By Robert Vinetz, M.D.
Los Angeles Times, Letters, Jan. 13, 2019
To the editor:
Michael Kinsley is arguably correct when he writes regarding the denial of coverage for people with preexisting conditions: “The insurance companies are not behaving like heartless monsters. They are behaving like insurance companies.”
Well, they may or may not be monsters, but insurance companies are indeed “heartless.” They are inanimate creations. Their primary goal is to maximize profits, even if they have to be “heartless” and hurt people in doing so.
Do we really want a healthcare system financed and controlled by the heartless motive of corporate profits? Or, do we want one driven by the maxim “people before profits” and the heartening values of the Hippocratic Oath?
As a physician, I’ve made my choice: I support a single-payer, “Medicare for all” system.