Here's why people don't trust healthcare institutions (Do Not Resuscitate #353)

For the week ending June 28, 2024, we look at how people cope with healthcare institutions that abuse them, betray their trust, and give them lousy serices, all while exhorting us to trust The Science™. But we lead with a victory for New York City retirees who successfully fought off attempts to shove them into for-profit Medicare (Dis)Advantage in breach of their contracts. Also, a lot on our unpreparedness for a bird flu epidemic if one were to emerge. More examples of how we spend trillions of dollars making intermediaries rich instead of making ourselves healthier. 

To see the full archive of my years of written digests on these subjects, go to www.npan.org/single-payer-links.

To get my digest to your inbox, write me at tfrasca@yahoo.com

Here are links to all the articles mentioned: 

Bob Hennelly, “After rebuff from retirees, UFT’s Mulgrew bails on Medicare Advantage,” City & State NY, Jun 23, 2024 https://bit.ly/3VOCnwu

Joey Rettino, “These big health insurers covered fewer people in the commercial market in 2023 than they did in 2013. Yet profits were up. Here’s how,” Health Care Un-covered, Jun 20, 2024 https://bit.ly/4cihnoO

Danielle Ofri, “Even doctors like me are falling into this medical bill trap,” New York Times, Jun 17, 2024 https://nyti.ms/3xBGDqP

Elizabeth Dwoskin, Daniel Gilbert & Tatum Hunter, “Doctors couldn’t help. They turned to a shadow system of DIY medical tests,” Washington Post, Jun 9, 2024 https://www.democraticunderground.com/114234697

Associated Press, “Being a patient is getting harder in a strained and complex U.S. health care system,” Jun 2, 2024 https://bit.ly/45IdbMp

Peggy Lowe & Bram Sable-Smith, “Super Bowl parade shooting survivors await promised donations while bills pile up,” KCUR/KFF Health News, Jun 21, 2024 https://bit.ly/3zmoUEw

Rachana Pradhan & Samantha Liss, “Medicaid for millions in American hinges on Deloitte-run systems plagued by errors,” KFF Health News/Fortune, June 24, 2024 https://bit.ly/3XHcEZp

Susanna Vogel, “Under the watch of the attorney general, Northwell overhauls charity care policy,” Healthcare Dive, Jun 5, 2024 https://bit.ly/3L4x3QE

Dave Muoio, “HHS finalizes info blocking disincentives for hospitals, clinician groups and ACOs,” Fierce Healthcare, Jun 24, 2024 https://bit.ly/3VyVB96

Brett Kelman, “Tennessee gives this hospital monopoly an A grade—even when it reports failure,” KFF Health News/States Newsroom, May 29, 2024 https://bit.ly/3zstX66

Rebecca Pifer, “Walgreens-backed CityMD settles with Justice Department over alleged COVID fraud,” Healthcare Dive, Jun 10, 2024 https://bit.ly/3xIh2fR

Chris Bing & Joel Schectman, “Pentagon ran secret anti-vax campaign to undermine China during pandemic,” Reuters, Jun 14, 2024 https://reut.rs/3zdGnyI

Marianne Cooper & Maxim Voronov, “We’ve hit peak denial. Here’s why we can’t turn away from reality,” Scientific American, Jun 18, 2024 https://archive.md/YNK3D

Evan Blake, “The destruction of public health and the growing threat of an H5N1 bird flu pandemic,” World Socialist Web Site, Jun 20, 2024 https://bit.ly/4eCUUnV

Julia Doubleday, “COVID infection endangers pregnancies and newborns. Why aren't parents being warned?” The Gauntlet, Jun 21, 2024 https://bit.ly/3XKDSOD

Jessica Wildfire, “Years into a pandemic, we’re stuck in long denial,” OK Doomer, Jun 21, 2024 https://bit.ly/3RKOn0t

Andrew Joseph, Rachel Cohrs Zhang, Helen Branswell & Megan Molteni, “Three months into bird flu outbreak in U.S. dairy cows, experts see deep-rooted problems in response,” STAT, Jun 26, 2024 https://bit.ly/3ztqCUm

Neil Barsky, “Does the American Diabetes Association work for patients or companies? A lawsuit dared to ask,” Guardian, May 2, 2024 https://bit.ly/3WI39Zn

Rebecca Beitsch, “Potatoes will remain classified as a vegetable, not a grain, Collins says,” The Hill, May 1, 2024 https://bit.ly/3WNKFXj