UnitedHealthCare CEO Gets His Policy Cancled

Tom, here is how you get the proof. Apply to law school, graduate, pass the bar and work some of these cases on behalf of paitents.

This attorney wrote a decent explainer about how it works and why it is bad for you.

https://www.sgrlaw.com/ttl-articles/erisa-litigation-basics/

I worked on these types of cases as a young law clerk.  The sad thing was the regular workers at these companies can't afford to file Federal Lawsuits to get their treatment.

It is only when company owners or upper management are wrongfully denied that you see these suits. The insurance companies know this too and they are very good at  predicting when they think they can get away denying claims because their victims lack the means to pursue it.

They tend to deny a lot of legitimate claims from the rank and file empoyees and approve almost any claim higher level employees make.

Saying "you're not satisfied" is not synonymous with "I like US healthcare better".     

No system is perfect.   Our is the least perfect amongst industrialized nations. 

ANd the wait time argument is hilarious.   I have to schedule my annual physical 1 year in advance because thats how booked up my general practioner is.    

People dont go bankrupt with medical debt in Europe/Canada.      And they dont pay 12k/yr for insurance only to pay another 10k out of pocket when they go to the emergency room.    Thats the United States.

Instead of insurance premiums you pay for this in higher taxes

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/canadas-rising-personal-tax-rates-and-falling-tax-competitiveness-2024.pdf

Out of 61 Canadian and US jurisdictions (including the provinces, states, and Washington, DC), Newfoundland and Labrador currently has the highest combined top statutory marginal rate (54.80 percent), followed by Nova Scotia (54.00 percent) and Ontario (53.53percent). Nine Canadian provinces occupy the list of 10 jurisdictions with the highest top combined marginal income tax rates and all provinces are in the top 15. There is a total of 46 US jurisdictions with combined top tax rates that are lower than all Canadian provinces

. According to the Fraser Institute, patients in Canada waited an average of 19.8 weeks to receive treatment, regardless of whether they were able to see a specialist or not. In the U.S., the average wait time for a first-time appointment is 24 days (≈3 times faster than in Canada); wait times for Emergency Room (ER) services averaged 24 minutes (more than 4x faster than in Canada); wait times for specialists averaged between 3–6.4 weeks (over 6x faster than in Canada)

My insurance is great.

You really don't understand basic mathematics, let alone economics, do you, stupid Tom? A marginal tax rate isn't the same as the tax paid by the average citizen. Very few people in Canada OR the US pay the highest rates. You idiot!

What you and the "Fraser Institute" (a totally reliable "source," because it says what stupid Tom wants to hear!) fail to mention is that Canada is larger than the US but with 1/10th the population. The populace is MUCH more dispersed and it can be hard to get to doctors who may be hundreds of miles away. So costs and time expenditures are both higher in Canada.

And how long does it take someone who doesn't have insurance and can't afford to pay out of pocket to receive care in the US?

Boiler, good for you. Most people in Indiana have shit insurance even if they don't realize it.

In fact the latest studies show residents of Indiana paying the same amount for insurance than those in other states but getting far less in return.

The IU study that just came out shines a light on this. We overly rely on high deductible, 64%,  plans or self-insurance. And that's not all.

https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2024/11/12/iu-study-indiana-stands-out-for-its-reliance-on-self-insured-high-deductible-plans/

Our health outcomes are below average.

When I complained about our lack of choice for market place plans (this is what my employer uses) my employer's insurance agent said, "I am going to be honest they are all shit." 

She went onto explain that in addition to paying for her major medical insurance, she has accident insurance and hospitalization insurance.

I complained about how both of the only two companies available to me consistently deny any new medication I am on. 

She said she was in the same boat and does the same thing I do. She uses GoodRx and goes to Meijer and pays cash.

Amazing isn't it paying for three polices to cover your medical needs and still having to pay cash for your prescriptions?

I also need to point out that study was funded by the healthcare industry in Indiana. There was no hiding the poor performance of our insurance market and the poor outcomes even after applying their industry turd polish.

I get irritated with people who buy Pinto quality insurance, yet expect/demand Cadillac quality insurance.  Read the damn plan.  Cheap insurance is cheap for a reason.  Stop expecting someone else to pay your bills.

There is no choice for 90% of us with health coverage. You get what your employer offers take it or leave it. If your employer opts for Pinto insurance thats what you get.  

In the rural parts of Indiana often all that is available is Pinto coverage.

Since 1994, we've had OHP, or Oregon Health Plan. No one can be denied coverage. And while it's administered by private entities, the costs those entities charge are tightly regulated. 

Employer-provided health coverage via a specific provider (such as Humana or Kaiser) can be converted to OHP at an employee's request, with an unchanged premium benefit amount. The employee would be expected to make up any difference, but OHP is almost always cheaper.

We also have robust Medicare and Medicaid programs, without any MAGAs raging against SOOOCIALISM and trying to get benefits slashed. If Elon succeeds in getting those programs defunded, the state of Oregon will fill in the gaps. We might have to stop sending money to Washington to give to Nebraska, though.

So, Boiler, you have good insurance because you have the nobility and keen foresight to pay for it, is that what you're saying?

I also say bully for you, but the reality is that many people have two choices: take it or leave it. It's not always a matter of price; it's very often a matter of availability.

But I'm glad to hear that you have good coverage, in case you injure yourself patting yourself on the back.