This episode of the Mike Gallagher Show takes listeners on a rollercoaster of topical issues, from the shocking revelations about high-profile manhunts to the stirrings of political motives behind presidential pardons. The debate heats up over healthcare reforms, shedding light on what policies mean for practical experiences in medical procedures and doctor-patient interactions. Engaging discussions also touch on the rising concern over the weaponization of judicial systems and what it entails for public trust. Stay tuned to find out how you can join hands in bringing the spirit of Christmas alive for children in need through the Angel Tree
SPEAKER 14 :
He’s the happy conservative warrior. From the Relief Factor studio, sitting in for Mike today, here’s Joey Hudson.
SPEAKER 10 :
Welcome in on today’s show. Glad to have you. 1-800-655-MIKE. 1-800-655-6453 is how you can join today’s conversation. You can text me on the My Fellow text line. You can email me directly, joey at joeyhudson.com. Whatever method you use, I do hope you’ll join the conversation. And we’re going to do something like I like to do on my local show on Fridays, and that’s called Free Speech Friday. Today’s all about you. I want to hear what’s on your mind today. And so, you know, call and Tracy will put you in queue and we’ll talk and try to get as many calls in today as we can. But today is officially Free Speech Friday. On the Mike Gallagher Show, 800-655-6453 is how you join the conversation. Investigators in New York City have released additional information about the shooter who gunned down the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. More details coming out in this massive manhunt for this young man. And also there’s been rumors. that President Joe Biden could be considering preemptive pardons for allies that he believes that Donald Trump has on his target list. However, one of those being considered says he doesn’t want a pardon. Guess who that is? We’ll talk about that. And Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, one of the largest health insurers in the country, got itself in hot water this week. This is the craziest story I’ve heard in some time. They actually sent out some new guidelines on how much they would pay for anesthesia. And basically, if you’re in the middle of a surgery and you go past that limit, they were proposing they would stop paying for anesthesia uh… as you can imagine people in the health care field of doctors anesthesiologist and of course insured uh… weren’t happy with that. Can you imagine being on the operating table and you’ve gone past your limit on anesthesia? What are they going to do, wake you up and ask you to authorize additional charges? We’re going to jump into that as well. And later in the show, South Carolina Congressman Ralph Norman joins us to talk about Trump 2-0 and the outgoing Biden administration. So a busy Friday, plus your phone calls, your texts, your emails on this free speech Friday. The manhunt for the killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is still ongoing. Investigators are piecing together a growing list of information, clues, still searching those surveillance cameras throughout Manhattan to try to track where this young man went. When I say young man, we have a great image of him now that was taken at the hostel, that he was staying in temporarily. They also believe that a rare firearm was used in the shooting. Police believe the gun used in the attack is a modern version of a World War II spy gun. It’s a B&T VP9, and it was equipped with a silencer. Surveillance videos show that the gunman, expertly handling the weapon like he was very familiar with firearms. This was not… Just a casual instance here. This guy knew exactly what he was doing. More videotape being released showing him in the area that morning. In addition to being in the Starbucks, he seemed to be pacing that block, just waiting for this guy to show up. The gunman fled on an electric bicycle, as we reported, headed into Central Park. Police initially believed that he was using a city bike. which is one of the e-bikes that you can find on just about every corner in Manhattan. Later, they confirmed that that was not the case. However, they do know that he was on a bike. It must have been one that he had arranged for prior to. And investigators recovered a burner phone and a water bottle near the scene. The phone used by the suspect just 10 minutes later. before the attack, it’s being analyzed for data while fingerprints found on both items, uh, could probably lend some critical details as well. And I would imagine they probably have some DNA now. So if this guy has ever been in any trouble, uh, And his DNA is on record. They’re going to narrow the search with that. These developments, of course, come as the NYPD and the FBI are working around the clock to try to solve this. Brian Thompson was 50 years old. This was a chilling. targeted attack. It was an assassination. That’s the only way to describe it. The manhunt continues. There’s a $10,000 reward. Officials are asking people to call Crime Stoppers, 800-577-TIPS, if they have information. 