David Marshall: Health insurance companies are exposed

The killing of a UnitedHealthcare executive has prompted a closer look at the health insurance industry.& AP Photo/Jim Mone (TriceEdneyWire.com)—If a person faces any serious medical condition, ideally, the best situ­ation is to be financially stable and never have to depend on the financial decisions made by healthcare insurers. Unfortunately, that is not a realistic option for millions of Americans, espe­cially those who are not extremely wealthy. Every year, people suffer and even die from preventable or treatable illnesses that hospitals charge too much for the care, and insurers often refuse to pay. Recent data show that patients are now even more likely to have their claims denied, pay more for premiums and medical visits, and face unexpected costs for care they thought was covered under their health plans. Pam Herd, a professor of social policy at the University of Michigan, says barriers to health­care access are especially painful. “It’s one thing to be frustrated at the DMV because you have a ton of paperwork to fill out or you have to spend an hour in line,” she says in an NPR interview with host Michel Martin. “It’s a whole other thing to face those barriers when they are the...