Here's How Insurance Companies Gained Control Over Doctors and YOU

So, my pharmacist says I can only get one inhaler a month. I cannot buy one until it's been 30 days since I bought that last one. So, what gives insurance companies the power to control you like this? Let's discuss.

I'm going to borrow a quote from the Heritage Foundation, "The Cure: How Capitalism Can Solve The Healthcare Crisis." Here is the quote.

"There is the golden rule: He who controls the gold makes the rules. If the gold is controlled by the government, the government will make the rules, and you will do exactly as you are told. That's how it works. It's a law of nature. It's like the law of gravity: It's not something you can escape. That's the reality."

 In America we have a system of only a few insurance companies. This is not the fault of capitalism. It is the fault of too much government. I explained this in my post, "Discussing Healthcare Solutions."

If you have too many regulations on insurance companies, only those with the most money will be able to continue on. These wealthy insurance companies can afford to lobby Congress. They champion for more regulations as they know this will make it impossible for their smaller competitors to continue. And eventually all we are left with is these larger insurance companies.

We let this happen. It was the result of too much government control. Government control is what we wanted as this was supposed to fix the problem. But, it has only made it worse. And, to go back to our quote above, "He who controls the gold controls you."

That is how insurance companies get to tell you what you can get and how much you can get.

Back when there was lots of competition, these insurance companies did not have this power. So, in that older system insurance companies yearned to offer a product you wanted at a price you could afford.

If this meant filling the prescription exactly as ordered by the doctor, then so be it. That was how I was able to get three albuterol inhalers every time I picked up a prescription at the pharmacy. And sometimes I did this more than once a month. The insurance company wanted to keep me happy so I continued to stay with them.

Today, however, toss making us happy out the window. With little competition, these insurance companies have grown large. They are, in essence, monopolies. And they get to set the rules. And one of their rules is you can only get one inhaler a month, even if your doctor orders more; even if you NEED more.

So, now you know. It is not capitalism that allowed this to happen. It was our eagerness to allow Congress to fix the problem. And usually this means more government, not less. And therein lies the problem. Many blame capitalism. But, the truth is is, capitalism is the solution. Get rid of or at least cut back regulations. Create space for smaller competitors to enter the market. This is the only way to gain control back from these insurance monopolies.