Seven Days

[“Manage Your Care: To Lower Health Costs, Vermont’s Largest Insurance Company Is Urging Patients to Shop Around,” January 14] was a breathtaking display of arrogance from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont. It was also an insult to us, as patients, and to humanity in general. By urging Vermonters to “become savvier consumers,” as they frame it, they debase us as patients by turning our need for health care into a shopping spree.

The article, coupled with Diana Bolton’s excellent graphic, highlights the absurdity of BCBS’ suggestion. Imagine going up and down the aisles, searching for a new knee, a hip or even an organ, hoping they’re on sale. But what happens if you need to return them?

The hubris lies in BCBS of Vermont (now a subsidiary of the Michigan BCBS) being just as culpable as the University of Vermont Medical Center and, for that matter, Vermont’s state government for this “health care affordability crisis.” By trying to turn us into health care shoppers, they are trying to deflect the blame for their colossal failures onto us.

The only way to end this travesty is to treat health care as a human right and not as a market commodity and implement a publicly financed universal care system. Until then, we’ll be stuck in the same blame game that’s going nowhere — except to more health care absurdities like this.

Walter Carpenter

Montpelier