STAT Report on United Health Group

[somarco]

A team of STAT journalists spent the last two years diving deep into how UnitedHealthcare's parent company, UnitedHealth Group, operates and its impact on the health of Americans. In this video, our reporters distill what they've learned about the company and explain why STAT focused so singularly on it.

This year, in the ongoing series "Health Care's Colossus," STAT documented how UnitedHealth wielded its unrivaled physician empire to boost its profits and expand its influence. The year before, in the "Denied by AI" series, STAT exposed how UnitedHealth used an unregulated algorithm to override clinicians' judgments and deny health care, highlighting the dangers of AI use in medicine.

STAT reporters Casey Ross, Bob Herman, Tara Bannow, and Lizzy Lawrence have reviewed thousands of pages of documents, pored over reams of data, and convinced dozens of clinicians to speak with them to reveal the untold costs of UnitedHealth's dominance.

LONG (30 minute) video but well worth watching

 

[Ron Van D]

 

[somarco]

The history of HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations) dates back to the early 20th century, with the earliest examples being clinics that offered medical services to groups of employees from companies like lumber mills for a fixed monthly fee, essentially a "prepaid group practice"; however, the concept really took off with the passage of the Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973, which formally established the HMO structure and encouraged their development across the United States, allowing them to become a significant part of the healthcare landscape

(Google AI)

The "presenters" in the video's must have graduated from late night left wing comedy shows.

I found Richard Burke information in seconds via Google search.

Richard T. Burke - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[goillini52]

We just switched to the AARP PDP, and the cards wouldn't work the 1st day...still waiting for Walmart to let me know when it works. As big as those bastards are and they can't have the PDP work on the 1st day is ridiculous!!!

Moving forward, the less I have to do with UHC, the better. Right now I put them on the dirt bag carrier list with Kranjsko Slovenska Katoliška Jednota.

 

[Truce]

We just switched to the AARP PDP,

I wonder what AARP is thinking about this whole marketing agreement right now.

 

[rmhaire]

Right now I put them on the dirt bag carrier list with Kranjsko Slovenska Katoliška Jednota.

Well you didn't have to go and get all fraternal about it .....

Any chance you've got a discount card on file at Walmart like GoodRx?

I've noticed several times when someone changes PDPs that a discount card will default to primary. It's a Wally World thing.

 

[somarco]

@goillini52 you are still inside of OEP2 (or whatever they call it). Not too late to switch.

I put about half a dozen with the $100 UHC plan because it had the lowest total cost. The downside is the 2 star rating . . . which may be well deserved . . .

 

[goillini52]

@goillini52 you are still inside of OEP2 (or whatever they call it). Not too late to switch.

I put about half a dozen with the $100 UHC plan because it had the lowest total cost. The downside is the 2 star rating . . . which may be well deserved . . .

It kicked in today. We went with the expensive one.

 

[somarco]

OEP2 question . . . if someone didn't enroll in a new PDP before 12/7 could they enroll now?

I have a few who neglected to bail out of their SilverScript plan where the $15 premium is now $51 and would like to jump off that plan.

 

[rmhaire]

OEP2 question . . . if someone didn't enroll in a new PDP before 12/7 could they enroll now?

I have a few who neglected to bail out of their SilverScript plan where the $15 premium is now $51 and would like to jump off that plan.

OEP is for AEP changes not new enrollments.

The rules say wait until next year unless the can get an SEP.

Try the disaster SEP for that county. Some are still available.