800-577-TIPS, and you could be eligible to receive up to $10,000 on that reward. We’ll continue to update you as we have more information. The final hearing Of the task force on the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. was held yesterday. And the best way to describe the room is tension-filled. There are a lot of questions, and it got a little heated at times. With two assassination attempts against President-elect Trump earlier this year, including the July incident in Butler, Pennsylvania, that nearly cost him his life, the task force has been examining failures in security, failures in communication, how the Secret Service coordinates with local law enforcement, and just a long list of things that could potentially go wrong at an event like this. The final hearing had key testimony from Ronald L. Rowe, the acting director of the Secret Service, and they asked him a lot of pointed questions. Some questions you could tell he wasn’t quite comfortable answering, but he did appear to try to be up front. The hearing began with testimony from Rowe, who didn’t shy away from acknowledging that there were failures. He admitted, we did not do our job. he talked about the areas that have to be improved. And again, that’s communications. He talked about having advanced processes in place so that when the advanced teams are going to an area where a protectee will be, that they coordinate with the local authorities. And he also talked about command and control processes and those communication processes. Chairman Mike Kelly pressed Roe on the most glaring failure of the day. Roe cited that the inability to account for the AGR building, this is the building where the young man was able to get on the roof undetected and fire the rounds. It’s still just unbelievable that you had Secret Service, you had local law enforcement all around the area, literally in the building, and this young man was up on top, and there was not a Secret Service agent up there, presumably because it was too steep. The hearing kind of took a twist of a turn when Representative Pat Fallon questioned Roe about his role at a 9-11 memorial event, suggesting that Roe broke protocol by standing closer to President Biden than the special agent in charge. The exchange escalated quickly into a shouting match. Here’s the exchange.
SPEAKER 04 :
Actually, Congressman, what you’re not seeing is the sack of the detail out of the picture’s view. And that is the day where we remember… the more than 3,000 people that have died on 9-11. I actually responded to Ground Zero. I was there going through the ashes of the World Trade Center. I was there at Fresh Kills. I’m not asking you that. I’m asking you. I was there, Congressman. I was there to show respect for a Secret Service member that died on 9-11. Do not invoke 9-11 for political purposes. Oh, I’m not. I’m invoking this. You are, sir. You are out of line.
SPEAKER 05 :
I would like to ask him a question.
SPEAKER 04 :
You are out of line, Congressman.
SPEAKER 05 :
Don’t try to bully me. I am an elected member of Congress, and I’m asking you a serious question, and you are playing politics.
SPEAKER 04 :
And I am a public servant who has served this nation and spent time on our day, on our country’s darkest day. Mr. Chairman, you will not politicize it. The committee will come to order.
SPEAKER 05 :
I’m asking you serious questions for the American people, and they’re very simple. They’re not trick questions. Were you the special agent in charge that day? No, I wasn’t. I was there representing the United States Secret Service, sir.
SPEAKER 04 :
Mr. Palin, your time has expired. It did not affect protective operations.
SPEAKER 05 :
Mr. Palin, your time has expired.
SPEAKER 10 :
I think we kind of get the idea here. Two grown men yelling and screaming at one another. Honestly, I’m not quite sure the relevance of the 9-11 ceremony to Butler other than the fact that he was trying to make the point that he had broken protocol and that the Secret Service, they have systems and services in place to follow so that mistakes aren’t made. I don’t know. 877, I’m sorry, 800-655-MIKE, 1-800-655-6453 is how you join today’s conversation. Text messages are welcome on the MyPillow text line. Be sure and use promo code MikeG when you go to MyPillow.com and order those towel sets and the MySlippers. And, of course, e-mails welcome, Joey at JoeyHudson.com. And today is Free Speech Friday. What do you want to talk about? I’m all ears.
