As patients 'get sicker while they wait,' doctors fight insurance delays

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

MARYSVILLE — When doctors diagnosed Robin Sparks with cancer two years ago, they needed to act fast.

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Sparks, of Marysville, spent weeks wading through tests and appointments to get her diagnosis. Three months into her six-month chemotherapy treatment, Sparks’ doctors wanted to check her progress. But her insurance company, Ambetter, repeatedly denied a CT scan request.

“The reason was that it was ‘just not necessary,’” said Sparks, 61. “Well, I think it was pretty darn necessary to know if my targeted treatment was working or not.”

-snip-

Patients “can get sicker while they wait days, weeks or even months in many cases for approval of routine treatments,” DelBene, D-Medina, said Tuesday. “We’ve also seen patients just abandon care because they aren’t sure if they’re ever going to hear if it’s covered.”

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/as-patients-get-sicker-while-they-wait-doctors-fight-insurance-delays/

[Marcus IM]

1. But but but socialized healthcare has long wait times!!1111!!!!!

What a croc.

Many tRump voting Cuba "exiles" travel to Cuba to get free fast and good healthcare.
Only Cubans and Cuban-Americans can go freely.
Non-Cubans and non Cuban-Americans are 2nd class travel banned citizens. Banned by the US gov't.

Cubans/Cuban-Americans, first class US citizens/residents.

[slightlv]

2. I'm one of those who gave up.

The dog tripped me with his lead, and I fell on a two level cement step... face down. My face looked horrible, as did the huge bruise on my right hip. Everyone was of course concerned about my face.. eye sockets, etc. They were all OK, but I couldn't get anyone to listen to me about my hip. After doing x-rays that needed to be followed up with a scan. The insurance company fought tooth and nail against it until I finally gave up and just limped along with a cane. A few months later I was diagnosed with a badly, partially healed hip break which caused a deformity. I ended up having the hip replaced a few weeks after that.

By denying the CT scan they not only caused me unnecessary pain but ended up paying out a whole lot more than the CT scan and proper treatment would have cost.

The one thing I learned early on about insurance companies... there is no logic, even monetary logic.