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When met with rampant company greed and alleged makes an attempt to drown out the wants of workers, how can we rightsize a system that appears to prioritize maximizing income on the expense of employees, prospects, our surroundings, and our democracy? By holding highly effective firms accountable. Whereas the federal government can actually play a job in regulating industries, we should put stress on highly effective actors like insurance coverage corporations to play by the foundations and uphold their finish of the deal.
It’s not sufficient to put accountability solely on the federal government. If we take that strategy, you’ll by no means see a penny in compensation from insurers — whether or not it’s medical, property, auto, or private legal responsibility. We’ve seen an industry-wide observe of denying claims and making these paying for insurance coverage soar by means of hoops to get the protection they deserve. Insurance coverage giants like Chubb have established a sample of ignoring state legal guidelines, undermining survivors of kid intercourse abuse, and standing in the way in which of justice, all in an effort to guard their backside line. Some have argued the Reasonably priced Care Act is accountable for medical insurance coverage {industry} failings, but when that was the case, then we’d solely see the observe of denying claims to maximise income within the medical insurance coverage world. But insurance coverage businesses throughout sectors, from medical insurance coverage to property insurance coverage to non-public legal responsibility insurance coverage, have adopted the identical playbook. Deny a declare after which attempt to run out the clock.
Medical insurance coverage corporations deny protection for medically obligatory procedures and hope the affected person both dies or will get discouraged. Private legal responsibility insurance coverage businesses function in an an identical trend. 5 years in the past, New York handed landmark laws referred to as the Baby Victims Act, which allowed survivors of childhood sexual abuse to take their abusers to court docket for crimes that came about earlier than they turned 18 — waiving the statute of limitations for a restricted time. However half a decade later, lower than 7% of claims have been paid out, together with my very own. Like with medical insurance coverage, businesses are dragging their heels to guard their income, whereas survivors die ready for justice.
This has nothing to do with the Reasonably priced Care Act or elected officers. It is a highly effective {industry} that refuses to observe the legislation of the land and play by the foundations. We can not let insurance coverage businesses off the hook and blame politicians for this {industry} huge ethical failing. We have to maintain the insurance coverage company liable for its personal actions and create a system that encourages higher habits. If we enable insurers and establishments to keep away from accountability by inserting blame on elected leaders, it undermines the progress we’ve made and weakens the inducement for reform.
This isn’t about punishment; it’s about justice. We have to create a system that ensures highly effective actors can not proceed to benefit from the American individuals. Sufferers deserve protection for medically obligatory procedures. Survivors of abuse deserve actual compensation. Insurers and establishments have to be held accountable for his or her actions as an alternative of shifting blame to others. Solely then can we start to fix this exploitative system and guarantee those that prey on the susceptible face actual penalties.
