Everyone is talking about Luigi Mangione, the suspected shooter in the killing of #UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson this past week. I find it strange how the media is shifting focus towards his medical history and his past social media activities instead of focusing on the actual motives of why this happened.
I have to state the obvious which is that murder is not the answer, it is tragic and it hurts not just the families of both parties, but all of us as a society. There should always be a way to address social issues with dialogue and if necessary with legal action without having to resort to violence. The question is, can we?
Every day we are growing further apart in our relationship as consumer and service provider, long gone are the days when customer satisfaction was a top priority of every business in North America. We have slowly, but surely shifted to a more corporate structure where profits are put above anything else including the customer. Customer service is a nightmare with long phone calls full of loops and automated menus, customer contracts are filled with pages of fine print that would require legal counsel just to interpret the terms and conditions of what ever service it is you're buying, some of the best tools and services are now subscription based instead of one-time purchases, we own almost nothing of the things we buy. This can be very frustrating and very unfair to the customer, but most of these things are trivial and we can live without, however it becomes a dangerous problem when it happens in healthcare.
We have to think of the millions of Americans who struggle not just with a variety of medical and mental conditions, but also with a healthcare system that time after time fails to provide them with an adequate solution if any at all. According to various sources, including the KFF, and Experian Health, health insurance claim denials are a common issue in the US. In 2021, about 17% of in-network claims were denied, with denial rates varying widely across insurers. A 2024 report by Experian Health found that 38% of surveyed healthcare revenue cycle leaders reported that at least one in ten claims is denied, with some organizations experiencing denial rates above 15%. Of in-network claims, about 14% were denied because the claim was for an excluded service, 8% due to lack of preauthorization or referral, and only about 2% based on medical necessity. Most plan-reported denials (77%) were classified as ‘all other reasons.’ With so many claims being denied, with so many people being denied the help they need to live a healthy life or the opportunity to face health issues with dignity, it begs the question why pay insurance at all?
There is no shortage of testimonies by UnitedHealthcare customers about how their claims to medical care coverage were denied when they needed it the most, how they had to jump many hoops trying to get coverage for medical treatments that were recommended by their doctor or healthcare professional. A class action lawsuit filed last year in US District Court in Minnesota argued that UnitedHealthcare uses AI in place of real medical professionals to wrongfully deny elderly patients care. This kind of stuff is not just frustrating, but also terrifying to anyone in need of medical treatment. One can only imagine the pain and suffering inflicted not just on the person in need of healthcare, but also on their loved ones, every time a claim for coverage is denied because of corporate greed.
In the US alone it is estimated that more than 45,000 people die every year due to lack of healthcare insurance coverage. People are angry, they are frustrated and they have grown weary of this system that keeps failing them, a system that is corrupt and inefficient. For years this frustration and anger has been expressed by speaking out and filing lawsuits, sadly very little has been done to solve these issues and words have now been turned into action.
I myself find it hard to believe that healthcare has been such a big problem in such a successful economy and society. We've harnessed nuclear energy, landed man on the Moon, and sent rovers to Mars, but we can't figure out an efficient healthcare system! It's outrageous! Come on Homo sapiens we can do better.
If you read this far I extend my gratitude. Don't forget to leave your opinions in the thread comments. Remember Lions stay safe, stay strong, and stay free!
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