SPEAKER 13 :
I want to welcome some brand new partners to the Mike Gallagher show like Equity Protect. And this is a big, big deal. Your home’s title is often the most valuable thing you own. Next generation criminal technology is more advanced than ever. I’ve been an identity theft victim. It is no fun. You got to have Equity Protect in your corner. If you own your home mortgage free or you got a lot of equity, you got to have Equity Protect so that scammers do not steal your equity or title. For a limited time, Equity Protect is offering you a tremendous deal, 30% off your first year, giving you one year of protection for less than $12 a month. Just go to equityprotect.com. Use the discount code Mike30. That’s equityprotect.com. Use the promo code Mike30. Once you have Equity Protect, you don’t need to check. Trust the team at Equity Protect. Go to equityprotect.com and use the promo code Mike30.
SPEAKER 11 :
The Mike Gallagher Show. I wanted to see if the world had changed or I had changed more. I was excavating, reading over all these editorials from years and years and years, and I wanted to find that answer. I speak for the normies, you know. I speak for that, I think, vast middle that is tired of the partisanship. I don’t want to hate half the country, and I don’t hate half the country.
SPEAKER 14 :
In the relieffactor.com studios, here’s Mike Gallagher.
SPEAKER 10 :
Joey Hudson in for Mike. Glad to have you on this Free Speech Friday. Whatever you want to talk about today is wide open. 800-655-MIKE, 1-800-655-6453. Text messages on the My Fellow text line are welcome as well. We’re about to head into the weekend, of course, and before you get ready for the weekend, I want to remind you that we’re doing our Angel Tree Christmas campaign. Mike returns next week. And I’d also like to invite you to share your blessings with children who have a mom or dad in prison who might not have a Christmas this year without your help. And as I’ve been asking you all week to help us out here, for two reasons, I want these young kids to have a good Christmas. But secondly, I want Mike to know that we can take care of things while he’s gone. And you have really stepped up this week, and I want to have a good day today. So can I count on you to support one child at $30, five children at $150? Already listeners just like you have sponsored over 2,500 children. We started the week with less than 2,000. So let’s end the week on a strong note. It’s just $30, and for that a boy or a girl will receive a special Christmas gift, a note from his or her parents, and most importantly, a copy of God’s Word, the Bible. But the impact of your gift doesn’t stop there. Listen to former prison inmate Mark. Tell us how your generous donation will impact lives on both sides of the prison bar.
SPEAKER 08 :
And I remember at one point towards the end of my prison, me getting out and then some of my family members saying, we’ve been praying for you and we’re glad that you’re home. Never give up on somebody that’s behind a prison wall. And I believe that if we pour love into those children, if they have an opportunity, they are going to be pillars of our community.
SPEAKER 10 :
So through your generosity, Angel Tree helps show the love of Jesus Christ all year long to children with a parent in prison. Please go to MikeOnline.com. Click on the Change a Child’s Christmas banner. It’s right across the top. You can’t miss it. MikeOnline.com. You can phone your generous gift in to 888-206-2788. 888-206-2788, or you can text MikeG to 717767. Regardless of how you do it, let me ask you to stop what you’re doing right now and go ahead and take care of this so that you don’t forget. This is the most blessed season of the year, and thanks to you. It’s going to be a special season for a boy or a girl. They’re going to receive a gift, a personal note from their mom or dad, and that Bible, all through Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree program and because of your generosity. And I thank you again for the great response so far this week. Americans… overwhelmingly oppose President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter. Pollster Scott Rasmussen has released some of the results of a poll he did this week after learning that Joe Biden had pardoned his son. 62 percent opposed the pardon, including 41 percent who strongly oppose it. Only 30 percent of voters were in favor of Joe Biden issuing the pardon to his son. The poll also found that Americans rejected the rationale that the president offered in explaining his decision. Biden has said that Hunter Biden was unfairly targeted by prosecutors for political purposes. Americans aren’t buying it. 54% disagreed with his rationale. Only 37% agreed. Voters were more sympathetic as well, though, to President-elect Donald Trump, with 46% declaring they believe that the Department of Justice unfairly targeted him under Biden’s leadership, while 42% disagreed. Look, Americans aren’t buying this. They know what it is, and it just really creates more distrust of our judicial system. Back to the phones. Let’s go to Matthew in my home state of South Carolina in Easley. Welcome, Matthew. You’re on the Mike Gallagher show.
