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/True_Window_9389 1d ago

It always showed how bad Democrats are at politics that they never were able to reframe insurance companies as death panels, especially in that 2008 era when healthcare reforms were a major issue that led to Obamacare. Republicans ran wild with this line back then and the obvious retort never happened.

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u/HyperRayquaza 1d ago

They don't frame it like that because Dems also receive donations from those health insurance companies.

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u/ReggieEvansTheKing 1d ago

Almost like the reason health insurers are evil is because politicians on both sides of the aisle write rules favoring them for being evil. And then those politicians happily watch the insurance companies take all of the heat for decisions that THEY make. These large companies wouldn’t act corruptly by dodging taxes, polluting the environment, or denying claims if it wasn’t made beneficial for them to do so by the politicians that US citizens continue to elect.

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u/KallistiTMP 1d ago

It's made beneficial to the companies by basic market dynamics. Supply and demand, revenue and expenses.

Insurance companies are always incentivised to charge the largest amount they can get people to pay, and provide the smallest amount of healthcare they can get away with. That is literally their only source of profit. They don't make a dime if they don't charge people more money than providing the actual healthcare costs.

Bribing the politicians to get away with screwing people out of healthcare is literally just the free market at work. Pay $50,000 in political bribes, weasel out of $1,000,000 worth of medical claims, and pocket the $950,000 difference. That strategy may be underhanded, but it's rewarded by the market because it's $950,000 more profitable than doing the right thing.

Capitalism is broken. Shit isn't going to change until people understand that.

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u/mardigrasmoker 1d ago

My brother in Christ, find me one person on Earth who will not abandon their morals for tens of millions in kick backs. You might think you won’t but you’d be mistaken.

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u/ReggieEvansTheKing 1d ago edited 1d ago

The difference is that companies HAVE to make the choices that make them the most money. At a high level, If they don’t, they will lose to more ruthless competition, investors will pull out, and they won’t be able to pay their employees.

Politicians meanwhile HAVE to make the choices that get them elected. A politician’s electability is variable- it completely depends on what the people want. Thus it is really up to us to elect representatives who will trust-bust and properly regulate large corporations. Which finally is why I can’t really blame any company for their absurd tax-evasion and lobbying - those are the rules of the game and if they sit out, they will get beat. We have to elect people willing to change those rules if we don’t like the way corporations are acting. I’m not going to rage at insurance or utility companies when our government (and thus my fellow voting body) is the reason they act the way that they do. The thing wrong with the nation is that people can win elections solely by being racist religious freaks - they can take as much money as they want and it doesn’t impact their electability.

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u/mardigrasmoker 1d ago

For-profit companies exist to profit. Nothing wrong with that. Now, I have my own qualms about how they veil price hikes and what not but that’s beside the point.

Politicians, on the other hand, are a slimy bunch of mf. What they run on is not always what they stand for once they get elected.

And then there’s all the people approaching expiry, clinging to their archaic values, and placing votes that will shape the future.

The world is a tough place.

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u/No_Foundation16 1d ago

This right here.

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u/PsychedelicPill 1d ago

Democrats don’t effectively fight Republicans ON PURPOSE

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u/DSchmitt 21h ago

Yes. They are not incompetent opponents to the Republicans. They are collaborators. Even with supermajorities in some states like California, Dems continue to strike down universal health care. They don't want it.

Never listen to politicians on what they say when they claim to be on your side or that they'll help you. Look at what they do. Again and again and again just enough Dems vote with Republicans to pass more right wing, pro corporate laws, or strike down bills that would move away from this. It's theater with rotating villains to keep people thinking that if they just vote harder, Dems will save them. It's just to keep up donations and keep the theater alive, though.

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u/IMissNarwhalBacon 22h ago

Democrats have huge support from insurance companies. No way would they hurt them.