It seems like everyone has snarky comments to make about the dead United Healthcare CEO. And, of course, there is also that small contingent of pearl-clutchers adamant that joking about someone’s death is never acceptable.1
But it seems to me that lost in all of that snark and judgement is the sharing of very real stories by people who were denied coverage by their health insurance. Stories that, at best, led to unnecessary pain and suffering and, at worst, led to countless, avoidable deaths.
It’s heartbreaking that in the United States a life is measured by its monetary value.
I was sitting there pondering all of this when I decided to fire up the ol’ ChatGPT and ask what I thought was a pretty straighforward question:
Who determines the cost benefit of someone's life within the US healthcare system?
In the U.S. healthcare system, the cost-benefit analysis of someone's life is not directly determined by a single entity but is influenced by a combination of stakeholders, including:
1. Ins…
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