Please see this Medscape Article. I can re-tell countless stories of the prior authorization process leading to lost time and wages for family as they have had to plan, then re-plan time off for spine surgery. Undue prolonged suffering, and even a case of permanent foot drop due to denials and the need for peer review. Doesn’t this entire process spit in the face of one of the dictums from neurosurgery residency “DID YOU EXAMINE THE PATIENT YOURSELF?”
So many people are stricken with fear at the the thought of non-privatized health care. Whatever the solution is, our current system doesn’t make the cut. Everyone thinks healthcare in the United States is great, until they have to use it.