SPEAKER 16 :
Thank you, Joey. How are you doing today?
SPEAKER 10 :
I’m wonderful. Hope you are.
SPEAKER 16 :
I am well, too. I am, too. Thank you. But, yeah, these pardons that I keep hearing about, I don’t agree with the pardon that he gave for his son, although I think it was in his prerogative to do so. The one thing that I don’t think is in his prerogative is to do these blanket pardons. For me, from my understanding of our judicial system, you know, how can you pardon somebody for a crime that they haven’t even been charged for? That’s like saying, oh, I know this person’s guilty, so I’m going to go ahead and pardon them now. That way they won’t be touched should this crime come to light. To me, you know, comes to obstruction of justice or turning that person into a sovereign citizen to where the laws do not apply to them. If this is a power that the president has, it’s a power that needs to be removed immediately.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, well, you know, if Biden does, in fact, pardon some of the, I mean, there’s rumors that he could potentially pardon thousands of people who are in prison because they were charged with a marijuana offense or some other drug offense. They’re nonviolent, but they had a drug offense. And, you know, and Corrine Jean-Pierre, earlier this week when she was asked about it, did not deny it. She just said that there will be more pardons to come.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, now, pardoning somebody for that, for a crime that they’ve already committed and serving time, that’s his prerogative. That’s a power that I believe he should have.
SPEAKER 10 :
But mass pardons, just a blanket pardon for people who, someone who has, who’s in prison because of a drug situation and not knowing their individual situation?
SPEAKER 16 :
That I don’t necessarily agree with. Yeah. Yeah. I don’t agree with that, but that may be within his power. What I don’t agree with is him pardoning people for crimes that they haven’t been charged with.
SPEAKER 10 :
You may have heard that yesterday Senator John Fetterman was talking about this, and he agreed as well that they should not be offering preemptive pardons. And Senator-elect Adam Schiff, who is one of the names being talked about as potentially receiving a pardon, said, I don’t want it. Don’t give me a pardon. I don’t need to be pardoned.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, and that’s the thing that scares me. Like I said, if that’s a power that the president has, you know, it needs to be removed immediately. No president should have that kind of power.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 16 :
Because that puts people above the law. Yeah.
SPEAKER 10 :
Good points. Appreciate your phone call. Have a blessed Friday. 800-655-MIKE, 1-800-655-6453. One line open for you. Let’s go to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where we have Brad. You’re on the Mike Gallagher Show.
SPEAKER 15 :
Yes, Joe. I hear people talk about reaching across the aisle and partisan politics. I have nothing in common with the left. Zero. As far as I’m concerned, they’re evil communists, and I don’t want any politicians that are willing to reach across the aisle to them and compromise.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah. Yeah, sometimes, you know, you have to try to work together, but you also have to stand up for your beliefs. And I think what we heard on November the 5th is that a majority of the country, they’re tired of some of these left-leaning progressive policies, and they’re ready to get back to common sense conservative values.
SPEAKER 15 :
Absolutely.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yep, yep. Appreciate your phone call. 800-655-6453. You know, back to this idea, though, back to the pardons. You know, The View has had a pretty tough week this week with the truth. Earlier in the week, Charlemagne the God called out Whoopi Goldberg by just basically saying, you can’t honestly accept when Democrats are wrong. They got into a pretty contentious back and forth. Well… Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania kind of gave them a lesson on truth again yesterday. Fetterman told The View host that the case is against Hunter Biden, and he included Donald Trump, that it has damaged Americans’ confidence in our institutions, and he claimed that both trials were weaponizations of our court systems. In cut number one, here’s John Fetterman.
