Insuring Profits

Talk about putting profits before patients!

According to a Medical Society of the State of New survey, the vast majority of physicians practicing in New York say they feel pressure from insurance companies to prescribe certain medical treatments, sometimes at the expense of what is best for patients.

Of the over 1200 physicians surveyed this month, 90% said they changed the way they treat patients based on restrictions from an insurance company, and 92% said incentives and disincentives offered by insurance companies regarding treatment options "may not be in the best interest of patients."

87% of physicians said they sometimes feel pressure to prescribe a treatment based on cost. About 93% of physicians said insurance companies have required them to change prescriptions in the past.

To see how that plays out when you extrapolate private greed to bureaucratic need, click here.