"DGDevin" wrote:

What cracks me up is folks upset at the notion of some govt.
bureaucrat telling them which sort of health care they'll be allowed
to have as if the same damn thing doesn't happen today with
insurance company bureaucrats. I had an MRI awhile back and the
hospital wouldn't give me an appointment until they'd heard from the
insurance company. Ditto with appointments with specialists and so
on, it all requires approval from some guy in a cubicle a thousand
miles away. I've also had a medication a doctor wanted to prescribe
for me disallowed by the insurance company in favor of a less
expensive generic--so I didn't get what the doctor thinks is the
best drug, but the one the insurance company is willing to pay for.
And that's nothing compared to what some folks have to go through,
like having an insurance company cancel coverage in the middle of
chemo-therapy for breast cancer on the flimsy excuse that the woman
under-reported her weight on her original application with the
insurance company. For a start that sort of crap should be flat-out
illegal.

A friend of mine has health insurance provided by the employer as part
of the compensation package.

Absolutely every doctor's appointment, lab test, etc, must have prior
approval from the insurance company before it can even be scheduled.

This almost always costs several days/weeks delay before service is
received.

Such is NOT the case with those on Medicare.

Sounds like maybe the government getting involved in a major issue
like health care might just be a good thing.

Lew