I just read this article at The Huffington Post about a CIGNA employee flipping off the mother who was protesting CIGNA's alleged role in her daughter's death.
After reading the article, I had an urge to play devil's advocate and question who is really responsible here.
The purported facts that I am aware of:
- Nataline Sarkisyan needed a liver transplant.
- CIGNA refused to pay for the transplant, saying it was "too experimental".
- CIGNA reversed the decision nine days later, but Nataline died that same day.
What if:
- Nataline's hospital and doctors performed the operation anyway, without getting paid at all, or receiving partial payment.
- CIGNA approved the transplant and Nataline died during or shortly after the operation.
- Nataline's condition improved without the operation.
These hypothetical "what if" situations make it impossible for me to have a strong opinion about who is ultimately responsible for the death of Nataline Sarkisyan. Nevertheless, I personally find that CIGNA is fully responsible for making themselves the scapegoat.
Also, why isn't the hospital where Nataline was receiving care getting scrutinized for refusing to do the operation because it was "too expensive"?
I ask not only because I really don't know what would prevent them from performing the operation gratis, but also because it seems to me that lawsuits against hospitals and doctors, aka malpractice lawsuits, are commonplace, borderline abusive of our legal system.
Not surprisingly, the insurance industry makes money on two sides of the health care industry: health insurance and malpractice insurance.
As I understand it, malpractice insurance is a significant contributing factor to the escalating cost of health care. When doctors and hospitals make mistakes, they can be, and often are, sued for doing so.
Does anyone else find it ironic that employee paid healthcare plans are shielded from liability caused by their mistakes? I would think that "what's good for the goose is good for the gander", but let's remember that here in the United States, once the gander gets big enough, they can hire lobbyists to get their special interests written into law. Is that what happened here?
Yes, we're in a quagmire when it comes to health care and health insurance. I'm thrilled it has been thrust into public debate and am hopefully that it stays there for the foreseeable future.
