Life saving treatment apparently not necessary. Deidre O'Reilly's son had a life threatening allergic reaction and was rushed to the emergency room. Doctors saved him with epinephrine and steroids, but the family's insurance company denied the claim. Wait, but it was an emergency treatment and they denied the claim. How could they justify that? Well, they claimed that the treatment wasn't medically necessary. I mean, how is saving someone from an allergic reaction not medically necessary? And to make it even more ridiculous, Deidre is a physician herself. She knows exactly what her son needed. That is unbelievable. How can they even argue against emergency life saving treatment?
The incident involving Dr. Deirdre O'Reilly's son, who experienced a life-threatening anaphylactic allergic reaction treated with epinephrine and steroids in an emergency room, was reported in several reputable sources. Despite the urgent nature of the situation, the family's insurance company denied the claim, stating that the treatment was "not medically necessary." Dr. O'Reilly, an intensive-care physician at the University of Vermont, expressed frustration over the denial, noting that the letters she received were largely incomprehensible. She has filed two appeals without success.
This case highlights a broader issue of increasing health insurance claim denials, even for emergency and medically necessary treatments. A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that, in 2021, insurers denied, on average, 17% of in-network claims, with some insurers denying up to 49% of claims.
These denials often leave patients facing significant financial burdens and can deter them from seeking necessary medical care.
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