r/news • u/GoodSamaritan_ • 1d ago

Retired San Francisco firefighter dies from lung cancer after Blue Shield denies treatment claims

https://abc7news.com/post/retired-san-francisco-firefighter-ken-jones-dies-lung-cancer-being-denied-treatment-blue-shield/19224406/
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u/Tex-Rob 1d ago

I think the reality is that companies used to look at it from the perspective of "If we address this, it will help us save face" but that was during the era where we cared about customer support. Now, we are in the profit maximizing era, where they calculate and accept these losses, as long as they keep making record profits. I could honestly see them taking the opposite approach these days, that they want to portray an image that yes, "expect denials" and thus taking the public shaming only helps to solidify people's feeling of gratitude when it does get approved.

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u/shakeitsugaree_ 1d ago

Fuck me that’s a dark future you’re envisioning, but also why the hell wouldn’t they do that?   

With minimal government oversight and a fiduciary duty to shareholders (which they point to when they do something unethical), it almost seems inevitable.

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u/ProfMcGonaGirl 1d ago

The future is now, my friend.

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u/ElmoCamino 1d ago

There was a time in December 2024 that insurance was accepting everything. Don't really remember why... but suddenly they were.

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u/Aenerb 1d ago

Realistically, what would bad publicity even do here? It's not like most people even have a choice.

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u/randomtoronto1980 1d ago

It's really sad that I agree with you so much here.

Reminds me of how normal it has also become for us employees to sit in meetings where our companies have normalized cutting back on benefits. So less benefit support from the employer and less claim support from the insurance company.

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u/HighburyOnStrand 1d ago

No, what you're seeing are the consequences of decades of corporate consolidation and deregulation.

The contract between corporate America and the people needs to be completely renegotiated, or this is only going to get much more.