Money makes the world go round is also the unfortunate reason why one New Jersey patient says their doctor’s office canceled their time-sensitive surgery. WowImOldAF shared their story on r/mildlyinfuriating, explaining that they have a tendon injury that needs surgical repair within two weeks, ideally. The facility that is tier 1 under their insurance plan spoke with them and scheduled the surgery without issue. Everything was going according to plan until this said facility allegedly realized the operation wouldn’t be “cost-effective.”
WowImOldAF said their medical facility’s scheduler called them back, and even though everything was booked, the business claimed, “they’d lose money doing it there.” OP wasn’t convinced; “I find it hard to believe they would lose money when my insurance would pay for everything,” they wrote. Now, their alternate options were to go to a different hospital at tier 2 under their insurance and pay thousands out of pocket or go somewhere else entirely.
Nothing Had Changed Besides the Shift to Prioritize Profit, According to the Patient
OP reiterated how nothing changed. Their injury and the surgery they needed were the same; the facility was and is still able to carry out the operation. It was the money it would make if they performed the surgery at the doctor’s office. “I guess it’s all about the money in the end… doctors don’t actually care about your wellbeing if they can’t make a dollar off you,” WowImOldAF sighed.
Thousands of Redditors were in disbelief. This patient needed treatment ASAP for their quad tendon, but the facility that could do the surgery booked it, then decided not to because of money. Some people blamed the doctor and facility, while others claimed it was actually the insurance company that was at fault.
“Yeah, this should be malpractice at least because it’s injuring a patient by delaying care,” remarked a commenter. WowImOldAF responded to clarify that their doctor’s office can still do the care they need; just that “[they] just want to switch hospitals to one that costs me thousands of dollars so that it’s more profitable for them.”
“The US medical system isn’t made to make people healthy. It’s designed to make other people rich,” a Redditor said in disdain. The even wilder bit is how much OP claims to be paying for health insurance. “I already pay $950 a month,” they wrote, which several commenters exclaimed is already too expensive a premium.
It’s easy to blame the doctor, the facility, or even the insurance company, which might be the culprit, according to many Redditors. However, in the end, it’s the American healthcare reimbursement system that would be the most at fault here, with everyone being forced to work around it.
