By John Q. Hosedrinker 
The 2024 Lown Institute Shkreli Awards highlighted ten egregious examples of healthcare profiteering and dysfunction. The awards recognized practices ranging from the alleged sale of unclaimed body parts by a university health science center to Medicare’s mass billing for urinary catheters, representing an 800% increase. Further awardees included a medical device company employing shady billing practices, a hospital system prioritizing profit over patient care, and a pharmaceutical company marketing a cancer drug at a significantly higher, less effective dose. These cases, selected by a panel of experts, underscore the urgent need for systemic healthcare reform.
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The annual announcement of the most egregious examples of US healthcare profiteering is always a disheartening affair, highlighting the deep flaws within the system. This year’s list includes some truly shocking cases, reminding us of the human cost of unchecked greed within the healthcare industry. One particularly egregious example involves Sara England and her infant son, Amari Vaca. After Amari underwent open-heart surgery and later suffered severe respiratory distress, he was airlifted to a better-equipped medical center. Cigna, the family’s insurer, subsequently deemed the air ambulance transport “not medically necessary,” leaving the family with a staggering $97,599 bill. This is unconscionable; the family faced immense stress and financial burden after a near-tragedy, a situation no parent should ever face.
The sheer inhumanity of such a bill is appalling, especially given the circumstances. This incident underscores how easily the system can exploit vulnerable families during their most difficult moments. It also raises troubling questions about the decision-making processes within insurance companies and the lack of accountability for such decisions. The outrage surrounding this case isn’t just about the money, it’s about the profound lack of empathy and the callous disregard for human suffering.
Another alarming case involved Dr. Thomas C. Weiner of Montana. He was reported to have subjected a patient to unnecessary cancer treatments for over a decade. Coupled with other shocking revelations of fraudulent practices, this highlights a severe systemic issue of unchecked medical malpractice and profiteering at the expense of patient wellbeing. Such egregious actions demonstrate a catastrophic failure in oversight and regulation. These cases should trigger not just outrage, but meaningful systemic reform.
Furthermore, the actions of several health insurance CEOs from major companies like Cigna, Anthem, Aetna, and CVS, who lobbied against a “public option” in Connecticut, demonstrate a pattern of prioritizing profit over the well-being of the public. Their resistance to initiatives that could improve access to affordable healthcare speaks volumes about the industry’s self-serving nature and a blatant disregard for the needs of the populace. The lack of political will to effectively address these problems suggests a deep-seated systemic corruption, protecting these profit centers at the expense of the people they are supposed to serve.
The story of Sara England and her son is only one heartbreaking piece of a larger puzzle. It is a chilling illustration of how the existing healthcare system prioritizes financial gain over patient care. The outrage is compounded when considering the cost of seemingly mundane procedures, like hospital charges for holding a newborn after birth. This issue, along with others like unnecessary air ambulance charges, reflects a profit-driven system that places an undue burden on already stressed families.
The whole system is designed to benefit the insurance companies and the politicians who are invested in them, while ordinary citizens face insurmountable financial burdens when seeking necessary medical care. This is an intentional structure designed to protect the wealthy and powerful while leaving the majority vulnerable and exposed. The fact that politicians, often having access to superior healthcare themselves, remain unresponsive to this crisis is a profound betrayal of the public trust.
The situation goes beyond simply criticizing individual players; it is a condemnation of an entire system. The current state of US healthcare allows for rampant profiteering, enabled by inadequate regulation, political inertia and a system where accountability is rarely enforced. The lack of access to affordable and quality healthcare is a crisis affecting millions, and until there is meaningful change, more stories of suffering like Sara England’s will undoubtedly emerge.
These “winners” of egregious healthcare profiteering are not just individuals, but an entire system operating in a way that prioritizes profit over people. Until there’s significant political will to overhaul this system, prioritizing people’s well-being over corporate profits, these yearly announcements will continue to highlight the tragic consequences of this broken system. The ongoing indifference to this crisis fuels public anger and cynicism, leading to distrust in institutions and further polarization of our society. A fundamental restructuring of healthcare, prioritizing patient needs over profit, is desperately needed to address this crisis.