Opinion: UnitedHealthcare shooting yields discussion on injustice of health insurance
Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, discussed the potential consequences of the shooting of UnitedHealthcare chief executive officer Brian Thompson on Dec. 4.
Mr. Court believes insurance companies delay or deny care for a large number of Americans who sometimes require potentially life-saving treatment, according to an opinion piece published in the Los Angeles Times. Patients who purchase their own insurance, receive insurance through government positions or are Medicare beneficiaries can sue health insurance companies for damages following coverage denials. However, patients whose insurance is provided through their employer are unable to seek legal recourse for denied claims. The lack of penalization has allowed health insurance companies to make decisions without considering the needs of the patients they were designed to protect, according to Mr. Court.
He stressed that although the shooting of Mr. Thompson forced Americans’ outrage and frustration with the health insurance industry to the surface, the crime will not resolve major barriers to an equitable health insurance system. Mr. Court emphasized that there has not been enough progress in health care coverage to protect the well-being of Americans.
Mr. Court concluded that through health insurance reform, lawmakers have the responsibility to hold insurance companies accountable and restore justice for millions of Americans. Instead, they have limited the companies’ exposure to lawsuits, leading insurance providers to delay or deny coverage on the basis of patients’ right to sue.
Read more: Los Angeles Times
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