40 Comments

I appreciate the fact that you also provide the raw data for the survey which most media outlets don’t. This was we can see beyond the summary! You really are a first rate reporter that respects and honors the intelligence of your readership. Thank you! 🙏🏽

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I am angry with United Health; however, it makes no sense for me to switch to another oligarch, because I am 85 years old and on Medicare. Even so, I had surgery a year ago and was prescribed physical therapy after. UH covered only a small amount, which I did not learn until I finished. Even so, I was given a policy increase this year of 25%. They probably think I am a senile old woman who will not understand or react to what they have done. We desperately need to reform our health insurance system, and not just to protect the elderly. I think Trump and his Chaos Monkeys will make the situation even worse. Sigh...

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It sounds like you have Medicare Advantage, which is not really Medicare.

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Nope! I have United Health supplemental insurance. I disdain Medicare Advantage, because it scams people using their Tee Vee ads about having more to offer than supplemental insurance--then uses AI to "delay and deny" reimbursement.

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“They probably think I am a senile old woman who will not understand or react to what they have done.” I hope this means you will appeal their decision. They count on folks not doing so. Having said that, for the sake of anyone who is reading this thread and despairing I want to point out that there are 10 different Medigap Plans and some cover more than others. When I fractured my hip a year ago, my Medigap Plan G from Cigna (for which I pay $207 a month), covered the entire balance after Medicare. This included an ambulance to the hospital, a 5-day hospital stay (the New Years holiday chaos kept me in longer than I should have been), an ambulance ride to a rehab facility, a 2-week stay at said facility, and 5 months of in-home physical therapy. As grateful as I am for my experience, everyone is deserving of the same. No one in this country should have to worry about being bankrupted by an illness. And as much as I wish I had dental and vision coverage, I’m not in favor of adding that to the current Medicare system before we give Medicare to everyone else. Let's keep our current outrage going!

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I am fascinated to read your comment. Your coverage with Cigna sounds good, and is much cheaper than mine with UHC. I will check it out. I am curious to know if you are over 80, since that is when my medigap fee increased. I will see if Cigna has different rules depending on age.

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I’m 73, but my plan is community-rated so, while my premium goes up every year, age isn’t a factor. Unfortunately, after 6 months it’s difficult to change to a different Medigap plan and can only be done under special circumstances which don’t apply to most people (another give-away to the insurance industry). Most states offer Medicare counseling through their State Insurance Board and the folks that do this work – highly-trained volunteers – would be able to tell you what, if anything, you can do to switch to a better plan.

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The stories from doctors and specialists about the ridiculous delays and denials that cost patients their wellbeing and at times their life are so overwhelming. These providers spend so much time out of their days on fighting insurance and advocating for their patients through ridiculous tactical barriers such as no direct phone number to the claims department, or a peer to peer call with a pharmacist who has no idea what a pediatric liver specialist is saying. I hope someone is brave enough to collect these stories as i know doctors who share things on social media are being reported to their respective boards.

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Thank you for everything you do and how accurate you are!

I’m against violence but historically, Change has only come about when people stand up against their oppressors which when the oppressors push back results in violence of some form bc the ruling class doesn’t care for anything that takes money out of their golden lined pockets. God forbid that they make everyone happy and watch us enjoy being in at our jobs thus resulting in more production. That being said, I am 100% behind Luigi and anyone else involved in this situation. I’m ready to help fight for our lives and country!

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…nice

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With the prior article you did with another journalist, showing that health CEO’s put pressure on DOJ, along with 4 attorney’s resumes showing prior experience fighting for insurance and big Pharma, what chance does Luigi Mangione have with the terrorism charge that places him in federal court and facing the death penalty? By the way, the article was excellent in answering my question as to how domestic terrorism was added on!

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The only hope is they can’t find a jury of his peers that will condemn him. This maybe like what the OJ Simpson trial jury was for black people. No one has seen that analogy yet but when a system has screwed you the jury might find the perceived antagonist “not guilty”. We may see that here if the polls are correct.

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I hope so if he apparently is becoming the spokesperson for American’s anger - and death caused to their loved ones in the name of profit.

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If only the lamestream media spent as much time convincing people that Israel's genocide on the people of Gaza is murder, instead of stories that describe the horrors faced by the victims and failing to mention that it is all done by Israel. But they will clutch their collective pearls and bemoan the masses for not lining up to condemn the murder of a rapacious health insurance CEO. Just another reason to abandon corporate media and follow Ken, Jeremy and Ryan Grim, The American Prospect and so many other independent journalists providing real news stories you will never see in the Times or CNN.

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I note the "murder is wrong" emphasis you mention.

Did I mention that my state representative says she is a Zionist? When I asked her why she gave the very simply anodyne reason that Jews need a country of their own. Not mentioned is that in practice this means the destruction of the culture/people who are not Jews that live on the land the Zionists want for their exclusive possession, not a word from her about that.

It's the same isolation of one thing from what surrounds it, so that an emphasis can be established that obscures what one doesn't want to see.

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Do we have any idea how many people have died because health insurance companies have refused their claims? I believe I've read that 60,000 Americans die every year for lack of healthcare but that likely includes people who never had any health insurance as well as those who were refused.

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Nice!

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lol

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the photo up there is like 'which way western man'

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lol

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Great article, Ken. I’m so glad you called out the “gaslighting” that goes on in the media.

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I am surprised only around 17 percent of those surveyed had issues with their health insurance provider. I’m on obamacare in NY and have had so many hidden costs this year - $3000 worth.

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In our transactional society, where we are frequently shown that law and morality are human constructs, it might be wise to set law and morality aside for a while in favor of the clarity which the assassination brought to the public discussion of health care capitalism.

Public clarity and action are the quickest way to downvote the desire for retribution.

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Very comforting to see that people in general are capable of holding two opposing truths at once, especially in regard to such an emotionally fraught topic. I guess I’m too “online” because I didn’t think that was something most people were able to do - you love to see it!

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This question presumes he was murdered. We all know with 100% certainty that Luigi Mangione is not guilty. Looks like a heart attack to me. You could see him hunched over clutching his chest. I know it's less sensational, but maybe CEOs are just dropping dead because even God hates them.

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