The message that I was getting is that I don't count, that profit is the bottom line. It was just dehumanizing to be told that over and over and over. It is kind of an impersonal bureaucracy. Your life is at stake, and it's just spiraling out of control. Nearly three in five Americans in a recent poll believe managed care plans make it harder for people who are sick to see a specialist.
Consumers increasingly sense profits are being valued over quality of patient care.
Responding to grassroots uprisings, states have passed laws giving consumers tools to help them be smart shoppers, ensure accountability when costly mistakes are made, provide more access to specialist and emergency care, and guarantee a fair system to review patient disputes. This initiative has spurred a flurry of bill introductions on Capitol Hill and the promise of a healthy debate about nationwide reforms. On one side is a multi-million dollar scare campaign, funded by industry, designed to preserve the status quo. On the other, a coalition of consumer groups and individual Americans who have been burned by the current system and want change. The current system, where the managed care company serves as both judge and jury for every appeal, is stacked against patients.