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Private Medicare Plans and Vertical Integration Yield UnitedHealth $15.8 Billion in Profits Between January and June

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 619 implied HN points • 16 Jul 24
🏥 Health Politics Healthcare policy Insurance Practices Medicare Advantage Corporate Governance
  1. UnitedHealth made a massive profit of $15.8 billion in just six months by using strategies to boost its income from private Medicare plans. This shows how profitable these plans can be for insurance companies.
  2. The company has been increasing its earnings by owning many of the doctors and clinics its patients visit. This vertical integration gives them more control and helps them profit more from the services they provide.
  3. UnitedHealth has found ways to maximize its Medicare Advantage funding by misreporting patient conditions. This has earned them billions from the government, which has raised questions about their practices.

Marketing Medicare Advantage to seniors of color – even when it’s bad for their health

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 659 implied HN points • 03 Jan 24
🏥 Health Politics Healthcare access Medicare Advantage Racial Disparities Insurance policies Patient Advocacy
  1. Many seniors of color, especially Black and Latino seniors, are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, but these plans often don't cover necessary care. This can lead to serious health issues and preventable hospitalizations.
  2. The marketing for Medicare Advantage often misleads seniors into believing they will receive good care, but the reality is that many end up facing care denials and complicated processes that are hard to navigate.
  3. There are significant racial disparities in the quality of care provided through Medicare Advantage. This impacts the well-being of seniors of color, who are often targeted by aggressive marketing strategies that don't fully explain the potential downsides.

The top 10 recipients of campaign cash from seven health insurance industry PACs

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 639 implied HN points • 03 Nov 23
🏥 Health Politics Healthcare Reform Insurance Industry Campaign Finance Medicare Advantage Political Influence
  1. Health insurance companies are heavily funding politicians, especially those in powerful positions. This gives them influence over healthcare policies, especially Medicare.
  2. A lot of Medicare-eligible people are being pushed towards private insurance plans called Medicare Advantage, which can lead to worse care for patients.
  3. There's a lot of money involved in keeping the status quo for insurance companies, including political campaign contributions and lobbyists working to protect their interests.

80% of UnitedHealthcare’s growth is coming from Uncle Sam.

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 159 implied HN points • 02 Jul 21
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Healthcare policy Government programs Medicare Advantage Insurance Industry
  1. Most of UnitedHealthcare's growth, about 80%, comes from government programs like Medicare and Medicaid. This shows how much the company relies on taxpayer money.
  2. Since the Affordable Care Act, UnitedHealthcare has shifted from individual customers to mainly serving Medicare and Medicaid patients. This change has helped them grow significantly in the last decade.
  3. Private insurance revenue has only seen modest growth, while government revenue has tripled. This trend raises concerns about the privatization of Medicare and how it affects overall healthcare.

Once health care's “good guy," Kaiser Permanente is being investigated for defrauding taxpayers.

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 59 implied HN points • 02 Aug 21
🏥 Health Politics Medicare Advantage Insurance Practices
  1. Kaiser Permanente is under investigation for allegedly defrauding taxpayers by making Medicare patients appear sicker than they are. This means they might be getting more money from the government than they're supposed to.
  2. The company once had a good reputation as a nonprofit but seems to have started using similar tactics as for-profit companies to keep up in the competitive health insurance market. They began drifting from their basic HMO model into high-deductible plans.
  3. Many people are moving to Medicare Advantage plans because they often offer better benefits compared to traditional Medicare. This shift makes it important for Congress to improve traditional Medicare to keep it competitive.
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The vast majority of Centene and Humana's $209 billion in revenues came from taxpayers.

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 39 implied HN points • 25 Feb 22
🏥 Health Politics Insurance Market Government Policy Medicare Advantage
  1. The majority of revenues for Centene and Humana come from taxpayers, with about $209 billion in total revenues last year. This means the public is funding a big part of their business.
  2. Almost 44 million Americans were enrolled in plans from these two companies, but only a small fraction, about 3.7 million, were private-paying customers. Most of their earnings rely on government programs.
  3. Both companies have not seen much growth in their individual plans over the past decade, and costs like deductibles for private patients have increased significantly. This shows a shift in focus towards government-funded health programs.