INSIDE WVSMA
Message from the President
Is Violence Ever an Answer ?
Suzanne Gharib , MD
There are so many issues going on in the world that it was difficult to decide what was most important to highlight for this issue of the West Virginia Medical Journal . While acknowledging the multiple changes that have risen with the transition in governance both federally and at the state level and the effects that will have on the world of medicine , these are things that will unfold in the coming months to years and are still early to predict . One of the most visceral issues that resonated with me in the past few months was the homicide of the United Healthcare CEO , Brian Thompson .
Frankly , I was shocked not only by the news but also the social media response to the event . At its core , this was the murder of a young father and husband . Looking at social media , that point was largely ignored , and the main point of focus was that this was the homicide of the head of an evil empire . Rather than sympathy or even indifference , there was cheering for the perpetrator and calls for attacks on other CEOs of insurance companies .
So , are people that callous and cruel , or is this a reflection of the sheer level of anger and frustration of the general population against the system of coverage currently dictating their healthcare ? On a personal note , this was very striking to me as I had been on the phone a couple of days prior to these events in a very heated peer-to-peer call as a patient ’ s insurance provider was denying coverage of a chronic medication . I was so angry after the phone call that I reported the incident for further investigation to the insurance commissioner . I also had a similar experience on the patient side with my mother . She was due to have a refill of a chronic medication and asked me to pick it up for her . When I went to pick it up , the pharmacy said this was not an option as the medication required a new authorization . As per the usual experience , she then had to wait more than a week to get a chronic medication authorized through her physician , leading to much stress and frustration for her .
complicated for patients and physicians to achieve goals of their own , namely increased profits . This is not just regarding authorizations , which are tedious and often have limited basis in current science . Premiums continue to rise , copays continue to increase , ancillary services such as physical therapy are almost unaffordable for most people due to copays , and networks continue to shrink and limit choice of providers .
When seen in the context of violence against a CEO of one of the largest insurance providers in the country , everyone in healthcare needs to understand the implication . People are at a breaking point . Health is a vital piece of life and the system we are operating under has made it difficult to obtain good healthcare in a reasonable way . Sadly , this will likely lead to more horrific stories like the one we so recently experienced . Frustration breeds anger , and anger breeds violence .
So , what is our role as physicians ? We can never support or encourage violence as a way to solve these issues . That said , we need to stand against insurance companies or any law that makes it more difficult or complicated to receive adequate healthcare in this country . We need to report issues to our insurance commissioner when appropriate , and we need to make time to have peer-to-peer appeals . We need to stand united as physicians on these issues and work with patient advocacy groups as appropriate to be champions for appropriate delivery of quality healthcare .
Best regards ,
Suzanne Gharib , MD
Unfortunately , we face these issues on a recurring basis , with our offices investing a huge amount of time and energy into jumping hoops that are routinely set before us by insurance companies . At times , it feels like insurance companies keep moving the target and make things very
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