{"id":137395,"date":"2024-12-15T18:21:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-15T11:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=137395"},"modified":"2024-12-15T18:21:00","modified_gmt":"2024-12-15T11:21:00","slug":"its-not-just-denied-claims-insurance-firms-are-hiring-middlemen-to-deny-meds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=137395","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Not Just Denied Claims. Insurance Firms Are Hiring Middlemen to Deny Meds."},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"articleContent\">\n<p>    <!-- begin partial\/series-card --><\/p>\n<p>Amid an outpouring of frustration with for-profit health insurance sparked by the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4, much of the media coverage has focused on the alleged shooter, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione<strong>, <\/strong>and the industry\u2019s nasty habit of maximizing profits by denying claims and leaving sick and vulnerable patients with massive medical bills.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/health-costs\/poll-finding\/kff-health-tracking-poll-economic-views-and-experiences-of-adults-who-struggle-financially\/\">plenty of data<\/a> to back up the anger over private health plans expressed online since the shooting. Insurance costs are far <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/health-insurance-costs-inflation-denials-luigi-mangione-united-healthcare\/\">outpacing inflation<\/a>, leaving patients with soaring out-of-pocket costs. Health insurance companies are notorious for exploiting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ama-assn.org\/practice-management\/prior-authorization\/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-prior-authorization\">prior authorization schemes<\/a> to avoid paying for care and have <a href=\"https:\/\/oig.hhs.gov\/oei\/reports\/OEI-09-18-00260.pdf\">denied claims<\/a> at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2024\/12\/11\/nx-s1-5223483\/examining-the-factors-that-play-into-the-high-rate-of-insurance-denials\">alarming<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tluZ8aTeOdU\">rates<\/a> in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>However, corporate consolidation of <a href=\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/articles\/its-not-just-big-pharma-meet-the-middlemen-blocking-access-to-medication\/\">industry \u201cmiddlemen\u201d<\/a> that experts say are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajmc.com\/view\/5-things-to-know-about-pbms-influence-on-drug-costs-and-access\">partially to blame<\/a> for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aha.org\/news\/blog\/2024-05-22-drug-prices-and-shortages-jeopardize-patient-access-quality-hospital-care\">prescription drug affordability crisis<\/a> has received less scrutiny from the general public, <a href=\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/articles\/california-governor-thwarts-lawmakers-effort-to-regulate-big-pharmas-middlemen\/\">despite efforts<\/a> by lawmakers and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to shine light on the notoriously opaque and confusing corporate bureaucracy that determines the cost of medicine.<\/p>\n<p>We often hear about Big Pharma selling drugs at high prices and insurance companies dragging their feet when it comes time to pay the bill, but the prices patients pay out of pocket for pharmaceuticals is largely shaped by the connective tissue between insurers and drug manufacturers: pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs. PBMs have been around for decades, but the largest PBMs have merged with major insurance companies to form conglomerates, including UnitedHealth Group\u2019s Optum Rx.<\/p>\n<p>In theory, PBMs negotiate discounts and rebates paid by drug makers that are passed onto insurance companies and their patients, but the lack of transparency in that process has long frustrated lawmakers and regulators attempting to contain the <a href=\"https:\/\/aspe.hhs.gov\/reports\/changes-list-prices-prescription-drugs#:~:text=Over%20the%20period%20from%20January,to%20%24590%20per%20drug%20product.\">skyrocketing cost<\/a> of medicine.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"wp-block-truthout-related-article-block related clearfix my-6 pt-4 px-4 pb-3 bg-white\" aria-label=\"Related reading\">\n<div class=\"container row mx-auto px-0 px-md-6\">\n<h3 class=\"in-rel__ti col-12 col-lg-7 gx-0 mx-auto pb-3 px-md-6 font-sans--con\">Related Story<\/h3>\n<article class=\"in-rel row gx-0 col-12 col-lg-7 align-items-center align-items-md-start my-0 mx-auto px-md-6\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/AnalysisNewsArticle\">\n<figure class=\"in-rel__th col-4 ps-0 pe-2\">\n    <a class=\"ar-list__th__lnk d-block\" href=\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/articles\/behind-unitedhealthcares-ceo-is-a-larger-system-of-corporate-rule\/\" title=\"Behind UnitedHealthcare\u2019s CEO Is a Larger System of Corporate Rule\"><br \/>\n      <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2024_1212-unitedhealth-group-protest-400x300.jpg\" class=\"img-fluid cover wp-post-image\" alt=\"Health care advocates risk arrest protesting care denials at UnitedHealthcare on July 15, 2024, in Minnetonka, Minnesota.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2024_1212-unitedhealth-group-protest-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/truthout.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2024_1212-unitedhealth-group-protest-200x150.jpg 200w, https:\/\/truthout.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2024_1212-unitedhealth-group-protest-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/truthout.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2024_1212-unitedhealth-group-protest-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/truthout.