I have really mixed feelings on this one. On the one hand, you’re right, we have the world’s most expensive but not the world’s best health care system. Although some people do get Cadillac treatment, many get Chevy treatment, some get Yugo treatment, and some get no care at all. Our health dollars need to be spent more efficiently and more equitably.
On the other hand, who determines medical necessity? In my case, it’s a board of TEACHERS, who do not see the necessity of diabetes education beyond a life-time cap of $50 (which barely gets you in the door!), nor do they see any need to reimburse for dietitian consults. I attribute part of the responsibility for my coma last September to the fact that I could not see a CDE, and my doc missed the warning signs completely. So the insurance company paid an arm and a leg for my hospitalization instead, and it was only luck that I didn’t end up dead.
Perhaps people would feel more loyalty to the insurance companies in terms of not wasting precious dollars if they felt the insurance companies were looking out for THEM.
