Type Media Center Abelin-Bevier fellow Helen Ouyang discusses how the opaque and complex nature of U.S. health insurance undermines patient care, erodes doctor-patient trust, and forces critical health decisions to hinge on financial uncertainty.
Highlights
- The article illustrates the dangers of the U.S. health insurance system through the story of a critically ill patient who left the emergency room against Ouyang’s recommendation due to uncertainty about insurance coverage.
- Ouyang portrays the complexities and impacts of the system from the perspective of both a doctor and a patient, explaining how she has faced uncertainty about her own coverage as well.
- The article covers the impact on patient care, due to both issues in doctor-patient relationships and doctors’ need to adjust care to align with insurance coverage. Insurance companies tend to blame doctors for coverage rejections, therefore eroding doctor-patient trust. Physicians also often have to prescribe suboptimal treatments that insurance will cover as opposed to more effective treatments that may not be covered.
- Ouyang acknowledges that the U.S. is unlikely to adopt a single-payer system soon, but speaks to the need for clearer and more consumer-friendly health insurance.
Type Media Center’s Note
This article by our fellow Helen Ouyang reflects Type Media Center’s dedication to nurturing independent journalism that not only informs but strives for societal change.