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2024_1212-unitedhealth-group-protest-2400x1800.jpg 2400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\"\/><br \/>\n    <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/figure>\n<header class=\"in-rel__con col-8 d-flex flex-column ps-3 pe-0\">\n<p>\n         The violence of for-profit health care\u2019s megastructure can only be overcome through collective resistance campaigns.\n      <\/p>\n<\/header>\n<\/article><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The PBMs say their <a href=\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/articles\/its-not-just-big-pharma-meet-the-middlemen-blocking-access-to-medication\/\">secret negotiations<\/a> with drug companies make prescriptions more affordable for consumers, but this system has not shown to protect patients from sticker shock at the pharmacy counter.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly 30 percent of Americans say they haven\u2019t taken prescribed medication due to cost, and an estimated 1.1 million Medicare patients alone could die over the next decade because they cannot afford the drugs prescribed by their doctors, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aha.org\/news\/blog\/2024-05-22-drug-prices-and-shortages-jeopardize-patient-access-quality-hospital-care\">according<\/a> to the American Hospital Association. The FTC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/system\/files\/ftc_gov\/pdf\/d9437_caremark_rx_zinc_health_services_et_al_part_3_complaint_public_redacted.pdf\">reports<\/a> that in 2023, the U.S. spent more than $722 billion on prescription drugs, nearly as much as the rest of the world combined.<\/p>\n<p>Clearly the system is not working for patients or public health, and policy makers in both parties have increasingly focused on the PBMs and their recent mergers with major insurance companies. According to a two-year <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/system\/files\/ftc_gov\/pdf\/pharmacy-benefit-managers-staff-report.pdf\">FTC investigation<\/a> on health care conglomerates released in July, PBMs are \u201cpowerful middlemen inflating drug costs and squeezing Main Street pharmacies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve heard accounts of how the business practices of PBMs may deprive patients of access to the most affordable medicines and how doctors find themselves having to subordinate their independent medical judgment to PBMs\u2019 decision-making at the expense of patient health,\u201d FTC Chair Lina Khan said in a statement at the time.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignright\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>An estimated 1.1 million Medicare patients alone could die over the next decade because they cannot afford the drugs prescribed by their doctors.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Over the past decade, the consolidation or \u201cvertical integration\u201d of PBMs with major health insurers formed massive health care<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/news-events\/news\/press-releases\/2024\/07\/ftc-releases-interim-staff-report-prescription-drug-middlemen\"> conglomerates<\/a> that include retail and mail-order pharmacies to capture every inch of the supply chain. The FTC found that the three largest PBMs \u2014 CVS Caremark, Cigna Group\u2019s Express Scripts and UnitedHealth Group\u2019s Optum Rx \u2014 now manage nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/system\/files\/ftc_gov\/pdf\/pharmacy-benefit-managers-staff-report.pdf\">80 percent<\/a> of prescriptions filled in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>PBMs leverage their management of formularies, or the list of drugs available on insurance plans, to negotiate rebate payments from drug makers that are supposed to reduce costs for patients and insurers. However, when doctors prescribe costly drugs that do not appear on an insurer\u2019s formulary, patients can be forced to pay the full price out of pocket.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this year, New Jersey resident Ann Lewandowski sued her former employer, Johnson &amp; Johnson, after the company\u2019s insurance plan left her facing a $10,000 bill for a three-month supply of a name brand drug for treating multiple sclerosis. A generic version of the drug can be purchased <em>without insurance <\/em>at a cost between $28 and $77 at major pharmacies, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/litigationtracker.law.georgetown.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/lewandowski-v-johnson-and-johnson_2.5.24_Complaint.pdf\">lawsuit<\/a>, but these options were not available due to the PBM policy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey will tell you their mission is to lower drug costs,\u201d said Rep. Earl L. \u201cBuddy\u201d Carter (R-Georgia), a pharmacist and a critic of PBMs, in a speech <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/congressional-record\/2019\/5\/9\/house-section\/article\/h3658-1?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22PBMs+Carter+Georgia%22%5D%7D&amp;s=5&amp;r=6\">on the House floor in 2019.<\/a> \u201cMy question to you would be: How is that working out?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Critics say negotiations with PBMs incentivize drug companies to inflate the \u201clist price\u201d or market price of drugs, creating an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drugchannels.net\/2024\/12\/pbm-power-gross-to-net-bubble-reached.html#more\">ever-widening gap<\/a> between the list and the \u201cnet price,\u201d which is the cost insurance companies and patients often share through various copay schemes.