SPEAKER 12 :
I think it’s undeniable that the case against Hunter Biden was really politically motivated. But I also think it’s true that the trial in New York for Trump, that was political as well, too. And in both cases, I think a pardon is appropriate. And I really think collectively, you know, America’s confidence in these kinds of institutions have been damaged by these kinds of cases. And we cannot allow these kinds of institutions to be weaponized against our political opponents. And it’s very clear both trials were politically motivated and weaponized that on the other side.
SPEAKER 10 :
Is John Fetterman starting to have a little bit of common sense? I mean, some of these criticisms of Joe Biden’s pardon are coming from some unlikely places. That’s just how bad it was. People see right through it, and they don’t like it. 800-655-MIKE, 1-800-655-6453 is how you join the conversation. Send me a quick text on the MyPillow text line. Email is joey at joeyhudson.com. I’m Joey Hudson, in for Mike today.
SPEAKER 07 :
For when they placed it on his head, he began to dance around. Oh, Frosty the Snowman.
SPEAKER 13 :
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SPEAKER 14 :
He’s the happy conservative warrior. From the Relief Factor studio, sitting in for Mike today, here’s Joey Hudson.
SPEAKER 10 :
Investigators in New York City still searching for the person who gunned down the CEO of UnitedHealthcare this week. A massive manhunt still taking place in New York City as they continue to piece this together. More images being revealed of him in the hostel where he spent the night, the night before carrying out this execution-style killing of this healthcare CEO. There’s a $10,000 reward being offered, and Crime Stoppers is asking for your help on that. More details on this in just a minute. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, one of the largest health care providers in the nation, found itself in a bit of hot water recently when they suggested changing their policy on anesthesia. And if you interpreted this correctly, it would mean that they felt like, in some cases, surgery was taking too long, and they were going to start refusing to pay the entire bill if a surgery went longer than their prescribed length. Now, the question is, what were they expecting a patient to do? Have the surgeon wake you up in the middle of the surgery to ask you if you would approve of additional charges? After this news of this got out, doctors, patients, insureds by Blue Cross Blue Shield all rallied to get this insurance company to backtrack on this. I’ll give you the details on that in just a moment. We’re watching, of course, as President Donald Trump is building his new administration. The Hill is reporting that embattled Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth is facing mounting opposition, not from the Democrats, but from Republican senators. putting his confirmation in what some are calling serious jeopardy. Despite his defiant declaration earlier in the week that he’s not going anywhere, there is some hesitancy on insiders saying that his nomination is actually on a death watch. Adding fuel to the fire, President-elect Donald Trump has reportedly suggested that he may asked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to take this spot if, in fact, Pete Hegseth either withdraws or he is not confirmed. Hegseth ripped into the media this week and cut number nine, basically just saying that this is all politics and the media is trying to take him down.
SPEAKER 09 :
I’m not going to back down from them one bit. I will answer all of these senators’ questions. But this will not be a process tried in the media. I don’t answer to anyone in this group, none of you, not to that camera at all. I answer to President Trump, who received 76 million votes on behalf and a mandate for change. I answer to the 50, the 100 senators who are part of this process and those in the committee. And I answer to my Lord and Savior and my wife and my family. I’m proud to be here. And as long as Donald Trump wants me in this fight, I’m going to be standing right here in this fight, fighting to bring our Pentagon back to what it needs to be.
