OK.
I've had cancer treatments since 2011 and my only cost was parking at the hospital. I'm lucky to be canadian!
Primary Care Nurse here ✋️THANK YOU for bringing attention to the insane hoops that insurance requires providers to go through JUST to provide patient care! Nurses and Providers alike waste HOURS daily on prior authorizations and stay super late after the clinic closes to try to complete them just so our patients are able to get what they need!
It's common sense. How can a doctor who went to school for years to practice, tell a patient they need surgery BUT some high school grad at an insurance company determines whether the patient gets the surgery or not?! If this is not Violence (just without the gun), I don't know what is?! Thank you for this Enlightening video!! God Bless you! @astocktonfilms
This happens when a society is persuaded to believe that the right to seek profits is more than human lives.
Right
Always has been truer
I never thought I'd say this, but in comparison, Indian health insurance companies look like angels. They covered close to 95% of my parents' hospitalisation, and they just accepted the hospital 's word for it.
They saw a less than 2cm uterine cyst. They denied treatment and removal for over a year. It had reached over 4.5 cm, caused heavy monthly bleeding, triggered anemia, neutropenia, and subsequent infections all over my body before it was removed. I had to get extremely rude with the clinic before they took me seriously. My heath took a 180 after a less than fifteen minute procedure.
I’ve been having so much pain during the first few days of my period for a few months now. I went about two months after it keep happening and they told me I have a cyst the size of a grape in my ovary. Should I get it removed? I think they told me if it’s that small they can’t remove it :(
@@keilearreola3344 they kept telling me that too, that it was small and they don’t remove them when they’re small. That’s why I had to be rude and insist that it be removed. I knew my period was different and not in a tolerable way. The clinic insisted it was normal changes. My symptoms got so bad I developed anemia and neutropenia, I was getting bacterial infections that I’d treat then I’d get a yeast infection because of the antibiotics, the anemia was affecting other organs and systems. I alternated between the two every month for a long time. For some reason my digestive system basically stopped. I don’t know if it was the anemia or the size of the cyst. Having it removed really did make a big difference. My period shortened, the bleeding lightened, the pain went back to my normal my first period after the procedure. My bowels started working again and my anemia improved. I’m definitely not a Dr but I don’t see how getting it removed when they cause any symptoms, no matter the size, is a bad thing. It was so fast and minimally invasive. I opted to be knock out for the procedure. It wasn’t even a requirement. If getting the cyst removed is a viable option for you and you have symptoms/changes in your cycle or health I would consider getting it removed even if you have to get a little pushy. No matter how small it is a cyst has no place in a healthy uterus or ovaries.
The sickest system in the world is American healthcare.
So Bernie Sanders was right after all; and the same ppl who said Medicare for All wouldn't provide good care, are waking up, wishing we had quality universal healthcare the way many countries of the world have had for a long, long time. The needs of the American ppl are not a priority to our lawmakers, but the wants of their donors -- the big health ins companies, & big Pharma -- are.
Enough already.
And the American Prison System
I would say this is pretty relevant right now.
If your insurance doesn't get approved, you can
1. Pay out of pocket
2. Abandon treatment
3. .......
For-profit health care is the real problem
There are some countries in Europe whose healthcare is covered by private insurance companies, and they don't have this problem. We are probably in this pickle because America very anti-regulation. We mostly let companies operate as they please.
@@marymccluer1630you are right. Oversight is for OUR benefit. And yet as a nation we vote against oversight way more than we should.
@@marymccluer1630they can be private but non profit. I think that’s the solution. That’s the way all health care was in the early 20th century. In the 80s 75% of doctors were in small private clinics and now 75% are in giant corporate conglomerates, and that reflects insurance trends too
in America, we have sick care not health care.
You don’t even have care.
No, we have a medical industry and an insurance industry. They use a skim coat of care to keep the money coming in.
America is a continent. South America is different. Brazil and Chile are different.
*Don't care
@@vickyvey1657People often say America as shorthand for the USA, kinda like how people sometimes say EU to mean the continent Europe as a whole (albeit mistakenly they say this), which is different than the European Union. Or how people sometimes will say Britain or Great Britain (just England, Scotland, and Wales) and the UK interchangeably, even though they’re different. It’s just one of those things, you can look up America in the dictionary and see USA.
Who else is here since United Healthcare’s CEO assassination?
FreeLuigi
Free luigi
this video deserves so many more views
Thank you for this!!! I have chronic health issues, and prior authorizations are a NIGHTMARE. it's SO SAD how Healthcare in America is now.
Hear me out- they're basically making the job of the Doctor unnecessary. Yes, the Dr's diagnose, BUT THE INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE THE ONES DICTATING HOW TO TREAT
glad im canadian
we should use the insurance companies doctors then: ask the rep for the phone number!
I’ve watched this video several times today. I just can’t believe this
I'm glad I'm Australian.
