US private health insurance death panel?

Discussion in 'Health Care' started by Durandal, May 13, 2018.

  1. Durandal

    Durandal Well-Known Member Donor

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    Her only chance at life is a new liver, but her insurer said no. Then she wrote a powerful plea to the CEO

    Portland, Oregon (CNN)All Erika Zak wants to do is play with her daughter on the playground. Take her to the zoo. Walk her to school.

    She's never been able to be the mother she longs to be.

    At 38, Erika is dying.

    Her battle to live began almost as soon as her daughter, Loïe, was born four years ago, when Erika was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic colon cancer that had spread to her liver.

    The cancer was removed from her colon and, her doctors say, she responded well to treatment. But a microwave ablation surgery last year to remove two tumors from her liver went terribly wrong, leaving a fist-sized hole in her liver and destroying her bile ducts.
    Every day since has been a fight to survive. She's been hospitalized 19 times in Oregon over the last 12 months for infections, bleeding and an array of other health issues.
    She has high blood pressure in her liver, which backs up the veins in her esophagus and can be catastrophic. Her surgical oncologist constantly worries she will fall ill with a bad infection and die.

    "Every time she calls me and has a fever and some bleeding, we all hold our breath, worried: Will this be the time Erika bleeds to death?" says Dr. Skye Mayo, her surgical oncologist at Oregon Health & Science University.

    "This is kind of the end game of what liver failure looks like."

    More than 100 doctors at three of the nation's top medical centers have weighed in on her case, which is complex and exceedingly rare. Their conclusion: The only way to save Erika's life is to give her a new liver.

    After weeks of evaluation at the Cleveland Clinic in December and January, Erika finally got her big break.

    On February 2, doctors there approved putting her on the wait list for a liver transplant.
    The news changed everything. Erika finally had hope. Around the house, 4-year-old Loïe would say, "Mommy, when you get a new liver, can you push me in the swing?"

    But Erika hit an immediate wall. Her insurer, UnitedHealthcare, denied coverage for the transplant, saying it would not be a "promising treatment." She appealed and was rejected again.

    ... https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/13/health/liver-transplant-mom-erika-zak/index.html
     
    Last edited: May 13, 2018
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  2. squidward

    squidward Well-Known Member

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    Why don't you and all your liberal buddies take up a collection and pay for it, cuz you care so much?
     
    Last edited: May 13, 2018
  3. Lil Mike

    Lil Mike Well-Known Member

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    The problem with these anecdotal stories is we don't know what the policy is or the specifics of the denial. Also there is the assumption that if they had some sort of government plan, that it would have been paid for. Medicare denies a lot of services. Show me that a government plan would have paid for it first, then we can talk.
     
  4. 61falcon

    61falcon Well-Known Member

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    If it is a valid proven medical pprocedure then it should be covered.Isn't that what's wrong with private profit driven health insurance,they do not want to cover the expensive and lifelong conditions regardless of how high their premiums are.
     
  5. Mr_Truth

    Mr_Truth Well-Known Member

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    Republican death panels are here.

    Thank you Trump.
     

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