SPEAKER 10 :
We’ll see. Senator Joni Ernst, one of the key Republican senators, she’s on the Armed Services Committee. She has so far withheld her support. She’s noncommittal right now, citing the need for a thorough vetting process. Ms. Ernst, a strong advocate for military sexual assault reform, emphasized the importance of addressing the allegations head on. Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina also, he defended… Mr. Hegseth against these anonymous accusations. But he says, and he says these don’t count, but he too says that the process has to take place and that the senators have to hear from Hegseth. The nomination’s fate could hinge on an FBI background check and just what they’re able to find and his willingness to go through the process. Senator Mike Rounds urged Hegseth to address the accusations in detail calling it an uncomfortable but necessary part of the process. We’ll see. 800-655-6453, 800-655-MIKE is how you join the conversation on this Friday. And I do something like I do on my local show in the upstate of South Carolina, and that’s Free Speech Friday. Whatever you want to talk about. There’s a lot to talk about. We have had a breaking news-packed week, for sure, and a lot to talk about. But today is your day. Whatever you want to talk about, I’m all ears. 800-655-6453. You can text me on the MyPillow text line. Always use promo code MikeG when you place your order at MyPillow.com. You can email me directly, Joey at JoeyHudson.com. But we’re going to open the lines up. Tracy will put you in queue, and we’ll talk as time permits. What about this story from Blue Cross Blue Shield? When I first read this, I’m thinking this is an era. Someone has misconstrued what Blue Cross Blue Shield was actually proposing. And as someone who – I have an insurance background. I owned an insurance agency for many, many years in upstate South Carolina. And when I read that Blue Cross Blue Shield was changing their policy – On anesthesia, basically, let me just sum it up for you. What they were proposing is that they would have X number of dollars that would be approved for a certain surgery. And if you were in that surgery and it took longer than their formula said it should, then you’re on the hook. You’re going to have to pay the rest of it. Now, I jokingly earlier said, well, what are they going to do? Is the doctor going to just stop, wake you up and say, sorry, you know, I wasn’t able to get finished, but you’re out of anesthesia here. I mean, that’s just how absurd the whole idea is. Anesthesiologists, doctors, patients, insurers from all around the country rallied this week because this would have been a disaster. It’s like I have a surgeon friend of mine. I text him. I said, what do you think about this? And he said, it’s absurd. It’s crazy. Because sometimes no two surgeries are alike. And sometimes there may be complications. Sometimes, my surgeon friend told me, sometimes people bleed more than others and it takes more time. But it’s just crazy to think that you’d put a doctor in that situation. And that’s what my surgeon friend was telling me. You know, they don’t want to be pressured. They don’t want to be hurried because they’re concerned that you’re going to be left with a huge anesthesiologist bill because it went past what the insurance company said it should be. Is this not just another example, though, of greed on the part of insurance companies? And they have to make money. I get that. They have to turn a profit. They’re a business. But was this taking it a little too far? Can you imagine? And I’d love to hear from you if you’re in the healthcare field today. I’d love to hear from some of our doctors, some of our nurses, even an anesthesiologist if you’re listening today. Is this just not absurd that it even got so far that it was about to be implemented in several states and rolled out to others pretty soon had people not come forward and push back on this? Can you imagine being on the operating table and your doctor trying to decide, okay, what do we do here? Do we move forward, knowing that you’re going to have to pay probably thousands and thousands of dollars more than you thought you were because of this restriction? 800-655-MIKE, 1-800-655-6453. Hope you’ll join the conversation. I’m Joey Hudson, in for Mike today.
SPEAKER 14 :
Mike Gallagher.
