I’ve found numerous instances where providers have billed over $5,000 for procedures that I could get for $250 if I paid cash. They do things like seperating a test panel into 100 different separate procedures, etc.
I think they need some context in the article of the interplay between providers billing practices to maximize their fees and insurer denials instead of just demonizing the insurance companies.
Every denial doesn’t result in a patient not receiving care, but is sometimes pushback against overly aggressive providers/negotiation and some of that can and probably should be automated.
Obviously them denying necessary treatment is really bad, but I find that propublica articles are often highly opinionated against certain interests and leave out a lot of context to create an extreme headline.