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US Hospitals Getting Paid More to Label Cause of Death as ‘Coronavirus’

The title of this article comes from The Centre for Research on Globalization, a site claiming to be a think-tank on truth. The headline fuels conspiratorial ideas that medical examiners and coroners all over the country are purposefully lying about the causes of death so that hospitals can earn more money. The word "label" makes it appear that this can be done without any oversight. First of all, if there was evidence of this, medical examiners and coroners all over the country would be going to jail in droves. They are the ones that determine the cause of death.


Do hospitals get paid more by insurance companies if the cause of death is coronavirus? Yes. Just as it costs more money to perform a liver biopsy than to remove a wart, it costs more money to treat a coronavirus patient. Remember, many hospitals had to buy or rent ventilators, bring on additional staff, buy medicines, etc.


Is corruption possible? Of course. America has a profit-driven healthcare system so there is always the potential for some level of corruption. But to argue that mislabelling deaths is widespread is conspiratorial and not backed by any evidence. Julie Aultman, who is on the editorial board for the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics, told PolitiFact it is “very unlikely that physicians or hospitals will falsify data or be motivated by money to do so.”


Where did the CRG get this idea from? Apparently Fox News. Senator Scott Jensen of Minnesota appeared on Fox News with Laura Ingram mentioning that there is a possibility of corruption because hospitals get paid more. When interviewed by FactCheckorg, Jensen stated that he doesn't think it is widespread and that there are no reports of this occurring.


Verdict - Misleading

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