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Give me a single-payer system

2 min read
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I feel the need to comment on U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster’s May 21 musings on “Putting patients, not D.C., in charge.”

Patients will not be in charge as long as insurance companies can mandate which doctors, hospitals, tests and procedures they will cover. Yes, individuals can pay out of pocket to see a doctor not in an insurance network. But how many of us have the wherewithal to do that? Medical savings accounts are beyond the means of most of us, and risk not being sufficient to cover the costs of medical emergencies.

Take my own experience, for example. While employed, with employer-paid health insurance, I was covered for knee surgery at an orthopedic hospital and physical therapy. The surgery went quickly, efficiently performed by a staff hired, trained and supervised by the surgeon. The physical therapist listened to my comments on my progress and put me at the center of the rehabilitation.

After retirement, the insurance carrier changed. The new insurer covered the surgeon, but not the orthopedic hospital. The surgery was performed at the local general hospital affiliated with my insurance company. It was not fast and efficient. I waited in pre-op for over an hour, conversing with the surgeon while we waited for an open operating room. The surgical staff was not hired and trained by the surgeon.

As for the physical therapy, also with a practice associated with the insurer, it took me two sessions to realize they were using a one-size-fits-all post-surgery regimen. My input was ignored. I left rehab.

I would much rather have a federal employee, perhaps in a distict office in Pittsburgh, in charge of my access to medical care. I would prefer a single-payer system that would allow me to see the primary-care physician of my choice and the specialists we choose together, rather than an insurance company employee who is always protecting affiliates and looking toward the bottom line.

Martha M. Quimby

Washington

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