Opinion editor’s note: Published in Star Tribune Opinion letter We hear from readers online and in print every day.Click to contribute here.
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I was pleased to read an article chronicling Mark Christensen’s battle with medical claim denials (“Care was vital. He had insurance. The hospital paid him $155,493.”) (October 28). I was glad that the Star Tribune, and not Christensen, saw fit to bring this topic to public attention. The average person probably doesn’t realize it, but this kind of denial is not uncommon, it’s common. These cause anxiety for patients and healthcare providers, which is often unnecessary. These add costs to the healthcare system and often lead to delays in treatment. And ultimately, as in Christensen’s case, the denial is usually overturned.
I am a TRIA orthopedic surgeon specializing in hip and knee replacement surgery. I often deal with payer refusals to pre-authorize surgeries. Rather than complaining about unfounded denials, these denials take up time that could be used to care for the patient. I have never failed to overcome denial. So why do payers continue to waste time and money making denials that are rarely granted in the end? Because there are no penalties for doing so. If the denial is overturned, they must pay for the services they were originally owed. I would suggest as a solution that the payer incur some financial penalty if the denial is later overturned. Perhaps Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield would think twice about denying Christensen’s claim, for example, if the overturned claim would require increased reimbursement (perhaps $200,000). Dew.
paul johnson, eden prairie
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On November 7, the Star Tribune published an article about Bright Health and its claims processing “errors” (“Bright Health fined for billing errors”). I believe anyone who reads this article will come to the belief that Bright Health was deliberately avoiding paying claims for which it is responsible. He has two thoughts on this. First, BrightHealth executives must be held accountable for this unacceptable behavior.
Second, all health insurance companies have the goal of minimizing claims payments to improve profits. This practice puts sick patients at double jeopardy of being both sick and in financial jeopardy if their insurance company denies their claim. Why let insurance companies decide which insurance claims are valid? In our public safety system, police, prosecutors, and judges are all separated from each other to prevent conflicts of interest. When a person becomes ill and a doctor orders a test or treatment, an insurance company should not be allowed to decide whether the treatment is appropriate or not. Insurance companies have a clear conflict of interest in determining how much they pay out. A completely independent process is required to monitor appropriate physician care and resolve billing disputes. Insurance companies should not be allowed to deny claims from properly licensed doctors, hospitals, and clinics.
Mark Bracke, Coon Rapids
The author is a doctor.
israel and palestine
I’m a 71 year old man who grew up in the Twin Cities.
Last week I experienced something I never could have imagined. I left my house, drove to my house across the street from Lake of the Isles, and thanked Congresswoman Angie Craig for voting to condemn Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib’s speech that intentionally used the phrase “from river to sea.” I was grateful. as a euphemism for the complete destruction of the State of Israel and the Jewish people (“Craig Voted to Condemn Tlaib,” November 9).
When I arrived home, a large truck was lying on the road and several demonstrators with microphones were chanting anti-Israel slogans in support of Palestine. When I entered the house, there was a civil debate going on between people who were disappointed in the Congressman’s vote and people like me who supported the Congressman’s vote.
As I exited the event, I was physically confronted on the front steps by protesters who held microphones in my face, shouted profanities, and literally blocked my path. They followed me all the way to my car.
Later I realized that I wasn’t feeling fear, only anger and rage. Then I thought, what if they had known I was Jewish?
What I experienced has nothing to do with the sympathy many of us have for Palestinians. What I experienced was the blatant hatred and anti-Semitism unleashed by Hamas’ horrific attacks on Israel and the Jewish people.
Thank you, Angie Craig, for your moral clarity and for standing up against hate speech by elected officials in the United States Congress.
Barry L. Ross, Minnetonka
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Adversaries and supporters involved in the current Middle East conflict must address these two issues.
- Do Israelis have the right to exist as a sovereign and independent state with defensible borders and access to the sea?
- Do Palestinians have the same rights?
The killings will continue until there is a widespread “yes” answer to both questions.
Robert J. Krueger, Bloomington
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As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become increasingly frustrated by people’s lack of critical thinking skills and media literacy. Why do we take so many things at face value and stop and say, “No way, we don’t have enough information,” and ask questions to know more? Seeing Colin Kaepernick on his knees? Without looking into the actual content of his protest, people mistakenly assumed that his message was disrespectful to our military. People hear “Black Lives Matter” and instead of finding the voices that gave rise to the movement to find out what that message actually means and why they’re saying it, Black Lives Matter I assumed it meant I was more important, or that people of other skin colors were less important. And we have the same distorted assumptions about Palestinian freedom today. If we can’t see colonialism, apartheid, and genocide happening before our eyes, it’s time to pause for a moment and start looking for Palestinian voices. That voice is not looked at fully in this paper, but can be found elsewhere.
Daniel Durda, Litchfield
political leader
Where have the leaders gone? I he is 72 years old. He retired after 43 years in the federal government. I am married, a parent of four children, and a grandparent of nine. And I’m worried about the future of our country.
We just finished another election cycle. The only thing we know for sure is that we are lost. There are two sides and there is no compromise. It’s an all-or-nothing, go-your-way-or-take-the-highway world. Honest political discussion is rare. All are accusatory, inflammatory, and defamatory. This madness has become the norm.
And while Republican candidates continue to fight, our country’s so-called leaders remain silent, leading candidates continue to proselytize in various courts, and our president continues to struggle with ever-decreasing approval ratings. Confusion continues inside.
U.S. Congressman Dean Phillips has so far single-handedly made a courageous effort to move us toward more electable candidates. Republican leadership is ignoring the spiraling debacle and seems to be hoping that things will resolve themselves without the need for leadership to address the elephant in the room: Donald Trump.
Where are the leaders who can address both issues and offer viable alternatives that lead us to a more promising future? Is there someone who can show this country the way? Time is running out.
Kathy Meinhart, Bloomington
