Maine residents and doctors who have had to fight private insurance companies for coverage protested outside Aetna Health Insurance’s offices in Portland on Wednesday, demanding that the highly profitable company stop denying care. demanded.
“What do you do when your insurance company tells you they won’t cover the medical care you need?” Portland resident Ronan Aubrey said at the protest. “The insurance company shouldn’t be deciding whether I should undergo medical treatment, the doctor should be.”
Participants marched outside Aetna’s offices carrying placards with slogans such as “Stop denying us care” before attempting to deliver them. letter with requests These include coverage for all treatments recommended by medical professionals, increased transparency around claim denials, and an end to unfair practices related to private Medicare Advantage plans.
Aetna’s walk-in customer service office was closed during normal business hours ahead of the protest announced by organizers on Tuesday.
Aubrey, 28, who has a history of cancer in her family, underwent an ultrasound, but her insurance wouldn’t cover it. They received a bill from the collection agency for most of the costs of the process.
“Since my surgery was recommended by my doctor, I thought it would be fully covered. I was wrong. I had not yet met my $3,500 deductible for the year, so my insurance The company only covered a small portion of the scan and procedure,” Aubrey said.
“I know my bill wasn’t as high as others. I’ve heard stories of people who received much larger surprise bills from their health insurance companies. But all of these It was really hard to pay the bills. And it shouldn’t have to be.”
Health care advocates say Aetna’s business model relies on denying members the treatment and drugs they need. In 2022, parent company CVS Health will Ranked 4th place Fortune 500 companies’ revenues and healthcare giants’ spending $3.5 billion in share buybacks To increase the value of investors’ stocks.
At the same time, Etna 12.1% of claims were denied Privatized Medicaid plans are subject to government oversight and are likely to be denied at higher rates than private insurance plans.
Julie Pease, a physician and community psychiatrist who has worked in Maine for 36 years, worked with insurance companies to ensure that she and her colleagues would be covered for caring for people in acute mental health crises. Despite many hours of persuasion over the phone, the consideration was ultimately denied.
“How do you tell someone who is refusing to pay that they need to stay in the hospital when they could be leaving the hospital with a huge bill that their insurance company rightfully owes? This is simply not true. When we pay for health insurance, we expect to receive the care we need, the care that will save our lives. It brings results.”
Last month, the Maine Medical Association issued a call: universal health insurance system That could require a single-payer system in which the government pays for all health care costs instead of private insurance companies. The 4,000-member organization is the fifth state medical association.
The protest was organized by T.He is a member of the Maine People’s Union (of which beacon project), is a member of People’s Action care more than cost This campaign organizes people across the country to challenge and overturn claims denials from private health insurance companies so people can get the care they need.
