Consumers' feelings of helplessness are often further amplified when interacting with the health insurance companies that control the care they receive. But navigating these huge, opaque companies is frustrating at best, and consumers rarely have much say. For approximately 154 million Americans, employers offer a choice of health insurance coverage.
UnitedHealth is the most likely of these. The company is the fourth largest company in the United States by overall sales and has divisions that hire physicians, provide pharmacy benefits, and process medical claims for patients. The company, along with its biggest competitors, has been the subject of antitrust scrutiny, consumer lawsuits over widespread claim denials, and bipartisan criticism. This week, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Sen. Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, introduced legislation to break up large health care conglomerates, including UnitedHealth.
“The insurance companies are out of control. They need to be broken up,” Hawley told X. “Stop buying up doctor's practices. You don't need to own pharmacies anymore. Start putting patients first.”
Everyone interviewed for this article emphasized the need for change, and many healthcare providers are hopeful that something good will come from this tragic event.
“This is not a heroic vigilante, and it's important that he is brought to justice,” said Dr. A. Mark Fendrick of the University of Michigan. “That being said, there may be small lessons we can learn moving forward.”
Fendrick studies ways to improve health insurance and advocates for a more holistic approach to so-called “value-based” insurance. Last week, he published an article in a medical journal urging the medical industry to rethink the way it does business and the types of services it charges higher prices for.
“In the wake of a tragedy that has gripped the nation's conscience, it may be time to reframe the conversation from how much money we spend to how effectively we spend our health care dollars.” ” Fendrick wrote.
Dr. Diana Gilnita, a rheumatologist in Irvine, Calif., is already trying a different approach. After years of fighting with insurance companies, Gilnita started direct care, bypassing insurance and serving patients, often at lower rates. She posted an article on LinkedIn last week following Thompson's death. The headline asked, “How many more lives must be lost before we change medicine?”
Leaders of major health care companies have generally maintained that they are working to improve the quality of care available to all Americans.
UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Whitty remembered Mr. Thompson as “one of the good guys” in an email to employees on Wednesday, citing anonymous comments submitted by UnitedHealth customers. shared their experiences and support notes.
“I'm very proud to be part of an organization that brings so much good to so many people,” Witty said.