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/articles\/cheated-and-lied-to-how-insurers-and-manufacturers-mask-the-truth-about-high-drug-prices\/\">This process<\/a> famously <a href=\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/articles\/activists-implicate-trump-s-health-nominee-alex-azar-in-insulin-price-gouging-scheme\/?amp\">pushed up the price insulin<\/a> for years until the drug became unaffordable for diabetes patients who need it to survive. Congress stepped in after much public outcry \u2014 in 2019 patients <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2019\/07\/28\/politics\/bernie-sanders-canada-cheaper-insulin-cnntv\/index.html\">traveled to Canada<\/a> with Sen. Bernie Sanders to find insulin they could afford \u2014 and in 2022 President Joe Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/policy-watch\/the-facts-about-the-35-insulin-copay-cap-in-medicare\/\">signed legislation<\/a> capping insulin copays at $35 for Medicare patients.<\/p>\n<p>Dragged before Congress and <a href=\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/articles\/parents-deliver-ashes-of-diabetic-children-to-price-gouging-insulin-manufacturer\/\">facing protests by angry patients<\/a> and public health groups over the price of insulin, drug companies pointed the finger of blame at PBMs. Merck Chief Executive Kenneth Frazier told the Senate Finance Committee in 2019 that PBMs benefit when the list price of drugs goes up, creating a preference within the supply chain for higher priced medicines.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis kind of misalignment can have a significant negative impact on patients because their cost sharing is often based on the list price of a drug, even when insurance companies and PBMs are paying a fraction of that price,\u201d Frazier <a href=\"https:\/\/www.finance.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/26FEB2019FRAZIER-MERCKCO.pdf\">said<\/a>. \u201cOur current system that incentivizes high list prices and large rebates as a mechanism to keep insurance premiums low means that sick patients are essentially subsidizing healthy patients.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While it remains unclear how much money PBMs keep for themselves as \u201cmiddlemen,\u201d critics tend to blame the entire supply chain, including Merck and other drug makers, when medicine is unaffordable. However, the recent integration of the largest PBMs with top insurers has consolidated an alarming level of corporate control over that supply chain, according to Unai Montes-Irueste, a spokesman for the <a href=\"https:\/\/careovercost.org\/\">People\u2019s Action Institute\u2019s<\/a> Care Over Cost campaign.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a horizontal and vertical monopoly they are creating, so they are able to skim profit or take profit and grow profit at every stage and in every direction,\u201d Montes-Irueste said in an interview.<\/p>\n<p>Following its investigation, the FTC filed an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftc.gov\/legal-library\/browse\/cases-proceedings\/221-0114-caremark-rx-zinc-health-services-et-al-matter-insulin\">administrative lawsuit<\/a> in September against the top three PBMs alleging unfair and anti-competitive rebating practices that have artificially increased the list price of insulin and shifted the burden onto vulnerable patients. The PBMs responded with a <a href=\"https:\/\/pdfserver.amlaw.com\/legalradar\/pm-55886995_complaint.pdf\">lawsuit<\/a> in federal court that challenges the FTC\u2019s administrative process and accuses the agency of regulatory overreach.<\/p>\n<p>The merger of large PBMs with insurers is also blamed for creating \u201cpharmacy deserts\u201d in rural and underserved areas where independent pharmacies that locals relied on for years went out of business. In February, the National Community Pharmacists Association <a href=\"https:\/\/ncpa.org\/newsroom\/news-releases\/2024\/02\/27\/local-pharmacies-brink-new-survey-reveals\">declared an \u201cemergency\u201d<\/a> and warned Congress that the monopolistic practices of health insurers and their PBMs must be regulated or thousands of pharmacies could close their doors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPharmacists from West Virginia to Texas have written to the FTC, expressing concern that PBMs\u2019 business practices are creating risk for their patients while squeezing independent pharmacies that have served their communities for decades,\u201d Khan said in July.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) introduced bipartisan legislation on December 11 that would break up the monopoly on pharmacy access that the top three PBM and insurer conglomerates are building. The bill would prohibit companies that own both a PBM and insurance business from owning retail or mail-order pharmacies at the end of the supply chain. If enacted, the health care conglomerates would be required divest from their pharmacies within three years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf from the moment something is prescribed to when it is received by the patient it is always a source of profit, then it\u2019s a thousand-layer cake,\u201d Montes-Irueste said. <\/p>\n<p>Multiple states have <a href=\"https:\/\/nashp.org\/state-tracker\/state-pharmacy-benefit-manager-legislation\/\">passed<\/a> their own laws, but Montes-Irueste said the drug affordability crisis requires a federal solution for powerful, nationwide industry. The $35 cap on insulin copays for Medicare patients was badly needed, but the health conglomerates simply found ways to squeeze profits out of other patients.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are 999 layers of that cake that is not regulated and one is, and that one that is regulated is under threat by the new administration,\u201d Montes-Irueste said. <\/p>\n<p>Now policy makers must focus on lowering the out-of-pocket cost that patients pay for other lifesaving drugs, Montes-Irueste said, but that could be difficult under President-elect Donald Trump and a GOP-controlled Congress. However, the recent conversation around health insurers could prove to be an opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have found a place in public policy where we do not have a left-right question, we have a top-down question,\u201d Montes-Irueste said. \u201cWe are in a moment when we can say clearly to private corporations, \u2018stop denying care,\u2019 but also that government actors must offer solutions at the scale of need.