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Insurer policies limit coverage and disrupt patient care, while producing record profits for corporate shareholders. Stay informed with the Un-covered newsletter.
Care and Access
Payors create administrative burdens and restrictive policies that prevent patients from accessing care and block providers from delivering it.
Rural hospitals are necessary. So why do they keep closing?
Rural hospitals are literal lifelines for the communities they serve. And yet, they keep closing across the country. A new report from the American Hospital Association (AHA) is sounding the alarm, as… Read More
Need medical care? Better prove it.
We all (unfortunately) know that getting your care covered by insurance is anything but simple. And for families with children with autism spectrum disorder, insurers like Trustmark Health Benefits make the process… Read More
Hey North Carolina, where’s the outrage on insurance increases?
Only in the insurance industry can a business secure a $500 million-dollar profit and demand that consumers pay more. According to a September 1 article published in North Carolina News, Blue Cross… Read More
The real reason for North Carolina’s mental health crisis
When health insurers stand in the way of preventive mental healthcare, the results can be dire. Though they are supposed to cover mental healthcare on par with physical healthcare services, the reality… Read More
No kidding: Americans dissatisfied with health insurance plans
Well, well, well . . . if it isn’t the pot calling the kettle black. A new poll revealed that most American consumers are dissatisfied with their health insurance plans. You don’t… Read More
With big premium bumps, Northeastern consumers may be facing a frigid financial future
We’re not saying we told you so, but we are saying we saw this coming. Health insurance premiums are up nearly 14%, and consumers across the States are already facing inflated insurance… Read More
How insurance companies police doctors through arcane policies
Insurers never miss a chance to make getting healthcare harder, do they? A new report from Modern Healthcare claims both Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and Cigna are planning… Read More
Rural or otherwise, running a hospital is no walk in the park
Running a hospital is serious business. Sure, we can talk theoretically all day about payors, providers, and the pandemonium that is healthcare . . . but the reality of the situation is… Read More
Insurance contract disputes: when the odds are not in patients’ favor
They say all’s fair in love and war. Well, not when it comes to health insurance contract disputes. At least, such is the case for one local community in California. Adventist Health… Read More
Another prior authorization delays patient care and ends in tragedy
OK, we admit it. We’re (fairly) snarky when it comes to health insurance companies. But there’s no room for snark when it comes to a recent Medscape article, which follows the journey… Read More
Health insurers don’t want to cover your care—their chronic denials prove it
In 2020, amid a global pandemic, health insurers on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces denied close to one-fifth of all in-network claims, according to a Healthcare Dive article citing Kaiser Family Foundation… Read More
Aetna sees the light (finally)
Has a health insurer actually seen the harm their restrictive policies cause for patients? According to a recent article in Fierce Healthcare, Aetna is coming to terms with the fact that last… Read More
American Hospital Association begs feds to enforce the law
According to a recent article in Fierce Healthcare, in late May the American Hospital Association (AHA) published a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) pleading for an investigation “into commercial payers… Read More
Is anyone getting the mental health coverage they pay for?
How much more evidence do we need? You don’t have to go far to find examples of health insurance companies denying coverage or making it exceedingly difficult to access in-network care. Maybe… Read More
Medicaid expansion: just a bandage for wounds inflicted by NC health insurers
We’ve been sounding the alarm for quite some time now: Rural hospitals struggled before COVID-19. They barely held on during the pandemic. And if private health plans continue to slash reimbursements, rural… Read More
The truth behind hospital costs: rural areas bear the brunt
Health insurers must face the facts — and admit their role in increased rural hospital closures.
A ‘game of chicken’ in North Carolina? Doesn’t look like fun to us
A recent article in WUNC North Carolina Public Radio calls a contract dispute between WakeMed and UnitedHealthcare ‘a game of chicken.’ But is this a fair fight?
The latest victim of health insurance roadblocks? HIV prevention.
A recent Axios article highlights the hoops patients have to jump through to access PrEP, the essential HIV prevention medication, in spite of federal rules
Patients over profit: How rural maternity units are barely hanging on
Losing a maternity unit is not just bad for the health of OB-GYN patients, but for the health of the hospital. Can rural hospitals safely deliver babies when reimbursements keep dropping?
Certain telehealth coverage is ending for NC Medicaid patients – are private insurance plans next?
The increased use of telehealth is one of the few good things to come from the pandemic. Telehealth has enabled thousands of patients across the country to access their doctor from the… Read More
A slap on the wrist for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, Inc.
Imagine the scandal of your local hospital getting charged $5 million for failing to treat patients in emergencies or your supermarket being fined $5 million for failing to report a salmonella outbreak… Read More
Partnerships mean survival for small hospitals
There’s a narrative going around – one that’s repeated mostly by big health insurers and the politicians in their pockets. The story is small hospitals are being swallowed up by big hospitals. And… Read More
Why does UnitedHealthcare seem to have such trouble covering mental healthcare?
On the heels of a traumatic, COVID-ridden three years, overdoses have spiked, and substance abuse disorders are rising. And despite being federally required to cover mental healthcare at the same level as… Read More
Another coverage “error” for BlueCross BlueShield
Health insurance is a tricky business. In most lines of work, you can’t just say one thing and then do another. But as it turns out, if you’re a big enough insurance… Read More