DELAY, DENY, DEFEND! - The Dr. Mudgil Podcast - Episode 159

[@Chilltownify]

We need universal health care in this country.

[@DrMudgil]

💯

[@dreamscometrue3482]

yes We need universal health care

[@kimberlywade2632]

⁠it isn’t going to happen because Americans are selfish and too capitalistic to pay higher taxes. They don’t want to pay for “other” people to get healthcare.

[@nyahanan]

As I understand as a German, US Healthcare companies don't work in a humanitarian way. They ignore human rights!

[@DrMudgil]

They certainly do - vile to their core.

[@laurapopescu7768]

Thank you for covering this in the most respectful way. We know the truth !

[@DrMudgil]

🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@MDB-v2y]

I have been an RN for almost 20 years. I worked in adult leukemia and what insurance companies do is criminal. Acute leukemia needs to be treated immediately, and for some a clinical trial is their best and only hope. Even for patients whose coverage includes clinical trials, the insurance more often than not drag their feet on approving treatment. These patients need treatment or they die. The insurance companies know that if they deny treatment long enough many patients will die waiting. This puts physicians in an impossible bind. If they go ahead and start standard of care treatment this may give the patients a little of time, but the patient will no longer qualify for the clinical trial due to a required washout required for prior chemo. If the physician tries to wait for the insurance company to finally say yes to the clinical trial, by the time the insurance company says yes the patient may have deteriorated too much to qualify for the trial. I often heard the physicians upset because the insurance company wouldn’t just say yes or no, but just kept dragging it out. Horrible thing to do to the patients and the physicians.

[@DrMudgil]

Truly tragic. They love you when you’re healthy, pay your premium, and don’t use them; the second you cost them money, they quite literally wish death upon you. Shameful.

[@J-Dune]

If the company did $20+ BILLION IN PROFIT IN ONE YEAR! Then the money wasn’t helping the insured to be well

[@DrMudgil]

CORRECT! It’s a shameful system.

[@lorichaslot7601]

I immigrated to the UK from Wisconsin nearly 27 years ago. In that time, I’ve had surgery, treatment for a torn Achilles tendon, and treatment for anxiety and depression. None of it has cost me so much as a penny. Since turning 60, all my prescriptions are free. Yes, we pay more in taxes, but it’s so much cheaper than what my mom pays out for insurance and medication.

[@DrMudgil]

Certainly a more civilized system. All US citizens should be able to purchase Medicare until they qualify. It would solve a lot of problems. 🙏🏽

[@Pippie807]

When I worked for a large company I had UHC. It was great insurance although I didn’t need surgery or have a serious illness. Insurance companies they want your money but don’t want to take care of you. When you treat people like this things like this happens. You can’t keep people down.

[@feddi7693]

💯

[@DrMudgil]

Their only concern is profit, not people.

[@Pippie807]

@ I agree

[@marianneswissgerman3288]

Iam a swiss Citizen and happily i live in Switzerland.I worked as a nurse myself before i got ill with Crohns desease Type 1 Diabetes and oligo Arthritis. They always paid everything the Doctors ordered for me.For that ia very thankful

[@animatedartist]

Delay yes. My claims and preauthorization always got “lost”. I got letters of “we overpay you” from time to time.

[@DrMudgil]

Infuriating. 🤬

[@Sandra-dm8rd]

Agreed this should’ve not happened to this person , but no family should have to go through denial of good healthcare.

[@DrMudgil]

💯

[@carriedebehnke6209]

I thought of you as soon as I read about this yesterday, given that you've been a great and vocal critic of UHC and the rest. I knew there would be no schadenfreude in you, just a good soul. Try to not become cynical like me, Doc. All we need is the will to make the system change and the willingness to do the work to make it happen. And therein lies the rub. Enjoy the holiday season in NYC and LI! I am green with envy and blue with cold, up here where the lakes turn into huge ice cubes until April.

[@DrMudgil]

We ALL need to be vocal. 👊🏽

[@thouchild]

Thank you so much for covering this, in such a great, honest and empathetic way. I can’t even get into my experiences, as someone who had significant chronic illness, and is recovering from Medical PTSD :) But I’ve been a fighter, for everyone who can’t, because I could. And man, it didn’t do much, but it did - something. A handful of claims; a bit of hope. Keep fighting friends, and I don’t mean that in a violent way. Dare to call a hearing on Medicaid. Call your insurance and be systematic - keep going and don’t stop. It took me over a calendar year of calls to get two different reimbursement checks. But i got them, and you can too. Maybe a support group is next? Dr. Mudgil, I’m curious - as one person (a former trauma therapist who is now disabled), what can we each do, do you think? I figure, as always, it’s about using our unique strengths to help those around us…. So for me, maybe that’s orchestrating a community where people can vent and not feel alone in their fight (when i feel up to it, lol!) And honestly, that is exactly what stops these kinds of shootings, as wild as it sounds…… Haha I’ve been up all night in pain, so a bit thoughtful now as my meds kick in. Thanks again for this and all you do! 🙏💗

[@thouchild]

I don’t think insurance will ever listen as far as big changes… until we can prove that something else will make them that much money… Legislation is a loaded topic… It’s quite a mess lol

[@DrMudgil]

Thank you for sharing. We ALL need to be as vocal as possible and out the nefarious practices of UHC and other private health insurers. 🙏🏽

[@DrMudgil]

It’s a mess, indeed, especially when our elected legislators are on the take through PACs, lobbyists etc..

