8.28.17
Nine out of 10 consumers feel doctors should be able to make treatment decisions without interference from insurers, according to a recent survey led by the Doctor-Patient Rights Project.
The survey focused on insured Americans and their access to medications, screening and diagnostic tests and medical procedures, along with their perceptions about the roles of doctors and of insurance companies in patients’ treatment decisions.
It found that more than 50 million Americans with health insurance may still lack access to essential treatments for chronic or long-term diseases because their insurance provider denied their coverage.
“Of those denied, almost a third have seen their health deteriorate,” reported the Doctor-Patient Rights Project.
“Insurance providers are increasingly refusing to cover prescribed treatments for many patients with chronic conditions, even when they have fully paid their premiums,” Stacey Worthy, executive director of the Aimed Alliance, a member of the Doctor-Patient Rights Project, recently said in Newsweek. “If Congress intends any meaningful healthcare reform, lawmakers cannot continue to ignore the part insurance companies play in limiting access to care.”
You can read the full article in Newsweek, or learn more about the survey from the Doctor-Patient Rights Project.
