Hobson's Choice
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health care woes
Jenny's health-care manifesta to the doctors and insurance industries:
(Background: I've spent the last two weeks grapping with both the doctor's office and the insurance company trying to get a medication covered)
I am an advocate for the patient and making sure that the patients in my family get the health care they need and deserve is my priority.
Doctors, I agree that the system sucks and that you should be in charge of deciding what treatment a patient gets; the insurance company shouldn't get much of a say. I feel for you that you have to spend so much time grappling with insurance companies. I'm willing to work to get that system changed. Nonetheless, as the champion for the patient, I do not expect you to give up after a little resistance from the insurance company. It's not appropriate for you to decide that the patient should merely have to pay out of pocket for medications. Your job, like mine, is to get patients the treatment they deserve. You knew that when you signed on for this job, and that's probably why you wanted to be a doctor in the first place. So I'm not going to let you give up. We need to work together to either (a) get another drug approved or (b) get the original approved.
Insurance company, I understand that you're a for-profit business. I understand also how immoral that is, but I'm not going to belabor that with you now. Let's talk profit. Let's talk business practices. Despite Congress's attempts to protect your from your almighty patients and their trial lawyers, I feel quite confident that you do not want to be in a business position of having patients go without needed medication. I feel confident that you do not want to be in the business of suborning doctors and making medical decisions. That's just bad business. Now let's revisit profit. At what point does the time your representatives spend on the phone with me cost more than the drug which the doctor prescribed? I think you might like to work out a formula on that, because I have no problem calling you day after day to inquire about this matter until it's resolved. I have near infinite time to spend on the phone with you to make sure that patients in my family get their health care.
So doctors and insurance companies, let me say this in the nicest way possible. I will be a burr on your ass for patients whenever I need to be. This is why my old insurance rep euphemistically calls me, "an excellent advocate for her health care." So thanks for welcoming me to West Virginia. I look forward to working with you.
10:15 a.m. - 2004-11-02
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