Health insurance companies and Congress blame Americans’ anger on everyone but themselves

The killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan has angered many Americans who are angry about insurance companies, premium costs and denials of coverage.

Murder is not a respectful way to make a point. But it clearly works. Much has been made over the years about out-of-control insurance costs and corresponding denials. Did anyone listen before Thompson was assassinated outside a New York hotel?

“On a panel at the Reuters NEXT conference in New York on Wednesday, executives from Pfizer and Amazon said health care companies are taking a step back to better understand patients’ experiences.”

Would this have led to the story published by Reuters if not for the blatant act of violence against a leader in the health insurance industry?

In the same story, insurance leaders claimed that doctor and hospital costs were increasing and that it was their job to negotiate those costs “along with expensive prescription drugs and medical devices,” justifying high premiums and continued premium denials. It’s like an out-of-control alcoholic blaming everyone else for his troubles. They don’t listen.

Insurance giants are now starting to surround themselves with heavily armed bodyguards to prevent another death at the hands of vigilantes. What are they doing to protect workers at Cube Farms is denying these claims? Does the employee need to watch every step she takes to make sure there isn’t a distracted insurance customer waiting for her in a parking lot, at a stoplight, or in her driveway with an AR-15?

“This callous disregard for human life is shocking,” USA Today’s Ingrid Jacques, who was writing about Thompson’s murder, wrote in a column. But if you stumble across this sentence, you could swear it’s referring to the millions of people who face financial disaster and further health problems because insurance companies refuse to pay for what patients thought was covered. In all the situations I can think of, stopping anesthesia mid-surgery is almost a “callous disregard for life.” I remember one day when someone didn’t want to report an accident or injury because their “insurance premium might go up.” Now, even if you don’t file a claim, premiums continue to rise at an alarming rate.

We’ve all laughed at the cartoon in which a doctor is speaking to a patient in obvious pain, who is bandaged, has an IV inserted into each arm, and has a leg supported by weights. The hose went into the mouth and nose. “The insurance company said you can go home now.” Today, it seems that this is no joke. They still didn’t listen.

Vin Gupta, chief medical officer of Amazon Pharmacy, said: “Our health system needs to get better… There are a lot of things that should cause a lot of anger.” Health system? It’s that alcoholic again, blaming the system and not taking responsibility for our health insurance system. They refused to listen.

It’s time to chop off this behemoth called health insurance and move to a system that has been successful in other first world countries; single-payer health care. But that won’t happen because lawmakers are listening to the needs of the insurance industry, not the health care needs of their constituents.

Marty Ryan lives in Des Moines.

This article originally appeared in The Des Moines Register: Health insurance companies, Congress blame everyone but themselves | Opinion