Health insurers are increasingly interfering in care, an NBC News investigation found. Doctors say the stakes are highest in cancer care, when delays can be the difference between life and death.

Summary

Health insurance companies are increasingly denying cancer treatments and screenings recommended by physicians, leading to delays and potential harm for patients.

These denials, often based on internal rules lacking transparency, can result in serious adverse events, disease progression, and even death.

While prior authorization is intended to save money, physicians argue that the current system is inefficient and detrimental to patient care.

  • Flying Squid
    65•1 day ago

    There’s no such thing as “nonprofit” insurance in a for-profit healthcare system. If they aren’t making money for themselves, they’ve been created to make money for everyone else.

    • Nougat
      19•1 day ago

      The difference between a for profit and a non profit is just in the way they do accounting for where the money goes.

      • @FlowVoidEnglish
        11•1 day ago

        The bigger difference is that NPOs don’t have shareholders who demand profits.

    • @FlowVoidEnglish
      6•1 day ago

      The hospital in this story, MD Anderson, is also a nonprofit. In fact it’s part of the University of Texas, a state-run school. So nobody profited from what happened here.

      And in general, insurance companies have an antagonistic relationship with health care providers. Because when insurance companies deny care, health care providers lose money.