[LBP]

I'm not sure it matters how involved you are as a patient. Ins will do what it wants period. I fought like crazy with PacifiCare and UHC even the CA Dept of Ins. It made no difference. Once I got Aetna, I didn't even have to appeal. It was approved without any battle.

Insurance companies are to blame for everything from lack of coverage to quality of care with your drs.

Lawyers are a check and balance to the medical system. Congress need to let lawyers be a check and balance to the insurance industry! stop blaming lawyers. Without lawsuits, companies/drs would have a hell of lot less incentive to do things in the interest of consumers/patients.

Plus there is a high threshold to sue a dr in a medical malpractice case. Too high in my opinion because I was injured by a dr during surgery that required me to have ADR surgery! But I couldn't prove what went wrong in the first surgery because I was under general anesthia when it happened. Since the medical records fail to admit wrongdoing, I can't prove anything....I wonder why...I'm an attorney, and they are not going to admit in writing what went wrong. In a medical malpractice case you have to have another doctor willing to testify that the alleged wrongdoing dr fell below the relevant standard of care. Plus juries are sympathetic to drs. So gimme a break. Lawyers are not responsible for the lack of care by drs. When things go wrong, you should have a right to seek reddress.

Re Ins companies,there are zero checks and balances with insurance decisions because you can't sue them for their coverage denials even when the procedure is FDA approved. The lack of checks and balances on the insurance indus is why hardly anyone is getting coverage! Ins companies don't want to pay for a bunch more back surgeries. Until gov't changes how health insurance works and makes them more accountable to you as an insured, you are at their mercy.