Seen “Sicko” Yet?
If not, then feel free to click here (click the play button lower left)
Some people in this industry think that this movie is something to hide from, but I must say that the film was quite different than what I had expected. And while I may not agree with Mr. Moore’s politics, his message pointed out some serious flaws in our medical system: denied claims, many uninsured and politicians in lobbyists pockets. He does a valiant job in the first 35 minutes of doing what he does best…being a muckraker. But then his message gets watered down dramatically as he goes globetrotting to Canada, France and Cuba to show how wonderful their respective health and welfare systems are. One can spin just about anything these days and while it’s easy to find someone in any size group of people who has had a bad experience with our “system” it’s easier to find many MORE people that have been ill that have been treated well and had their issues handled.
One of the vignettes that I found particularly interesting is of this woman that had her insurance claim denied for an ambulance ride to the hospital because it was not pre-approved. Well, this does happen and what do I tell my clients to do? I tell them to call us because this is the type of problem we fix for our clients every day. A quality broker/benefits advisor maintains quality relationships with insurance carriers to get problems solved fast. FYI, between Dale Waters and Vinny Catalano, we sit on most major health insurance carrier broker advisory boards.
Can the system be fixed? Absolutely. Should it be fixed by a single payer healthcare system? Absolutely not, because more bureaucracy will not solve our problems. Our society is based on capitalism and for profit. Modern medicine continues to be redefined by the US in advances in medical devices, drugs, and research. Perhaps it’s time we all take some personal responsibility and focused on understanding our health plans, implementing wellness initiatives, and finding resources that can help you through difficult problems. Let’s find practical ways to insure the uninsured. Let’s find real ways to reduce costs. I’d appreciate any feedback on these thoughts at vinny@benefit-insurance.com
- Vinny Catalano
