Let’s recap what’s happening again w/ Surprise Billing developments, May 2020 (thread) 1/

2/ a *prominent academic physician whose image is to be an advocate for pts by exposing the problems in the system, is taking grants from a foundation who supports the commercial payors, who want more consolidation, which will raise profits for them and costs for patients.

3/

4/ This is no different than when Gilead publishes its own cherry-picked data & changes the goalposts for an endpoint that makes its drug look good https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/04/29/gilead-reports-positive-data-on-remdesivir-coronavirus-drug-trial.html

5/ there’s very little difference from a a pharma-backed study & a study from an economist supporting a position that’s backed by a foundation that’s fronted from insurance companies or hedge fund owners

6/ eg when head of USC “public policy” supports insurers’ price controls, when his very school was founded by an insurance exec

7/ Or the leading Ivy League researcher who coined the phrase “Surprise! Billing” was funded by an Insurance Foundation led by Health Insurer Execs

8/ On the NIHCM Board, which funded Cooper’s study, 15/17 are health insurer CEOs for Insurers https://www.nihcm.org/about/board 

9/ Btw, Did you know @KHNews is funded by Insurers?

10/ Funny how @KHNews is so anti-doctor/pro-insurer, no?

11/ anyways, here’s my point

12/ @MartyMakary @zackcooperYale etc are all respected researchers w/ a platform. It’s smart for health insurers to give grants for research the supports a $750 Billion industry, just like it’s smart for Big Pharma to sponsor studies in remdesivir, alteplase, osteltamivir, etc

12/ this is how I feel about health insurers ( @UHC just pulled in more first quarte profit than @amazon —chew on that)

14/ but remember when you see articles like these, make sure you pay no attention to the man (or multi-billion conglomerate) behind the curtain
-FIN-