“That’s Covered By Our Insurance?” “Correct.”

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Here’s an excerpt of a recorded telephone conversation between David Cienfuegos’s wife and a rep from Anthem Blue Cross (“Howard”) prior to a surgery that Cienfuegos underwent:

Wife: So how can I find out if the doctor we’re working with is contracting with Anthem?

Howard: If you know the doctor’s name, I can look them up for you.

Wife: The doctor who is doing the procedure … is Dr. Werthman, W-e-r-t-h-m-a-n.

Howard: Philip?… Yes, that doctor is in-network.

Wife: Oh, OK. So when I submit my claim form, that goes towards the in-network deductible?

Howard: Correct…. That is correct.

Wife: I just wanted to then confirm that the procedure, veri — I’m sorry, what was it called again? I know I gave you the name.

Howard: Uh, varicocele. I am not quite sure how you pronounce it.

Wife: Varicocele. That’s covered by our insurance?

Howard: Correct.

You’ve probably guessed the punchline already: After the surgery, Anthem denied Cienfuegos’s claim, saying his doctor was out of network and the procedure wasn’t covered. This is the kind of innovation and cost-cutting efficiency that makes it so important to keep private insurers at the core of our health care system.

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“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

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