In a June 19 NYT Op-Ed Paul Krugman states:
“Yet, on average, veterans don’t appear to wait longer for care than other Americans. And does anyone doubt that many Americans have died while waiting for approval from private insurers?”
Really❓ What populist propaganda‼️ Yes, I doubt many Americans have died waiting for approval. I managed health benefits for tens of thousands of people for over 45 years and nobody died waiting for approval.
Krugman would have been more accurate if he said Veterans don’t appear to wait longer for care than citizens of Canada or England.
Yes, there are delays and administrative screw ups, but would any reasonable person rich or poor not obtain necessary care “approved” for payment or not rather than wait? A rational person would fight about the payment after they received care. Health insurers don’t tell you that you can’t get care, they tell you how much they will pay.
[A 2013 Gallup poll shows 69% of Americans rate their personal healthcare coverage as excellent or good.]
He also says,
“Vast amounts of costly paperwork are generated by for-profit insurers always looking for ways to deny payment…”
What nonsense‼️ Ask doctors about costly paperwork created by government, ask patients about the paperwork they must complete because it’s required by law.
Would Krugman rather all insurers follow the Medicare model and simply pay claims without scrutiny and then attempt to catch billions in fraud? I wonder what such an approach would do the “affordable” premiums❓
and
“Other advanced countries don’t suffer from comparable problems because private gain is less of an issue. Outside the U.S., the government generally provides health insurance directly, or ensures that it’s available from tightly regulated nonprofit insurers; often, many hospitals are publicly owned, and many doctors are public employees.”
Mr Krugman should try to deal with Medicare. My sister has spent hours and hours on the phone, completed dozens of forms over and over, visited doctor after doctor trying to maneuver through that maze getting prescriptions drugs and medical equipment approved for her totally disabled son confined to a wheelchair. Her level of frustration brings her to tears especially when it takes months to get the information only to be told the process has timed out and she must start over.
Does any thinking person believe that a not-for-profit, government-run system is more efficient or will be without at least the same level of paperwork, administrative screw ups and frustration as our current system?
I guess there is one‼️
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 