The ColoHealth Health & Wealth Newsletter
November 2024
Vol. 14, Issue 14

Corporate Influence in Healthcare: How to Keep Your Care Independent

A few years ago, a good friend of mine––I’ll call her “Tricianne”––went through a very frustrating experience with her health insurance. 

After receiving a cancer diagnosis, her doctor recommended a promising, effective, but expensive course of treatment. But her health insurance provider denied the recommended treatment, suggesting a cheaper, less effective alternative. After multiple appeals and hours on the phone with the insurance company, the insurance company finally relented, and approved the course of treatment.

Today, Tricianne is in remission and hopes to remain cancer-free. She’s doing fantastic. But the experience underscored a harsh reality: Corporate interests in healthcare often prioritize profit over patient well-being.

In her case things worked out. But she happens to be very educated, articulate, and savvy about the healthcare system.

Her doctor was also willing to take the time to write several letters to the insurance company documenting the medical need, and going into detail about why the lower cost courses of treatment would not be as effective. Not everyone has those advantages. 

Tricianne’s story is common, as corporate influence often compromises healthcare decisions. 

While we’ve criticized Big Government’s role in restricting medical freedom, we also support private enterprise for driving innovation in healthcare. 

But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be vigilant against undue influence by corporate interests as well as government. Insurance companies and providers frequently deny access to care or create unnecessary obstacles.

This newsletter will explore how unchecked corporate power threatens your healthcare freedoms, limits access to information, and restricts necessary care, while offering tips to defend against improper denials.

How Corporate Interests Influence Healthcare

Corporate interests in healthcare often appear through insurance and pharmaceutical companies. Insurers, aiming to cut costs, may deny claims, limit coverage, or push patients toward cheaper, less effective treatments. 

Pharmaceutical companies may also influence doctors’ prescriptions with financial incentives, prioritizing profit over the best health outcomes.

Medical censorship is another issue, where government, insurance companies and large healthcare systems may restrict doctors from giving honest advice based on their sound medical judgment. This was evident during the Pandemic when doctors were fired for recommending non-standard treatments, forcing others to conform.

While wealthy and affluent people can get around these restrictions, many Americans are trapped in narrow insurance networks, limiting access to independent providers.

The intertwining of corporations and healthcare impacts medical privacy, treatment options, and quality of care. Health data often becomes a commodity, collected and sold without consent, potentially affecting insurance premiums and treatment eligibility. Corporate profit often comes at the cost of patient privacy and healthcare choices.

Your Medical Privacy Could Be In Danger

Health data is often collected through apps, wearable devices, and electronic health records. While these technologies can improve care, they also enable companies to harvest and sell personal information. 

For instance, health apps may share data with advertisers or sell it to the highest bidder. Once your data is out of your hands, it’s hard to control its use. Companies may target you with ads or sell the data to insurers, who could use it to raise premiums or deny coverage for pre-existing conditions.

What You Can Do

Protecting yourself from corporate influence in healthcare begins with being proactive. Here are several strategies you can use to maintain control over your healthcare decisions and protect your medical privacy:

1. Explore Alternatives to Traditional Insurance

Health sharing plans, direct primary care (DPC), and other alternative models offer options outside of the corporate-dominated insurance system. These models often prioritize patient care and privacy over profit. 

They also allow you to see independent doctors, not just members of large HMO networks.giving you more control over your healthcare decisions.

2. Choose Providers Who Value Privacy

Look for healthcare providers and practices that are committed to maintaining the confidentiality of your medical data. Direct primary care physicians, for example, often operate outside the traditional insurance system.

3. Opt Out of Data Sharing

Many apps and devices allow you to opt out of sharing your health data. Carefully review the privacy policies of any health app you use, and consider disabling data sharing options.

4. Be Informed About Your Rights

Familiarize yourself with the privacy protections offered under laws like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA)

By staying informed about your rights, you can advocate for stronger protections and ensure your data isn’t used without your consent.

Conclusion

Sure, health insurance companies and hospitals need to make a profit. And no one is advocating wasteful spending on unnecessary medical services and procedures. 

But by choosing alternative healthcare models, opting out of data sharing, and advocating for stronger privacy protections, you can reclaim control over your healthcare and ensure that your medical privacy remains intact. Healthcare should be about your health—not corporate profits.

To Your Health and Wealth,

Wiley P. Long III
President- ColoHealth

The ColoHealth Health & Wealth Newsletter is published monthly and emailed to subscribers at no charge. Subscribe now to stay on top of the critical information you need to know about health insurance, healthshare plans and managing your finances to achieve financial security.

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