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It’s 2021: Do you know where your personal data is?

Earlier this year, UnitedHealth Group’s Optum subsidiary bought itself a present: the data analytics firm Change Healthcare, which is a massive administrative network that processes claims and pharmacy requests for physicians and… Read More

Non-newsflash! Billions are wasted dealing with health insurance hassles

We’ve often wondered where the biggest healthcare sinkhole is when it comes to lost revenue due to administrative hassles. Until now, our guess was the drain on physicians’ and hospitals’ time spent… Read More

Who loses in a rigged game of high-deductible health plans? American workers, every time

We’ve all played three-card monte, right? Three cards face down; pick the queen and win the green. Why is this game so successful? Because the marks (the suckers who step up to… Read More

A denial for health insurers’ COVID-19 testing denials

We’ve recently shared a string of examples, from insurers dodging reimbursement for kids’ COVID-19 tests to insurance giant Cigna being sued into covering tests. Now the issue has reached the point where the… Read More

Where do health insurance companies’ billions in profits go? A lot of it rises to the top

The article was based on consulting firm BDO’s recently released Health Insurance Executive Insights Report, which covers compensation for executives and senior managers at health insurance companies, including UnitedHealth Group. According to… Read More

Beware of cherry-picked data from RAND

The RAND Corporation released an Impact of Policy Options for Reducing Hospital Prices Paid by Private Health Plans “study” that claims to have found upwards of $62 billion in potential healthcare savings—if… Read More

In every way, Optum is getting bigger. And bigger, and bigger

We’ve said it before: One man’s pandemic is another man’s windfall. Especially when that “man” is UnitedHealth Group, which appears to be taking the profits it’s piled up during the COVID-19 pandemic… Read More

Anthem reports decrease in profits for Q4, but that’s not the full story

Anthem recently reported $551 million in 2020 Q4 profits, a drop of 41% compared to the $943 million the insurer reported in Q4 of 2019. While at first glance, 41% may appear… Read More

New year, but same old story… UnitedHealth Group rakes in billions

It is no secret that 2020 was a good—no, make that great—year for UnitedHealth Group. As we covered previously, even a “bad” quarter for this company was still leaps and bounds ahead… Read More

Massachusetts governor acts to protect virtual care coverage

In October of 2020, we covered a story about health insurers rolling back coverage for telehealth services, right as demand was skyrocketing due to COVID-19. During the pandemic, virtual visits have been… Read More

Hospital claim denials are on the rise, especially those related to prior authorization issues

According to RevCycle Intelligence, a new survey of 200 hospitals conducted by the American Hospital Association (AHA)—and supplemented by interviews and group discussions with several hundred additional hospital and health system executives—found… Read More

United kicks off 2021 by cutting a critical NYC safety-net health system from its network as COVID-19 cases reach record highs

Here’s a trend we saw in 2020 and will likely continue to see in 2021: UnitedHealthcare forcing providers to choose between accepting dramatic pay cuts or being cut out of United’s network.… Read More

UnitedHealthcare hikes cost for municipal employer by almost 10 percent amid a year of record-breaking pay cuts and job losses

Like most employers, the City of Philadelphia, MS, will be seeing the cost of health insurance for its employers increase next year. What’s unique about this story, however, is how clearly it… Read More

Consumers seeking comprehensive coverage should watch out for this predatory United health plan 

When Sam Bloechl was buying a comprehensive health plan, one he believed would cover him for a life-threatening illness; he did not know he was sick. A subsequent cancer diagnosis led doctors… Read More

Six health insurance executives to keep an eye on in 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many industries to pivot. The entertainment industry has taken to Zoom and other virtual formats to continue providing “live” shows. The restaurant industry has shifted to takeout,… Read More

This is how much revenue United projects for 2021. Spoiler: it’s a lot

It’s been well documented that insurers have profited from a drop in care utilization during the pandemic, while providers experienced a sharp drop in revenue with many elective procedures being postponed or… Read More

Here’s what members and employers need to get more from the health insurance industry

Health insurance has always been a highly valued employee benefit, and now in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is even more true. Access to healthcare, including access to health insurance… Read More

UnitedHealthcare squeezes Gaston County’s only hospital during worst pandemic months

Residents of Gaston County with UnitedHealthcare insurance are expected to face higher costs at Gaston County’s only hospital, CaroMont Regional Medical Center. This is due to UnitedHealthcare terminating their CaroMont Health contract.… Read More

Six health insurance CEOs made more than $15 million each in 2019

It’s not uncommon for health insurance executives’ massive annual compensation packages to make the news, and 2019 was no exception. Last year, six health insurance CEOs received an excess of $15 million… Read More

Humana rides senior population to record quarterly profits

Many articles that call attention to insurers’ huge profits during the pandemic have singled out UnitedHealthcare, but United is not the only payor to see profits rise as a result of delayed… Read More

United sued for overpayment recovery methods with employer health plans

Occasionally, insurers determine that they have overpaid providers for care given to their plan members. Sometimes providers determine they have been underpaid by payors for care given to plan members. With a… Read More

Health insurers stockpile savings while hospitals battle costly pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals and health systems have fully embraced their role in responding to the public health crisis, moving mountains to offer community testing services and providing care for patients… Read More

UnitedHealth’s pandemic profit ride reveals wrongs of the system

Despite having offered what it characterizes as “extensive” financial assistance to its policyholders throughout the pandemic, UnitedHealthcare’s profits remain substantial nine months into the country’s battle with COVID-19. The Los Angeles Times… Read More

UnitedHealth’s third quarter profit declines…to $3.2B.

After posting a record $6.6B in profits for Q2—coinciding with the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic—the industry giant saw profits drop in Q3 to $3.2B. Why? Because hospitals resumed both elective… Read More

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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.