The health care system has never been so complex as it is today. As doctors, we’ve seen the struggles that happen just trying to help patients get the medical care they need. Patients are now ladened with high deductibles and often are the victims of baseless denied coverage for diagnostic tests and medication.
Insurance companies insist that they are not practicing medicine, merely making coverage determinations and that the patient is free to follow their doctor’s advice, paying out-of-pocket, of course. Realistically, if all patients have thousands of dollars to pay for their medical care, would we even need health care insurance? The answer is clear and that is medical care is becoming unaffordable, even for patients who are covered by insurance.
While the Affordable Care Act (ACA) did a good job at getting more American lives covered by medical insurance, it did nothing to address the escalating costs. Yes, uninsured patients was a huge money drain on the system. But, patients now are forced to pay premiums for insurance plans that don’t cover much of their medical needs. Now, many insurance companies are pulling out of the ACA insurance exchanges offering discounted plans. Patients are given the choice of going uninsured (and being hit with tax penalties) or paying premiums they cannot afford.
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