I injured my right knee. It was obvious that I needed an MRI to diagnose the injury, but 9 months later those requests were still being denied and the insurance company wanted me to go to physical therapy without a diagnosis. I chose to pay for an MRI myself; result, torn lateral meniscus. My injury was nothing compared to other stories told here , but it was clear that my quality of life was of no importance. My insurer is Providence and I have the best plan available.
As a physician, I abhor what Prior-Authorizations stand for. When I prescribe a test or a treatment, it’s in the best interest of the patient. Stop telling me how, and when, and if I should do my job.
There should be CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT against claim denials! Use COLLECTIVE LEGAL FORCE to stand for your human rights (i.e. actual health care) and contractual rights (i.e. premiums paid).
Someone start this. Spread the word to law firms, cases of those denied care, ngos, etc.
C'mon America! Stand up for yourself! Use this moment of awareness to do real action!
Anytime a third party administrator gets hired to “administer” benefits, more of your benefits are spent on third party wages and compensation while they deny the subscriber benefits. PERIOD!
These third party people get paid rather than provide benefits. The more layers of bureaucracy that make money doing this the less value your getting out of your benefits due to practicing medicine without a license. 🤷🏼♀️
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 and then they make it as hard as possible for you to dispute
@@Aros4 I am a retired RN who used to do those hurdles the HP throws at us, documenting the rationale for prescribing or ordering diagnostics like MRI, CT scanning.
Yes!! THIS!!! I keep saying the self funded plans are becoming so problematic due to this!!
@@rrubens3026 ALL health plans are doing it, even and especially Medicare and Medicaid
Many denials are by computer.
This is my life- it is so emotionally exhausting. Getting PAs for albuterol for asthma patients, epipen for patients with food allergies, even prior authorizations for prednisone!!! for temporal arteritis patients. Constant denials. After hours of fighting it gets approved only to have to do the prior authorization again in 3 months. 5 full time staff to deal with prior authorizations just for one physician.
My excellent primary doctor just up and left his practice because he had to see so many patients each day, and the paperwork was horrendous. He just walked out one day, never told anybody. Shocked all the patients he had too. And he is not practicing anywhere else. He quit. He's 57. Just THIS year. I could tell something was up; I'd had him for the past 22 years. Very fortunately my health is not at a critical state BUT my meds for diabetes and operations I have every 6 months to remove kidney stones is all covered. I'm 72. This is my definition of the health care system here: it's like legalized vampirism. They sink their fangs into you to bleed you of as much money as they can until you're dead. You are just a "premium" to them. Being sick is a very big business. I was talking with a insurance rep about why a certain medicine was not approved. They said the doctors there don't feel it's necessary. I said, all right, give me the number of your doctors, because they are obviously smarter than the one I have now, I should go to them. Silence on the other end. I've told my husband, maybe we should buy a number of shares in these insurance companies: at least we'd make enough dividend back to cover the co-pays we pay out. And I still miss my old primary........ You are watching this system implode. What a mess.........
One of my former coworker's wife had diabetes and needed dialysis. They had three insurance plans. I thought that was great, extra coverage. He said, no, it's terrible, because they all refuse to pay, saying the other two companies have to pick up the tab. This was more than two decades ago. She needed dialysis 3 times a week, for $10K each time.
I’ve had two primary care doctors just up and quit in the last ten years. One returned to his native Italy. The other is doing well operating a small chain of spas and salons. At least we don’t need prior authorization to get a haircut…..yet.
@@mariekatherine5238 ......hahaha!.....
This aged quite well.
FREE LUIGI MANGIONE!!!
Someone DID do something about it. He is sitting in jail for doing something about it.
We are a fallen country. Profit before lives, always. Despicable and abhorrent.
Profit before everything. As economist, Milton Friedman said, the only thing CEOs have to worry about is profits.
is either like this or its communism. this is their stupid justification.
@@ableite
Take a logic course…you’ll spot the flaw in your false choice.
@@timdowney6721 sicko - michael moore. go watch it.
This country is finished - George Carlin in 2006.
It's important to note that these decisions are made by recommendations from the AMA (American Medical Association) which is a lobbyist group that pays doctors to agree with insurance companies so they can make up rules for care that benefit big business. Lobbyists are doing this to enrich themselves and politicians are working with them, to enrich themselves.
It's a circle of extraction at the expense of your life.
Ahem, I think it's pure capitalist profit motive at work here. Let's call it like it is.
Denying drugs to patients must hurt the pharmaceutical companies - why aren't they in a froth about it?
I'm certainly not a defender of the AMA. In attempting to continue lobbying against the influence of the insurance racket in health care, they got into bed with Congress and that was their undoing. They can't out-bribe the industry, esp. since Congress granted insurance cos. special protection from regulation in 1945.
@@ssquints8056 They simply raise prices and they bought "part D" from Congress in a very late night session.
