The health insurers decided to preemptively do this very small thing with no regulatory actions so Congress wouldn’t do something stronger or with teeth.
I have little hope. For over a decade one of my meds needed yearly PA. Since late 2024, my doctor has to send in a PA every 3 months. What stupid waste. But… blue shield hopes my doctor will tire of paperwork & find a cheaper, less effective med.
Also, insurance has gotten incredibly expensive. It’s my most expensive monthly cost.
Lisa, I hear you. Insurance is by far one of my biggest costs too, and it makes it so discouraging to pursue health needs. I agree that these companies are so fearful of anything with teeth that they try to drop little crumbs to satiate us.
I think that any policy improvement that is suggested/promised by MAGA politicians that sounds like it will be beneficial to healthcare consumers will actually be about saving money for the insurers.
For example, if they come up with some standardized approach to prior authorizations, 1) I bet it will include a provision that says something to the effect that x number of doctors/experts agree on this determination based on the consolidated rules; and 2) the “new and improved rules” will make it harder to appeal their decisions.
Making people do prior authorizations for people with permanent disabilities which are the focus of the treatment requested is ludicrous. They use these tactics to stall, and to bank on a percentage of people who will give up after the first “no.”
I have been on mass health as a working disabled for almost 30 years with no premium billing, bills, i was injured in 1991, I had 6 shoulder and 3 neck surgeries, and no more can help me, only my PT helps now. I received mass health as part of my settlement, for this work injury for my life time to pay for my disability health insurance. I recently received a $3-500, bills from mass health premium billing and been fighting it with the commonwealth, one I cannot afford insurance and 2 why am I now being billed after 30 years?? Did I miss the memo??
"I’ll believe it when it happens. I’m quite confident it won’t, though, because promises aren’t policies. For that matter, policies aren’t even actual legal protections anymore, it seems. And to be honest, the reality is that long before this administration began, policies weren’t promises anyway"
And so few even new builds don't care about ADA and RFKjr and Dr Oz are shills for big pharma. It's one of the reasons I accepted a position on our tenants board as we move towards major renovations
The health insurers decided to preemptively do this very small thing with no regulatory actions so Congress wouldn’t do something stronger or with teeth.
I have little hope. For over a decade one of my meds needed yearly PA. Since late 2024, my doctor has to send in a PA every 3 months. What stupid waste. But… blue shield hopes my doctor will tire of paperwork & find a cheaper, less effective med.
Also, insurance has gotten incredibly expensive. It’s my most expensive monthly cost.
Lisa, I hear you. Insurance is by far one of my biggest costs too, and it makes it so discouraging to pursue health needs. I agree that these companies are so fearful of anything with teeth that they try to drop little crumbs to satiate us.
I think that any policy improvement that is suggested/promised by MAGA politicians that sounds like it will be beneficial to healthcare consumers will actually be about saving money for the insurers.
For example, if they come up with some standardized approach to prior authorizations, 1) I bet it will include a provision that says something to the effect that x number of doctors/experts agree on this determination based on the consolidated rules; and 2) the “new and improved rules” will make it harder to appeal their decisions.
Making people do prior authorizations for people with permanent disabilities which are the focus of the treatment requested is ludicrous. They use these tactics to stall, and to bank on a percentage of people who will give up after the first “no.”
It always comes back to profit. Always.
I have been on mass health as a working disabled for almost 30 years with no premium billing, bills, i was injured in 1991, I had 6 shoulder and 3 neck surgeries, and no more can help me, only my PT helps now. I received mass health as part of my settlement, for this work injury for my life time to pay for my disability health insurance. I recently received a $3-500, bills from mass health premium billing and been fighting it with the commonwealth, one I cannot afford insurance and 2 why am I now being billed after 30 years?? Did I miss the memo??
Bills for basic health needs are so very frustrating.
"I’ll believe it when it happens. I’m quite confident it won’t, though, because promises aren’t policies. For that matter, policies aren’t even actual legal protections anymore, it seems. And to be honest, the reality is that long before this administration began, policies weren’t promises anyway"
And so few even new builds don't care about ADA and RFKjr and Dr Oz are shills for big pharma. It's one of the reasons I accepted a position on our tenants board as we move towards major renovations
I hear you. We have to at least do what we can, where we are.