Medicare To Require Prior Approval: A 'Cost-Saving' Miracle for Whom?
Newsweek highlights a new Medicare program requiring 'prior approval' for a growing list of services, framing it as a clinical and financial safeguard. They mention 'overutilization' and 'fraud,' yet fail to dissect how private Medicare Advantage plans, funded by taxpayers, have perfected this denial game for years, boosting their own profits. This isn't about saving Medicare; it's about pushing
more seniors into plans that withhold treatment to pad corporate bottom lines. This 'efficiency' is the same playbook private insurers use to reject claims, delay procedures, and ultimately save money regardless of patient outcomes. One might wonder why, if the goal was true healthcare reform, we aren't discussing universal healthcare or reigning in pharmaceutical price gouging—a system that could
genuinely reduce costs without forcing seniors to beg for approval to heal.