Froma Harrop: Death panels already exist in glorious free market

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

“Death panels”? I’ll tell you about death panels. My husband faced one some years ago, and it didn’t involve any government bureaucrat. It was run by our private insurer, the sort of corporate entity that foes of health care reform say will give you anything you want.

My husband was diagnosed with liver cancer. We were “insured” by United Healthcare. The deal was as follows: You had to use doctors on its list, but if you needed specialized care outside the network, United’s health-maintenance organization would pay for it. Fair enough.

A liver expert within the network said point blank that for my husband’s case, there was but one place to go, a specialized chemotherapy program at Deaconess Hospital in Boston. Fortunately, it was only 50 minutes away.

But United Healthcare refused to pay for it. Instead, it directed us to a small, local hospital unequipped to deal with this kind of cancer. Our liver specialist warned, “Don’t waste your time.”.......

An economic note: In 2006, William “Dollar Bill” McGuire, CEO of parent-company UnitedHealth Group, walked off with a $1.1 billion golden parachute (on top of the $500 million he had already raked in) — though he had to return some of it in an options backdating scandal.

-more-

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090818/OPINION04/708189965#Death.panels.already.exist.in.glorious.free.market

[Canuckistanian]

1. The greed.... is staggering

I literally can't imagine WHY this "slow-motion robbery in broad daylight" continues.

It's obscene.

[Bert]

2. Thank you

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