"Not Medically Necessary": Helping America's Health Insurers Deny Coverage

Re:"Not Medically Necessary": Helping America's Health Insur... by ben-johnson on Wednesday May 13, 2026 @06:02PM (#48128199)

Do they? Which countries have solved it? In Canada, the wait is so long for free specialized procedures that many patients choose euthanasia instead. Can't imagine it's better anywhere else. Which countries have solved it?

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Re:"Not Medically Necessary": Helping America's Health Insur... by throwway120385 on Wednesday May 13, 2026 @06:04PM (#48128214)

> In Canada, the wait is so long for free specialized procedures that many patients choose euthanasia instead.

This claim is so outlandish that I'd like to see some sources for it.

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Re:"Not Medically Necessary": Helping America's Health Insur... by ben-johnson on Wednesday May 13, 2026 @06:42PM (#48128556)

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/some-health-care-workers-...

This is pbs. In Canada they euthanasia an option for healthcare.

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Re:"Not Medically Necessary": Helping America's Health Insur... by ceejayoz on Wednesday May 13, 2026 @06:51PM (#48128646)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_suicide_in_the_United...

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Re:"Not Medically Necessary": Helping America's Health Insur... by BeetleB on Wednesday May 13, 2026 @07:00PM (#48128738)

Where in the link does it say they're opting for euthanasia due to long wait times?

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Re:"Not Medically Necessary": Helping America's Health Insur... by nonfamous on Wednesday May 13, 2026 @06:52PM (#48128657)

Sources do not support claim.

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Re:"Not Medically Necessary": Helping America's Health Insur... by nick__m on Wednesday May 13, 2026 @06:31PM (#48128460)

I live in Québec, Canada and the longest I had to wait was 3 months for a gallbladder ablation. And my wife, who is on her fourtht year of ribociclib to prevent her spinal metastasis (breast cancer) from coming back, have timely periodical CT-PET and IRM scans.

MAID is popular not because of lack of care but because Québécois values their autonomy and quality of life above being simply alive for the longest time possible.

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Re:"Not Medically Necessary": Helping America's Health Insur... by ben-johnson on Wednesday May 13, 2026 @06:40PM (#48128541)

In the US nobody waits three months for a simple gall bladder ablation. What's crazy is you think that's normal. She has 'timely' scans because they are made months in advance.

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Re:"Not Medically Necessary": Helping America's Health Insur... by ordersofmag on Wednesday May 13, 2026 @08:11PM (#48129428)

In the US around 26 million people have no form of health insurance. These same people are unlikely to be able to afford a 'simple' gall bladder ablation out of pocket. Which implies an effectively infinite wait time. What's crazy is that some people think this is normal.

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Re:"Not Medically Necessary": Helping America's Health Insur... by ceejayoz on Wednesday May 13, 2026 @06:47PM (#48128608)

My dermatologist books nine months in advance. My wife’s neurologist books six months out. Long waits are absolutely a thing in the US. A surgery she needed took 18 months to go through.

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Re:"Not Medically Necessary": Helping America's Health Insur... by nick__m on Wednesday May 13, 2026 @06:58PM (#48128705)

But it was truly not urgent, I would have been ok with waiting 6 months!

And the scans are not scheduled months in advance. We complained that we were only informed of the date and time of the next scan a few days before it... The explanation was that they have a must not be done before and a must be done after dates but the actual scheduling is done just in time so urgent case are prioritized before routine care.

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Re:"Not Medically Necessary": Helping America's Health Insur... by kelseyfrog on Wednesday May 13, 2026 @06:38PM (#48128525)

If I used my imagination as an epistemic authority, I'd often be wrong. Why not gain knowledge through experience? Visit Canada and report back.

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Re:"Not Medically Necessary": Helping America's Health Insur... by analog31 on Wednesday May 13, 2026 @06:47PM (#48128607)

Wait times in my region are 12-24 months. My "annual" appointments with generalists occur roughly 18 months apart, and usually involve being seen by a PA or NP.

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Re:"Not Medically Necessary": Helping America's Health Insur... by jghn on Wednesday May 13, 2026 @07:04PM (#48128780)

I'm in the US. I have 4 different appointments that are in 2027 because the relevant specialists book that far out.

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