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The scale of need is being spelled out right now by the millions of online comments from people who feel like the health insurance system is broken, Montes-Irueste said. \u201cAnd for those who profit out of, it is working perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"truth-post-content-after\" id=\"truth-664193330\">\n<div class=\"callout inline-callout p-4 mb-5 callout-- callout--white truth-target\" id=\"truth-323999\" data-callout-id=\"323999\" data-callout-theme=\"white\" data-callout-placement=\"Post Content - After\" data-callout-title=\"2024-12 December EOY Campaign (FRU) Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency \u2013 but so is Truthout.\" data-truth-trackid=\"323999\" data-truth-trackbid=\"1\">\n<div class=\"p-2 text-start\">\n<h5 class=\"pb-2\" style=\"text-transform: uppercase; font-family: var(--bs-font-sans-serif); text-align: center;\">Help us Prepare for Trump\u2019s Day One<\/h5>\n<p class=\"mb-3\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency \u2013 but so is <em>Truthout<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he\u2019s promised to \u201claunch the largest deportation program in American history,\u201d roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a \u201cdrill, drill, drill\u201d approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Organizations like <em>Truthout<\/em> are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the \u201cnonprofit killer bill\u201d that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a \u201cterrorist-supporting organization\u201d and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like <em>Truthout<\/em> that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel\u2019s genocide in Gaza are in the bill\u2019s crosshairs.<br \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what\u2019s to come.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of <em>Truthout<\/em>\u2019s preparations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we\u2019re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump\u2019s sycophants.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019re preparing right now for Trump\u2019s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump\u2019s destruction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we\u2019ll be able to do in 2025. We\u2019ve set two goals: to raise $145,000 in one-time donations and to add 1489 new monthly donors by midnight on December 31.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, we\u2019re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation \u2013 as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump\u2019s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You\u2019re an essential part of our future \u2013 please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\/>With gratitude and resolve,<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-3\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\/>Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"ar__share border-bottom--gray d-block d-lg-none mb-5 pt-1 pb-3 px-0\" aria-label=\"Share article\">\n<\/aside>\n<aside class=\"disclaimer mt-4 mt-md-6 fst-italic\" aria-label=\"Article disclaimer\">\n      This article is licensed under <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/\">Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)<\/a>, and you are free to share and republish under the terms of the license. <\/p>\n<p>On Bluesky? We created a <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/starter-pack\/truthout.org\/3lawibu3ufd2i\">starter pack<\/a> to make it easy for you to follow Truthout folks there.\n    <\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<aside class=\"ar__authors vcard mt-4 border-top--gray\" aria-label=\"Author\">\n<\/aside><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"1ee213088c51b6dc11aff367-text\/javascript\">\n      ! function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s) {\n        if (f.fbq) return;\n        n = f.fbq = function() {\n          n.callMethod ? n.callMethod.apply(n, arguments) : n.queue.push(arguments)\n        };\n        if (!f._fbq) f._fbq = n;\n        n.push = n;\n        n.loaded = !0;\n        n.version = '2.0';\n        n.queue = [];\n        t = b.createElement(e);\n        t.async = !0;\n        t.src = v;\n        s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n        s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s)\n      }(window, document, 'script', 'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n      fbq('init', '717290745328772');\n      fbq('track', 'PageView');\n    <\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/articles\/its-not-just-denied-claims-insurance-firms-are-hiring-middlemen-to-deny-meds\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Amid an outpouring of frustration with for-profit health insurance sparked by the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4, much of the media coverage has focused on the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=137395\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-137395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=137395"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137395\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=137395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=137395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=137395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}