Former CKE Restaurant CEO Andy Puzder responds to the arrest of suspect in the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson with 'Making Money'.
The callous, even mocking reaction on social media to last week's cold-blooded murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is further evidence of many Americans' simmering dissatisfaction with the health insurance industry. .
But some experts say much of the blame lies with governments, not health insurance companies.
Americans' dissatisfaction with the health insurance industry is boiling over. (Photo by Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Dean Clancy, senior health policy fellow at Americans for Prosperity (AFP), said: “This event highlights a tremendous amount of unresolved frustration with health insurance and the burdensome and expensive costs of medical care.'' In a sense, it was like I was accidentally capitalizing on that dissatisfaction.” “Of course this murder is terrible, but it's good that policymakers are waking up to how frustrated people are.”
In an interview with FOX Business, Clancy said many of the industry's problems are a direct result of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (former President Obama's signature law, known as Obamacare), which created a “The insurance industry has basically turned into a large-scale health insurance industry,” Clancy said. We receive taxpayer subsidies. ”
Leaked video shows UnitedHealth CEO saying insurer will continue practices to combat 'unnecessary' care
Mr. Clancy said that as a direct result of Obamacare, people have had to pay attention to the quality of health care and access to health care quickly and conveniently, even though health insurance companies have been the most profitable companies in the United States for basically the past decade. They argue that they have not seen a corresponding improvement in their ability to access it.
President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama, and Vice President Kamala Harris attend the announcement of expanding access to insurance under the Affordable Care Act in the White House Rose Garden on April 5, 2022. (Photo by: Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)
He said that before Obamacare, health care was a problem, but with this bill, that is no longer the case.
So what has changed?
“First of all, all kinds of federal rules and mandates and price regulations change the behavior of insurers, constantly raising prices and reducing people's access to doctors and hospitals,” Clancy said. .
Clancy said this is one of Obamacare's lesser-known effects, called “network shrinkage.” Essentially, insurance companies are incentivized to include as few doctors and hospitals as possible in their health plans, so people have to drive further to get appointments and wait longer to get treatment. The waiting time will be longer.
Medical insurance company changes anesthesia policy after backlash
Clancy acknowledges that before Obamacare, the health care system wasn't perfect, but at least patients could get insurance that was affordable, portable, and tailored to their needs, and now it's much more He said it was becoming difficult.
Hologic Inc. President and CEO Steve MacMillan joins “Mornings with Maria” to discuss the company's latest technological advances in women's health.
And under Obamacare, taxpayers are now supposed to send hundreds of billions of dollars a year directly to insurance companies, which taxpayers pay for and trickle a portion of their care to patients. That's what we expect, Clancy said. He believes it would be far more rational and more affordable if these funds were directly managed by patients, rather than being transferred to insurance companies.
“People need insurance, and there should be a safety net in place so everyone can get care when they need it,” Clancy told FOX Business. “But these extravagant subsidies actually only inflate the profits of health insurance companies without providing a commensurate benefit to patients.”
United Healthcare CEO killed amid insurance coverage controversy
Clancy said one way to get funds to patients rather than insurance companies would be to transfer some of the money currently spent on Obamacare subsidies and Medicaid directly into patients' health savings accounts and decide how that money is spent. He said it was up to the patient to decide. That would make gambling more efficient, give patients more choice and control, and make everyone's lives better, he said.
Healthcare workers walk through the halls of Duke University. The cost of health insurance continues to rise, and dissatisfaction with medical denials grows. (Duke University)
AFP's position is that markets can work in health care if they are left to their own devices. Clancy said there is real evidence, pointing to the fact that although insurance has never paid for LASIK surgery, the price of the procedure is always going down and the quality is always improving. Ta. The same goes for cosmetic surgery.
He said people are better shoppers when they're spending their own money. And while safety nets and guardrails are necessary and people need health insurance, insurance should be tailored to the needs of patients and at a time when it has proven to be very expensive and costly. Insurance should be tailored to patients' needs, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, he says. Inflationary.
CLICK HERE TO GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO
“We need William Wallace's 'Brave Hearts' moment when the American people say, 'We're free!'” Clancy said. “Bureaucracy and red tape and pre-approval and thin provider networks and never-endingly rising insurance costs are just terrible. Just have freedom.”