SPEAKER 13 :
It’s the time of year that is a real holiday tradition at the Mike Gallagher Show, our annual Prison Fellowship Angel Tree Campaign. And once again, you’re stepping up and blessing children who have a parent in prison today. in a major, major way. I’m always so grateful. Through your generosity, Angel Tree helps show the love of Christ all year long to children who have a parent in prison. That’s the ministry of Prison Fellowship. Right before Thanksgiving, we were blessed with a $10,000 donation from a beautiful woman named Debbie. in florida whose family foundation made this that blessed our campaign with this incredible gift because here’s what happens for 30 you’ll send a child who has a parent in car who’s incarcerated a christmas gift a personalized message from that mom or dad and that’s very important because that child is going to feel connected to their parent at christmas time and then perhaps most important of all they’re going to get a bible a holy bible this is the most blessed season of the year and thanks to you it’s going to be special for a boy or girl who will receive a gift a personal note from their incarcerated parent and a holy bible all through prison fellowships angel tree campaign now we have a big goal this year we want to sponsor over 5 400 kids uh with god’s blessing and grace i think we’re going to get there please, please go to mikeonline.com. Click on the Change a Child’s Christmas banner. It’s a bright red banner. You’ll see it there at the top of the page, mikeonline.com, or you can just text the keyword ANGEL to 800-655-MIKE. That’s the MyPillow text line. Text the keyword ANGEL to 800-655-6453. We’ll send you back the link where you can make a secure donation. And thank you for blessing these kids. Thanks for helping us celebrate the holidays, this annual tradition, the Prison Fellowship Angel Tree Campaign. Again, mikeonline.com. Thank you again for your generosity and your blessing of these wonderful kids.
SPEAKER 10 :
And let’s help Mike out. As he mentioned, the goal was just over 5,000. I’m happy to say that because of your generosity this week, we’re halfway there. Let’s really put a big push on it today. Give generously if you can. We’re just over 2,500, and I’d love to get that up to 2,600, 2,700 before Mike comes back on Monday. So give generously if you can. Texter on the MyPillow text line says, Boycott Blue Cross Blue Shield. Seniors can change their Part C through December the 7th. You know, I’m not a big fan of boycotts. We do need to let our voices be heard. And in defense of Blue Cross Blue Shield, they heard us. They heard the doctors. The American Society of Anesthesiologists, they weren’t having it. They called the policy a cynical money grab, said it would jeopardize patient safety. ASA President Dr. Donald Arnold blasted Anthem for breaking trust with policyholders, saying this decision would lead to surprise bills ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars. And again, we’re talking about this proposed change in how Blue Cross Blue Shield would cover services of anesthesiologists during your surgery. And their proposal would be that they would have a certain formula, certain surgeries, they would pay a set amount. And if your surgery, for some reason, there are complications, or if it went longer, you’re on the hook. For once, though, this large insurance company heard our voices, and they have now reversed their position on that. Back to the phones. Robert is in Greer, South Carolina. Welcome, Robert.
SPEAKER 06 :
Thank you, George, for taking my call. I’m going to be honest with you. I’ve had a few extensive surgeries in the last couple of years. And just to give you an idea, my last surgery, medical expenses, everything, was $1.3 million. Wow. And I could not imagine, I mean, even fathom the thought of coming out of one of those surgeries that I had. And all because the insurance company, would only pay a portion of the anesthesia bill. I can’t imagine that.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah. Well, you know, I had a surgeon friend of mine whom I text upon learning of this, and we sort of had a text conversation. And, you know, his point was it really puts the doctors in a bad position too because they don’t want to tell you that, you know, a general idea of what a surgery is going to cost. And then you have the surgery, and you wake up, and you find out that it costs a lot more because it took longer. And that’s not unusual sometimes for surgeries to take longer. And you’d be left with a huge bill. It’s just not fair in any sense. And, again, I don’t want a surgeon rushing through my surgery. I want him to be able to take his time. Don’t you?
SPEAKER 06 :
I do. I do. And just to give you a roundabout figure, I searched – That’s the year that I spent 287 days in the hospital. Wow. I just checked my anesthesia bill during that time, and the anesthesia bill alone was over $700,000.
