By Brian, Rhodes, April 22, 2019

The article “Blue Cross drops LI cancer care provider” [News, April 16] brings to light the necessity for a single-payer insurance system in America. The article reports that as of June 1, New York Cancer & Blood Specialists will no longer be in the Empire BlueCross BlueShield network.

Imagine a cancer patient who is comfortable with and trusts his or her doctor, but can no longer get care from that provider because his or her insurance company says so. Empire did not specify a reason for the change, except that it was “a result of our regular network review.” My hope is that this is not merely about profits. It’s time to take insurance companies and the desire for profits out of health care so people can decide what doctor they want to see without interference from a third party.

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