A key District court decision against United Behavioral Health (UBH), a subsidiary of the country’s largest insurer United Healthcare and the country’s largest behavioral health provider, noted that UBH created internal policies that illegally denied treatment to thousands of patients, and put profits over patients. The case will now move into the remedy phase where penalties will be determined. United Health Group is expected to appeal.

If we continue to put profit over health, the U.S. health system will continue its slide towards becoming a second rate health system that delivers quality care only to those with the highest income. The only way out is through the consumer.  Washington is too embroiled in a political tug of war, insurance and health providers only see financial pressures growing due to rising costs and an ageing population, and medical records providers try to hold on to their market share by blocking the data sharing that is critical to achieving quality outcomes.