If I could point out one thing that’s wrong with our health care system right now, it’s this: A health care system that essentially has a monopoly on providing services in Santa Maria just terminated its contract with one of the largest health insurance providers in California—and it’s legal. 

In fact, it happens all the time. And customers just have to deal with it. Which, as the French would say, is complete bullshit. 

Dignity Health—which runs the biggest hospital around, Marian Regional Medical Center, among other health care facilities in the area—wants more money from Anthem Blue Cross customers in California, and Anthem doesn’t want to give it to them. And now the two are locked in an epic battle of telling the public one thing and negotiating the rest behind closed doors. 

Dignity is accusing Anthem of pocketing billions of dollars in profits while nonprofit hospital systems like it are forced to swallow increased costs of care. Anthem is accusing Dignity of being the most expensive health care system around. And I’m just sitting here rolling my eyes thinking: Haven’t I seen this fight before!?

Cigna and Dignity Health had a similar battle last year—with almost the same exact arguments and everything (Shocked? Nope, nope.). And Aetna battled with Dignity earlier this year, but those blows didn’t go public before getting nipped and tucked into a tight little contract between the insurance company and the health care provider. Gosh, I wonder who’s next?

It’s a public relations battle, and the only loser will be Joe and Jane Public, whose out-of-pocket costs will most definitely increase no matter what’s decided because American health care is broken. Hoorah! And in the meantime, the Publics get to stress out about where they can go to receive in-network health care while the giant health care corporations battle over bucks and bottom lines. 

See. Bullshit! 

Meanwhile, we’ve got unvaccinated people running around like idiots catching COVID-19 and ruining our chances of a Hot Chick Mask Free Summer because they can’t seem to believe that it’s real! Let’s take one of our favorite right-wing commentators. Just last week he—Jan Lipski—asked if anyone knew anyone who died from COVID-19. 

And I answered, “Yes! Yes! Yes! I do.” And he responded just like I knew he would.

“People die every day of all kinds of things,” he said. 

True, man. It’s just that local people started dying from COVID-19 in 2020—which is not part of the “all kinds of things” you seem to be referring to. 

Lipski demanded stats. Well, Lipski, here’s a stat for you: 461 people have died in Santa Barbara County due to COVID-19 complications—note, this is in addition to the “all kinds of things” people die from every day—since the onset of the pandemic. And it’s not just old people. One of the most recent deaths attributed to the virus was of an unvaccinated person between the ages of 18 and 29 with no underlying health conditions

As of March 31, more than 2,400 residents have been hospitalized in this county due to COVID-19 with more than 35,000 positive cases recorded. More than 1 percent of our recorded COVID-19 cases resulted in a preventable death. And boy, Lipski, that sure is enough for me.

The Canary is a fan of facts not fiction. Send comments to [email protected].

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