From drugmakers to doctors' organizations, groups thought to have the clout to steer policy and funding in Washington because they enjoyed bipartisan support and huge lobbying budgets have remained silent about Kennedy. They haven't spoken up even though he has accused them of fraud and conspiracy, and promised to hold them accountable.
That's not because they aren't worried, but because they didn't think they could stop him — or think the cost of speaking out would be too steep, five people representing health groups, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said. By staying mum, they hope to limit the fallout if Kennedy follows through on his plans to strip the industry to the studs.
Health insurers process more than five billion payment claims annually, federal figures show. About 850 million are denied, according to health-policy nonprofit KFF. Less than 1% of patients appeal. Few people realize how worthwhile those labors can be: Up to three-quarters of claim appeals are granted, studies show. Patients who fight denied claims must marshal evidence from medical studies, navigate dense paperwork and spend hours on the phone during what is often one of the most difficult times of their lives.
Roger Williams Medical Center in Providence and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in North Providence have been losing money for years. According to Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, that's because the California hedge fund that owns them has prioritized investor returns over patient care. California-based Prospect Medical is now trying to sell these two Rhode Island hospitals to an Atlanta-based nonprofit called the Centurion Foundation. But Prospect ended up filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month before it could complete the sale. The company recorded debts up to $10 billion. The bankruptcy filing meant a judge needed to approve the sale, and time was of the essence, because the company could not afford to keep running the hospitals. Even so, various stakeholders opposed the sale for different reasons.
Lawyers for 25,000 people incarcerated in Arizona have asked a judge to take over health care operations in state-run prisons and appoint an official to run them, saying the state is not capable of fixing deep failures in care even though it has been required to do so over the last decade.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, there has been a steady increase in the number of healthcare workers quitting their jobs. And though the industry is focused on hiring, the burden on the remaining doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals is still a heavy one. Healthcare professionals believe that aid can come in the form of generative AI that turns user inputs into new content.