• BorgDrone@lemmy.one
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    40
    ·
    1 month ago

    How is that even legal? How is someone who hasn’t examined the patient and isn’t their physician allowed to make treatment decisions? If they even have the necessary qualifications.

    • skulblaka
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      40
      ·
      1 month ago

      Because of money!

      Every time you see something that feels illegal but isn’t, or that makes no sense in general, look for the money trail. There’s always one, and it always leads to the explanation.

      In this case, insurance companies have made such an absolute ass ton of money by killing off their customers that they have become a political entity. They now use their deep pockets to lobby politicians to keep their scam legal.

    • WoahWoah@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 month ago

      They’re technically not making treatment decisions, they’re making payment decisions about treatment decisions. Effectively it’s a distinction without a difference though. And it’s usually a “doctor” working for the healthcare company rubber stamping the denials. It’s a thoroughly shitty system.

      • frezik@midwest.social
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        1 month ago

        Specifically, it’s the doctors who technically passed med school, but only just. They’re not going to practice medicine anywhere else, but they can make good money writing up legally protected reports that say “in my professional opinion, this patient’s lack of arms does not prevent him from going back to his roofing job”.