The Cost of Life: Shall we start the bidding at $……., Do I hear $…..
Perusing the abyssal of medial bogs this morning I came across yet another winning accolade for healthcare that involves a young man [17 year old Nick Colombo] who lives in the Los Angeles area that is fighting a battle with metastatic cancer. His insurance provider Pacific Care had initially denied his claim for advanced radiation treatment it appears due to the cost of the therapy – some $100,000.00. Family and friends were predictably outraged and disappointed. Fund raising efforts quickly ensued. The story hit the internet and essentially the game was over at that point. Pacific Care seems to have folded under the pressure of bad publicity and rescinded its original opinion. It appears now that Nick will get his radiation treatments.
The full story ran in the online version of ktal.com which goes further to uncover several mishandlings of insurance claims by Pacific Care in which the company was previously fined $3.5 million by the state of California.
These stories appear in the headlines from time to time and leave one shaking their head in disbelief. I commented on this story which I found on The Medical Quack by stating that if anyone was unconvinced about the profit driven motives of healthcare, stories like this should serve as a persuader. I further mentioned that this was a prime example of how the business of healthcare is killing us.
Nick’s skirmish with his insurer brings to light the business aspect of healthcare. Insurance companies do have a fiduciary responsibility to their clients; however the company must also maintain its financial viability in order to carry out those responsibilities. In the absence of some form of oversight regarding experimental and costly medical care, healthcare organizations would not survive. There in lies the dilemma.
Where do we draw the line? Do we draw the line at all? Who are we speaking about when we use the word “we” anyway? Healthcare in general walks a very fine ethical line between providing healthcare services and ensuring investor interest are not abdicated. The column in ktla.com quotes Erika Larson from the California Nurses Association which is quite apropos – “No, patient should have to hold fundraisers or have bake sales,”
These and similar issues are side effects of the growing expense associated with providing healthcare services. In effect we as a society are attempting to ration healthcare. Health insurance has become some what of a Kelly Blue Book list providing value estimates on each one of us. How much are you worth, or should it be cost?
About the Author
Mike Pringle is the author of Healthcare Today where he offers commentary and insight regarding today’s healthcare issues. Additionally he provides regular commentary for Red Scrubs and editorial content for Future Healthcare. He has over 20 years of nursing experience working both domestically and internationally. Mike has a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and a Masters Degree in Public Administration with a Healthcare emphasis. He specializes in both Emergency and Critical Care Nursing. He currently works at Falmouth Hospital as a Shift Manager for the emergency department.
