Subscribe to Un-covered Essentials
Insurer policies limit coverage and disrupt patient care, while producing record profits for corporate shareholders. Stay informed with the Un-covered newsletter.
Results for “united”
Hospital outlooks? ‘Deteriorating.’ Payor predictions? ‘Attractive returns.’
Bad news for nonprofit hospitals (and just after things were maybe looking up!). Ratings agency Fitch Ratings published a new outlook for the nonprofit hospital sector, and it’s anything but encouraging. In… Read More
We’ve made it another half-year. Guess which health insurer is in the lead (again).
We’ve made it another half-year. Guess which health insurer is in the lead (again). Another earnings season, another unfathomably large profit for our nation’s largest health insurance company (and the rest aren’t… Read More
Optum takes its joint ventures to the next (vertical) level
Is there any type of business that health insurance giant UnitedHealth Group won’t try to stick a flag in? Per a July 11 article in Modern Healthcare, UnitedHealth’s massive physician group, Optum,… Read More
Connecticut AG pushes back on health plan premium hikes – again
Summer in New England is quite nice – our Northeastern friends often enjoy somewhat cooler temps than the rest of the country. Unless you’re an insurance plan, in Connecticut. Then you’re (appropriately)… Read More
‘No-fault’? Yeah, right. Centene’s foibles are starting to add up
It’s been a while since we’ve done a good ‘ole update in our series, Managed Care Mischief. But not to worry — we’re back and headed to New Mexico, where Centene, known… Read More
Prices are up. But insurance premiums? Way up.
It’s no secret that consumer prices are high. (Hello, gasoline.) But whether it’s housing, utilities, or food, costs across the board are continuing to rise. In fact, at 8.6%, inflation is the… 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
For Anthem, a rose by any other name . . .
Drumroll, please. Because later this month, Anthem will become … wait for it: ‘Elevance Health.’ This is the health insurance company’s second rebrand in a decade, and you’re not alone in wondering… Read More
That ‘no-name’ drug in your cabinet? It may not be saving you as much as you think.
Let’s face it: the only reason we buy generic goods is to save money. (And when it comes to healthcare, there’s a lot that inevitably needs to be saved.) This is especially… 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
It’s time for another contract dispute round-up
Are insurer contract disputes ‘business as usual’? A recent Becker’s Payer Issues article rounds up eight recent disputes between health plans and hospitals — from Maine to Mississippi, Colorado to Georgia, and… 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?
Health plans put the squeeze on Medicare Advantage
For health insurers, the Medicare Advantage (MA) cup is definitely not half empty. In fact, the cups runneth over as insurance companies seem to squeeze as much as they can from the… Read More
Pretty pandemic pennies for BCBSNC
The pandemic’s been kind to BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina (BCBCNS), according to 2021 financial reports. Revenue? Up. Profits? Up. Executive bonuses? Well, up, of course, to the tune of an extra… 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
When we break out the Monopoly board, health insurers come to mind
Big Health Insurer continues to speed around the Monopoly board – passing GO, speeding past Park Place, and disengaging the brakes towards their intended win. We covered the continued rise of concentrated… Read More
For BCBSNC, COVID costs are up – but so are profits
If anyone in healthcare could say they actually benefited from COVID-19, it was health insurance companies. Don’t get us wrong – there were bills for health plans to pay. According to a… Read More
Fiery words from Northside Hospital: Anthem decision defies ‘logic and sensitivity’
Ooh, those are fightin’ words! Northside Hospital held nothing back in a recent statement on its efforts to stay in-network with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. The hospital has been battling with… Read More
Will insurer investments make behavioral healthcare easier – or harder – to access?
Telebehavioral health has become critical in providing global access to mental and behavioral health services. While telebehavioral health is not new by any means, it’s experienced an explosion of growth since the… Read More
What’s the strategy behind Cigna’s investment plays?
Welcome to the Players Club…of insurers, that is, and the alliances and partnerships are only getting more complex. Per a recent article in Axios, Cigna has invested $750 million into Bright Health,… Read More
The Three Worst Insurance Trends of 2021
Insurance companies sure found plenty of creative ways to make money in 2021. Some we expected, some were new, and many made it harder for patients to access the healthcare services they… Read More
More insurers caught underpaying COVID-19 claims – here’s looking at you, Anthem
A few weeks ago, we shared that after providers – namely, pediatricians – complained that the insurer was paying them substantially below market rate to administer COVID-19 vaccines, UnitedHealthcare agreed to reprocess its COVID-19… Read More
Insurers start to feel the contract-cutting heat
In our opinion, hospitals usually bear more than their fair share of blame when insurers make cuts to their health plan networks. To be fair, not every hospital is always in the… Read More