Thoughts & Prayers? I Don't Think They're Covered
That United Healthcare CEO who was gunned down in midtown Manhattan a couple of days ago did not die in vain!
The day after the shooting, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield announced it would no longer pay for general anesthesia if operations go on too long-‘cause you know, your attending physician doesn’t know what’s medically necessary, the AI algorithm charged with optimizing reimbursement profits knows what’s medically necessary.
Yesterday, Anthem reversed that policy. It was all just on big misunderstanding, they assured us! Go ahead! Get that mitral valve replacement, free from worries that you’ll wake up in the middle of it!
Uh-huh.
Personally, I think Anthem’s reversal was motivated by the widespread reaction to the CEO’s shooting.
Decidedly light on sympathy, that widespread reaction.
I mean, of course, we all wish we could offer thoughts & prayers, but we’d have to get prior authorization first, plus what if our particular thoughts & prayers are out-of-network?
My own favorite reaction to the CEO’s shooting was from someone on X-Twitter: He died doing what he loved, not getting necessary medical treatment in a timely manner.
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Since I am writing this in an obscure but public forum, thus one subject to scrutiny by the Department of Homeland Security’s AI chums, I want to make one thing perfectly clear: Vigilante killings are never a good thing-unless you're traveling back in time to take out Hitler.
The day after the shooting, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield announced it would no longer pay for general anesthesia if operations go on too long-‘cause you know, your attending physician doesn’t know what’s medically necessary, the AI algorithm charged with optimizing reimbursement profits knows what’s medically necessary.
Yesterday, Anthem reversed that policy. It was all just on big misunderstanding, they assured us! Go ahead! Get that mitral valve replacement, free from worries that you’ll wake up in the middle of it!
Uh-huh.
Personally, I think Anthem’s reversal was motivated by the widespread reaction to the CEO’s shooting.
Decidedly light on sympathy, that widespread reaction.
I mean, of course, we all wish we could offer thoughts & prayers, but we’d have to get prior authorization first, plus what if our particular thoughts & prayers are out-of-network?
My own favorite reaction to the CEO’s shooting was from someone on X-Twitter: He died doing what he loved, not getting necessary medical treatment in a timely manner.
###
Since I am writing this in an obscure but public forum, thus one subject to scrutiny by the Department of Homeland Security’s AI chums, I want to make one thing perfectly clear: Vigilante killings are never a good thing-unless you're traveling back in time to take out Hitler.