To the editor,
Jamie Court makes an important point when he says that eliminating the CEO of UnitedHealthcare won’t solve the issues caused by ruthless executives with their delay-and-deny strategies.
The real progress here is that there’s finally an open dialogue about protecting policyholders when these seemingly heartless leaders neglect their duties and harm those who sought assurance and care by investing in health insurance.
Given the public outcry ignited by recent events, CEOs need to be concerned. As people share their negative experiences with these companies, will these executives make a genuine effort to fix the issues? Or will they simply close ranks and protect their interests?
This is where Congress needs to step in. Those who are outraged should push their elected officials to hold these insurance companies accountable, in hopes of reforming their unethical practices.
Terry Shenkman, Culver City
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To the editor,
It’s important to clarify that insurance companies don’t literally provide or deny healthcare—they manage money.
If you have the financial means or if a healthcare provider is willing to offer care at a loss, you’ll receive the treatment you need. The intricate web of insurers, care providers, hospitals, legal advisors, regulators, researchers, and pharmaceutical companies—all aiming to profit—creates a massive overhead. This complexity, paired with our aging population, leads to a demand for services that vastly outpaces supply.
We must address this imbalance, or the suffering will only escalate.
Walter Maki, Torrance
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To the editor,
While it’s crucial to address unjust healthcare denials, don’t expect the threat of costly civil lawsuits to deter the greedy and indifferent—these suits often drag on for years and rarely impact the personal wealth of executives.
Yet even more pressing than these denials is the obstacle of affordability. If we want to improve healthcare in our country, tackling both issues is essential.
Hyman J. Milstein, M.D., Studio City