[@shirleycosby6908]

Yes we need universal care 😢

[@DrMudgil]

Agree! 💯

[@MDB-v2y]

You’re a physician so you already know this, but patients often aren’t aware of all the preauthorizations insurance companies require for medications. A friend of mine is a psychiatrist and he said insurance companies require preauthorizations for GENERIC medications. He said that patients could get 90 days of old drugs like amitriptyline and Trazodone for $10 cash pay at Walmart, and yet insurance companies are still requiring preauthorizations for generic drugs that are dirt cheap. He said he had to tel patients that he could no longer do preauthorizations for generic drugs, because they were spending all this time on something that would cost $10 without insurance. Insurance companies requiring preauthorizations for drugs costing $10!! Ridiculous!

[@MDB-v2y]

I could talk about insurance companies all day long. ☹️

[@DrMudgil]

Yup, it’s crazy. In the last couple of years even generic medications are getting denied! 🤯

[@dreamscometrue3482]

We need universal health care

[@DrMudgil]

Or at least the opportunity to purchase Medicare …

[@LisaMack100]

You were right ALL along. The corruption is horrific.

[@DrMudgil]

Been railing about this for years! 🤬

[@marthawood3367]

If this guy was trying to make a positive difference, then whose to say this wasn't an inside job? No to sound all conspiracy, but why would UHC want to change making so much money, and their CEO making millions upon millions on the misery of truly sick and dying people😡?

[@DrMudgil]

Crazy to say, but I wouldn’t put that sort of evil maneuver past them. 🤯

[@Ashley__Rose]

“Tragic event” Idk, I didn’t feel too sad about it. I saw the unedited video and felt immediately apathetic. This coming from a person who can’t kill spiders in my home. The *true* tragedy is how many people, including children have died waiting for the treatments they needed.

[@Mr_Banker222]

I fought them for over five years to get a prosthetic hand…. A damn prosthetic hand, they kept saying how it was in a “medical necessity”

[@DrMudgil]

They have zero shame! 🤬

[@shirleycosby6908]

Love Dr Mudgil so much, we need more people like him

[@DrMudgil]

Appreciate you. Many thanks! 🙏🏽

[@demetricadement1138]

Thank you Dr. M for covering this topic and incident. We both have agreed on the vile insurance companies that thrive on the backs of hard working Americans. Been watching you for a while now. So keep up the great work.

[@DrMudgil]

🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@demetricadement1138]

Read yesterday that the company increased denials from 12% to 27% in the 3 years Thompson was CEO. ​@@DrMudgil

[@PhylSGood]

It’s only going to get worse.

[@kiki1965]

That's what I heard!!! Very questionable practices. Let's see how this story gets spun! 😢

[@DrMudgil]

VERY!

[@Thomasthetruthteller]

I hope you're on the jury

[@thodonnell3037]

I will drop unitedheathcare next year

[@George-ni5ic]

I will take a bit of government inefficiency over corporate greed any day.

[@DrMudgil]

Agree … Medicare is actually surprisingly efficient - MUCH better than UHC and other private insurers, who are morally corrupt as can be.

[@shirleycosby6908]

So grateful for you and your Information you share Have a blessed night ❤🎉

[@DrMudgil]

🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@delandamurphy3225]

Does anyone know why the CEO was killed? I'm Native American and through the Native Americans I receive BCBS.

[@thouchild]

The video gets into it, and Dr. Mudgil covers it really well :)

[@tnijoo5109]

I read that the meeting was canceled after the shooting. Is that not true?!

[@PhylSGood]

But without insurance how do people get medical help

[@rhondaburke2231]

Is there a health insurance company that you would recommend Medicare Part D?

[@DrMudgil]

If you’re on any prescription meds, I would make sure whichever plan you choose covers them. There are many choices. 🙏🏽

[@rtshaffer77]

I agree that this never should have happened. That said, the executives are now seeing the abject disdain people have. UHC just backed off from a new policy of placing time limits on anesthesia. Hopefully this will be a come to Jesus moment and these companies can understand the harm they cause and modify policies accordingly.

[@DrMudgil]

I truly hope so too! 🙏🏽

[@marthawood3367]

The problem with insurance companies is that they don't admit to any wrong doing, and the government backs them up... again it's all about money the root of all evil, Becky. But hopefully you're right, maybe it will open some eyes!

[@britishsweety]

No you don't need universal healthcare!..Healthcare!... lts the worst HMO that you could ever imagine!❤

[@DrMudgil]

We certainly need something better than what we have now … 🙏🏽

[@debrawronker4932]

I love your podcasting I heard about the shooting last night is a tragedy but people are getting angry at the insurance company. It's been warm in New York too huh, we live up in the northern California high Sierra mountains this is the first Thanksgiving we've had no snow we had two dusting and the rain took it away the weather station said we won't have snow until about 16th or 17th of December with only at 40% chance. Is it going to snow a few years ago until Christmas Eve did it snow in snow and snow our granddaughter 12 hours to get up to us it was a complete whiteout. I'm a Medicare add the insurance companies are driving me crazy right now you'll get this you'll get that if you join us. Dr Miguel wishing you and your beautiful family a very merry Christmas 🎁🎁🎄⛄

[@DrMudgil]

Happy holidays to you and yours too! 🙏🏽

[@delandamurphy3225]

Here's a question ⁉️ I keep getting knots of the back of my ear but only blood comes out, any ideas?!?

[@sheilawroten4559]

Go see a Dr

[@delandamurphy3225]

Good Morning Dr. Mudgil❤ Are you going to do a complication of Blackheads, or cysts?

[@DrMudgil]

Yup - we’ll post one before the end of the year.