This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
As someone who has spent an entire professional career trying to improve the political, educational, social and economic prospects for minority groups, I have learned that access to quality health care is central to improving the lives of all people, especially communities of color. Many minority families sacrifice in order to afford the health care available to them, whether through payroll deduction or actual out-of-pocket purchase.
When this expense is prioritized by a family barely getting by, they're often left to wonder, "What am I paying for?" when certain treatments and medicines are denied by the very outfit to which they provide a huge chunk of their monthly income.
No question, health care can be a hot-button issue for many people. That's because it's both personal and essential. Two central themes within the health care debate seem to be constant – access and cost. While the purpose behind the Affordable Care Act was to ensure all Americans had access to quality health insurance, this worthy goal has raised a key question: "Is insurance coverage equivalent to access to quality healthcare?" In my view, the answer is "no."
Too often, health insurers routinely put in place a maze of protocols that result in rejection or delays in the most effective treatments for patients. Unfortunately, the conversation has hinged on the idea of getting patients covered, not treated.
Patients in Utah and across the country continue to pay monthly health premiums, premiums that are, incidentally, increasing faster than most people's wages. Sadly, these "insured" often find themselves in a situation where their health insurance doesn't cover a particular treatment or medical service. Or, if the treatment or medical service is covered, the health insurer requires the patient to pay a high percentage of the cost from their own pocket. After all, what is insurance for? In theory, you pay monthly premiums so when you get sick, you are covered. Unfortunately, that's not reality for a majority of patients.
Imagine if this was the case in other industries. Take, for example, the recent news of United Airlines removing a ticketed passenger because the airline made the mistake of overselling the flight. There was outrage, prompting members of Congress to write letters asking the airlines to explain their policy. Where is the same public scrutiny for health insurers when patients are denied treatments or forced to jump through hoops to receive care or have it covered?
Public policy at both the federal and state level need to shift its focus on patients, not profits. Removing barriers to quality care for patients is the right thing to do, and it's what patients expect. At the end of the day, having health insurance means nothing if you get sick and still have to pay, or even worse, are denied the treatment your doctor prescribed.
Unfortunately we live in the time where a health insurance card doesn't guarantee you access to quality care, rather, it tells you how much additional costs you have to pay and the type of care you may or may not receive. This model doesn't leave patients many assurances if they get sick, which creates a culture of uncertainty among the most vulnerable members of our society – the sick and the poor.
Jeanetta Williams is president of the NAACP Salt Lake Branch and of the NAACP Tri-State Conference of Idaho, Nevada and Utah. She is a former member of the NAACP National Board of Directors.