SPEAKER 10 :
Wow, that is huge. Well, Robert, I’m glad to hear that you’re doing better. God bless you, and I hope that you have completely healed. Look, I’ve had situations a few years ago. I had hernia surgery that didn’t turn out exactly right and had to do it again. It’s not fun. Don’t you think that health care in general has just gotten too big? The old idea, I was talking with my mom the other day, Nana Hudson, and we were talking about her doctor. And, of course, she remembers the time when the doctor came out to your house. The doctor who delivered me in my hometown of Greer, South Carolina, he came to the house when my mom came home with me to visit and make sure everything was okay. Those days are over. Health care has just become so huge. Here in the upstate of South Carolina, we have what used to be our local community hospital. It was merged with other providers. It’s now Prisma Health, and it is massive. In fact, I just read the other day where they are now purchasing hospitals outside of our area. They just purchased one in Tennessee. And you just don’t get that personal experience. And I have doctors who tell me that it’s just stressful for them because these huge health care organizations are pushing them. For example, when you go in for just a checkup, they have a timer. And whether it’s 10 minutes, 15 minutes, whatever your particular situation calls for, they’re pressured to get you out the door. And if not, then they have penalties. Some of my doctor friends tell me that it’s kind of like having to be sent to the school principal when you have to talk with a hospital administrator because you spent too long with a patient. I just think health care providers, it’s all gotten way too big, and it’s not personal. But, again, I’ve got to give credit to Blue Cross Blue Shield for reversing course on this. They recognized that it wasn’t such a good idea after the outrage. And this happened pretty quickly. Within a matter of days of them announcing this, people went into action. So I think probably the lesson learned here is our voices can be heard when they’re loud enough. Tom is in Connecticut.
SPEAKER 03 :
Scotland, Connecticut.
SPEAKER 10 :
Welcome.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, thank you. I appreciate the opportunity to say hello. Love the show. I wanted to share just some quick thoughts. I am not an advocate or defender of insurance companies per se, but I think it’s a really complex situation. For example, I have a doctor friend who is an OBGYN. probably 15, 20 years ago, he was paying $250,000 a year for malpractice insurance. So think about how much he has to charge each patient, just to be able to cover that cost, let alone staff and overhead expenses, let alone his income. And then Medicare, Medicaid, when we talk about inefficiencies, let me tell you, Medicare and Medicaid is not efficient. And we, as private payers, absorb a lot of the costs that Medicaid and Medicare with hospitals and doctors cut the rate, and they have to accept that rate. We absorb that cost. So It’s a complex situation. It’s not all about big, bad insurance agencies. We are the payers, and they’re trying to make costs reasonable. I think just covering my costs when I retired from work, it was $1,100 a month for me to pay my single medical insurance per month. How do we manage all of that together again? Yeah, exactly. By the service, they charge rates and fees to cover those services. And, yes, there’s a profit. So does Medicare, Medicaid, state and federal government. So it’s not just about being bad insurance agencies.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, and you’re right. I mean, you know, we have to recognize the fact that insurance companies are in a business to make a profit. And that’s their right. And it’s a simple thing. You know, they take in our premium money, and then they pay out our claims, and if they pay more claims than they bring in, they lose money.
SPEAKER 03 :
And so there has to be… And those claims are affected by a lot of things, like tort reform. Why don’t we have tort reform when doctors are not perfect? If there’s an error or a mistake and there’s millions of dollars in settlements, we, the rate payers, pay that. And again, so it’s complex.
SPEAKER 10 :
It’s very complex. You were talking about your doctor friend who is paying $250,000 for his errors and omissions insurance, his malpractice. You know, he was paying that because lawyers like to sue doctors. And so, you know, there’s got to be some limits everywhere. And, you know, when President Donald Trump talks about. taking a look at Medicare and Medicaid, the Democrats immediately start yelling, well, he’s going to cut your Medicaid, he’s going to cut your Medicare. He’s not talking about eliminating the service. He’s talking about getting rid of the inefficiencies that you’re talking about. Absolutely. Appreciate your phone call, Tom. All good points. 800-655-MIKE, 1-800-655-6453. Joey Hudson in for Mike. Lots of things to cover today. Hope you’ll join the conversation. It is Free Speech Friday, so whatever’s on your mind, I’m all ears.
SPEAKER 13 :
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