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Dive Brief:
One in 5 adults with private insurance report that they or a family member were denied coverage for medical care recommended by a doctor in the past year, according to new research.
The study, released Thursday by the Commonwealth Fund, found insurance denials before care was provided delayed patients’ treatments and worsened their health problems. Denials after care frequently left patients with unexpected medical bills or threw them into long-term debt.
The findings are likely to add more fuel to public anger over health insurers’ business practices. Commonwealth Fund researchers urged policymakers to consider strengthening consumer protections, including expanding patients’ right to appeal denials and requiring insurers to publicize denial rates.
