Selective Advocacy in Congress: When Lives Become a Narrative

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12/23/2024 UPDATED

To those in Congress actively fighting for change in healthcare—thank you! For those that are not- this is for you:

Selective Advocacy in Congress: When Lives Become a Narrative

In the halls of Congress, we often see impassioned debates over issues framed as urgent matters of life and death. Recently, discussions about crimes committed by illegal immigrants have captured significant attention, with members of Congress rallying to demand action. While the loss of any life is a tragedy and deserves acknowledgment, this selective advocacy reveals a troubling pattern: some issues receive relentless focus when they fit a political narrative, while others, equally or more critical, are left on the backburner.

One glaring omission in this selective fight is the healthcare system’s role in preventable deaths. Every year, thousands of Americans die not because care is unavailable, but because it is denied. These are individuals who have paid into the system—faithfully contributing to their insurance plans—only to have their claims denied when they need care most. The lack of action from Congress on this issue is not just negligence; it’s a moral failure.

The Human Cost of Corporate Greed

Healthcare in America is a business. Insurance companies prioritize profits, often at the expense of their customers’ lives. Claims are denied for arbitrary reasons: treatments deemed “experimental,” pre-existing conditions exploited as loopholes, or bureaucratic red tape delaying urgent care until it is too late. Families are left bankrupt, grieving, and betrayed by a system they trusted to protect them.

No claim should ever be denied, especially when it comes from a doctor or a patient who has paid into their insurance. Denying medically necessary care is not just unethical; it’s a blatant violation of the trust placed in the healthcare system. Congress must ensure that the voices of doctors and patients take precedence over corporate profit margins.

Why isn’t Congress waging a war against this systemic injustice? Why aren’t there hearings, televised debates, and impassioned speeches condemning the greed of healthcare corporations that let people die for profit? The silence is deafening.

Existing Congressional Actions on Claim Denials

It is worth noting that Congress has taken some steps to address the issue of health insurance claim denials, particularly concerning Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. In May 2023, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations held a hearing titled "Examining Health Care Denials and Delays in Medicare Advantage," focusing on how some MA plans inappropriately restrict beneficiary access to medically necessary covered services.

The hearing highlighted concerns that certain MA plans were using prior authorization processes to delay or deny necessary care, potentially harming patients. Similarly, in October 2024, the Senate Homeland Security Committee’s investigative subcommittee released a report scrutinizing some of the nation’s largest Medicare Advantage insurers for their use of prior authorization and high rates of denials for certain types of care. The report examined how these practices might be limiting access to necessary services for beneficiaries.

Despite these investigative efforts and growing public concern, legislative action to reform health insurance claim denial practices has faced challenges. As of December 2024, there remains skepticism among lawmakers about the prospects of enacting new rules to regulate the health insurance industry. This skepticism persists even amid increasing calls for reform following high-profile incidents that have brought attention to the issue.

When Narrative Drives Action

The selective nature of Congressional action becomes evident when we examine the issues that dominate their agenda. Crimes committed by illegal immigrants, while serious, account for a fraction of the violent crimes in the United States. Yet, the narrative surrounding these incidents is amplified, used to justify sweeping policy changes and intense focus.

What is particularly striking is how this narrative of immigration as a “problem” conflicts with the broader capitalist behavior of exploiting vulnerable populations. Historically, America’s economic system has thrived on the labor of those who are marginalized, including immigrants who are often paid low wages for grueling work that sustains industries at the top of the economic hierarchy. The narrative of immigration as a threat serves to distract from this reality, turning attention away from the systemic exploitation that benefits the few at the expense of the many.

Under leaders like Donald Trump, this contradiction becomes glaring. While immigrants are painted as a menace, their labor continues to be essential to the very industries that bolster capitalist profits. This hypocrisy—vilifying a group while simultaneously relying on their exploitation—highlights a broader strategy: divide and distract. By focusing public outrage on immigration, the systemic inequities that enable corporate greed and concentrated wealth are kept out of the spotlight.

What Americans may be missing is this: the immigration narrative is not just about border security or crime; it’s a tool to sustain an economic system that prioritizes profit over people. Instead of questioning why so many are drawn to exploitative labor conditions in the first place, the conversation is deflected into fearmongering and blame. This prevents meaningful discussions about wage equity, labor rights, and corporate accountability.

A Call for Equity in Advocacy

The lives lost to healthcare failures are no less valuable than those lost to crime or any other preventable tragedy. Congress has a responsibility to act with consistency and integrity, addressing all sources of harm with equal vigor. This means:

- Holding Healthcare Corporations Accountable : Enact stricter regulations to penalize unjust claim denials and ensure timely access to care.

- Transparency in Insurance Practices : Require insurers to disclose detailed reasons for claim denials and establish clear standards for approvals.

- Comprehensive Oversight : Establish an independent body to oversee healthcare claim practices and investigate systemic abuses.

Bridging the Gap Between Advocacy and Action

It is time for Congress to recognize that selective advocacy undermines public trust. The focus must shift to a holistic approach, where every preventable death—whether due to crime, corporate greed, or systemic failures—is treated with the same urgency.

Americans deserve better than a government that cherry-picks which lives matter most based on what fits a political agenda. They deserve leaders who will fight for them—all of them—against any entity that profits from their suffering.

Conclusion

The fight for justice and human dignity must transcend narratives and political convenience. Congress has the power to challenge the corporations that let people die for profit. The question is: do they have the will?

The choice is clear. We can continue allowing selective advocacy to dictate Congressional priorities, or we can demand a government that fights for all lives, without exception. The time for action is now.

Vincent Cordova