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>You have no evidence that the claim denial numbers are a driver or even an indicator of medical bankruptcies. I mean, this is absurd on its face, but you can
by claudeganon 7y ago
>You have no evidence that the claim denial numbers are a driver or even an indicator of medical bankruptcies.
I mean, this is absurd on its face, but you can read the study I linked about medical bankruptcies. It explicitly states that insurance coverage (which inherently includes denial of claims) is a leading driver of medical bankruptcies. Here’s what it’s co-author said about the issue if you can’t get access to it:
“The culprit for the lack of improvement [in medical bankruptcy rates] was inadequate health-care insurance, according to a co-author of the research, Dr. David U. Himmelstein, a distinguished professor at Hunter College and founder of advocacy group Physicians for a National Health Program.
‘Unless you’re Jeff Bezos, people don’t have very good alternatives, because the insurance that is available and affordable to people, or that most people’s employers provide them, is not adequate protection if you’re sick,’ Himmelstein said.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/11/this-is-the-real-reason-most-americans-file-for-bankruptcy.html https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/11/this-is-the-real-reason-most...
Claims denial and the struggle to pay medical bills has also been examined by Kaiser:
“About a quarter (26 percent) of the insured who had medical bill problems say they had a claim denied by their insurance company. Common reported reasons for denial include a particular treatment not being covered (25 percent of those with denied claims) and receiving care from an out-of-network provider (14 percent); 21 percent of those who say they had a claim denied did not know or could not provide a reason for the denial.”
https://www.kff.org/report-section/the-burden-of-medical-debt-section-2-the-role-of-health-insurance/ https://www.kff.org/report-section/the-burden-of-medical-deb...
Still waiting on what level of bankruptcy and suffering justifies the status quo too.