This is categorically FALSE. One of AMA's KEY issues is fighting against Prior Authorization, and has been for several years. Are you perhaps a health insurer? The physicians in this video are AMA members. #FixPriorAuth
On your insurance card you are called a "customer".
Not a patient. Imagine that.
Why would your insurance see you as a patient?? They're not the hospital? They provide a commodity
Je suis française, quand je vais voir le médecin, je ne demande pas à l'assurance maladie l'autorisation pour obtenir mes médicaments, j'ai une maladie des yeux et tous mes soins sont pris en charge à 100%si je n'avais pas fait la chirurgie je serais aveugle. En France quand tu as le cancer, sclérose en plaque, maladies du cœur, tu est couvert à 100% par l'assurance maladie.les femmes après 50 ans font des mammographies gratuites. Pourquoi un grand et puissant pays comme l'Amérique ne protège pas tous ces citoyens?
You're really brainwashed if you think healthcare insurance should be seen as a commodity and not as a human right.
@@cathc2261 greed...unregulated greed mostly from republicans
who here after UNH CEO got whacked
eye for. a eye
As an Australian….ill never take for granted our health system. This is insane.
Let's keep Medicare and Australia strong
And then they had de audacity to say other country’s are corrupts
And yet, it's also our insurance companies that make the cost of many procedures and medications so prohibitive. 🤔
The same applies to HMOs - I broke my hand when I was 17 years old and was covered under my dad's insurance. I had to go through the HMO process - instead of getting it fixed, I spent 12 weeks seeing follow-up appointments with my primary care doctor and a hand surgeon. Did weekly tests only for them to say "your injury is healed and if you want to fix it, we will need to break your bone again so that it can heal properly." My parents were angry and I got my first true experience with insurance companies. When I was old enjoy to have my own insurance, I vowed never to deal with HMO insurance policies.
I have an HMO through Obamacare because my job's health insurance options are expensive. It sucks.
I have to have an HMO because a PPO is financially impossible.
My 96 year old mother’s experience in the U.K - it isn’t perfect but here is our journey
1. Felt unwell, ambulance sent. Emergency hospital- X-rays, possible pneumonia, sent home at her insistence with antibiotics.
2. Next day still unwell, rapid response paramedic sent, home oxygen machine ordered, GP ( family Dr visits) home oxygen machine delivered.
3. Starting to feel better.
4. Has a stroke, rapid response arrives, ambulance arrives, ER hospital, CT scans.
5. Next morning transferred to stroke assessment ward.
6. Hospital assessment, multiple visits - occupational health, social services. Stays in hospital until condition improves.
7.sent home with 3 visits per day from home carers - paid for by the hospital.
8. Hospital sends specialist to her home to approve and install any aids she needs.
That's incredible, but unfortunately here in the US you would not have had the same outcome.
@ . Thanks, mum is still doing OK, has weekly visits from community nurses to change dressings on a wound that has developed.
THANK YOU for providing these details, and I wish your mum all the best. I’m so tired of seeing people on here spread misinformation about the NHS (because, errr, “communism” or something) when they have literally NO experience with it.
Luigi is the Hero I never knew I needed.
Every member of Congress should have to report the name of every lobbyist who offers them MONEY
They do, the information is available.
@@JebusHypocristosX
Interesting.
It is available but I doubt it is easily accessible.
Can easy connection be made between who gives money for what and how the legislator votes?
Well they do if it's actual liquid assets like US dollars. But they certainly don't track foreign exchanges of money, gifts that got written off as something or other. The rich and corrupt trade directly in promises paved by "small" gifts as a forward payment.
They do. Which shows you just how little they care and how cheaply they are bought. But of course they have the absolute best healthcare plan our taxes can buy them.
The Supreme Court has ruled, again and again, that donors who give big money to political super packs can remain anonymous. For that reason, we seldom know who is campaigning for or against important issues. There'll be some group no one has heard of, created for that one campaign, and the donors never get disclosed.
Well, I am somewhat glad someone did something about it, especially given that the guy is from a background of enormous wealth.
I work in billing. Insur co’s dictate what they will pay, called the allowable amount. A hospital/ practice agrees to accept this as part of the contractual agreement to be “in network.” The allowable cuts in half whatever was charged, then the patient is billed any denial/ deductible/ coinsurance/ copay. Aging boomers have strained resources in other countries but universal hcare is still superior; their people live longer while most US bankruptcies are caused by overwhelming medical bills.
How can this be legal in this country????
those last few sentences…. my heart absolutely just broke for her. this is so many americans’ story, so many just like these. we HAVE to do something about this this can’t be legal. absolutely disgusting how much those companies made in ONE YEAR… how many claims were denied for that kind of profit?? how many ppl lost their sight, their livelihood, their LIFE over that kind of profit??? absolutely disgusting and gut wrenching i can’t believe this is the country we live in. despicable