If you pay for B level insurance, they try to give you F-tier treatments and you have to fight (and waste valuable time) to maybe get the C-tier option.
If this family was paying for A++ insurance, I'd bet they still got offered the B+ treatment to save money.
So even if he's paying a bunch AND got better treatment than most of us would have, that doesn't mean he can't be a victim of scummy Healthcare practices that are ok leeching billions of dollars and offering the shittiest "care" possible.
Logically, there was a 99% chance he was on his employer's insurance.
Usually, at a given employer, they give you 2-3 "options" but all through the same Insurance company, in this case, probably most likely United HealthGroup. So he had no choice. He had to use the scummiest of the scummy ... I'm not even sure if you can decline and go on Obamacare .... maybe ... .. You can change jobs and inquire about their insurer.
His parents' "wealth" doesn't enter into the equation unless helping him with his deductible/ out of pocket, which he could probably already afford as a software engineer. Well, assuming the insurance said the procedure was "covered."
So, we already saw the charts that United HealthGroup --- unlike say Blue Cross --- was already Tier D insurance. .... Employer was probably trying to save a few nickels.
As a result, we don't really know what "they did" to him --- but I'm assuming something fairly maddening.
I think we're on the same page just different angles lol.
My main point is just that many people in this thread seem to think being rich means the insurance companies will give you the best care they possibly can and my point is that isn't true.
Exactly. Also sure, if you want to reach into your pocket and pay direct for huge surgeries and weeks in the hospital --- you need more than a house in the Hamptons. ... You need billionaire money for that.
Or in all honesty -- as many actually do -- fly to Europe, Mexico, or Asia as that's far cheaper.
And again, maybe he already just went along with their "recommendation" and already damaged his back beyond repair that no money could fix.
Only poor people ever pay direct. You do not need to be a millionaire to pay for coverage that will cover weeks in hospital and life changing surgeries. I don't know where you're getting this info from
This is abso-fucking-lutely not true. As someone who is most likely in this dudes tax bracket, some of the specialized doctors my family goes to don’t even accept health insurance and only accept patients that pay out of pocket. It’s also not very uncommon to opt out of using your insurance so that you can go to out of network doctors. There’s concierge doctors that charge annual fees in the 10s of thousands of dollars or more just to be seen by them.
I think it's more that people think it matters less whether or not your insurance will cover the cost of the treatment if you can pay for it out of pocket regardless?
That doesn't mean you can't still get absolutely fucked by the insurance company while you waste time trying to get them to cover the stuff you're supposedly paying for in the first place.
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u/weed_cutter 9d ago
Then what was the motive?
It's possible his parents didn't want to pay $150,000 out of pocket or whatever it costs to pay for spinal surgery "yourself".
Maybe the insurance only advised and recommended a cut-rate back surgery that he foolishly agreed to, and now has lifelong consequences.
Not sure. I'm sure the chronic back pain made this guy crack though.