Rep. Mark Takano questions how UnitedHealth’s Optum and other insurers have overbilled the VA by hundreds of millions, profiting at the expense of veterans' health care.
While I tend to agree, I've watched for decades, congress haul pharma, PBMs, & insurance companies to the hill and then do squat. This didn't happen overnight.
Wowza. Thanks for this report, Wendell. I missed the previous two OIG reports on this overbilling. And have made a note to follow up about this report.
So again another report showing how taxpayers are getting fleeced along with all those veterans. Money that could have been used for mental health and support. This report will make headlines ( a whisper ) for about an hour. And be gone while some person appointed by a judge somewhere states every is on board. UHC will report on its web page , see we haven’t done anything wrong . And they will continue .
United Health Care also commits grievous procedures, such as a very high denial rate, frequent errors, difficulties reaching customer service, and multilayer profiting owning clinics, PBMs, and preferential referrals to their clinics.v Their sole purpose is profiteering. If you call the customer service number the first thing you here, is do you want to enroll?
The issue of double billing has become standard in many institutions. For instance a patient comes in for a simple laceration that needs suturing and a tetanus booster, the visit should be coded with a surgical repair fee and injection fee. But most often an evaluation and management office fee is added as a separate service, under the guise that patient was questioned on cause of injury, advice given after repair. In reality the E and M fee is double billing as that service should be covered under the surgical fee. Insurances have allowed this and institutions push clinicians to add the extra charges. This is just a simple example and many will insist that the double billing is legit. There are some situations where it is acceptable, but limited.
During Trumps first administration he slipped a private company into the VA Community Care to skim money in local specialty referrals and up ended services that VA was managing well previously within the VA. It required more VA supervision and created issues of delay in getting local care. It was the VA and it's staff who took the anger and frustration from the interruption of services. I know because I was working in Comm. Care as an RN at the time. I can only imagine that some kickback was involved. This is the pattern, dismantle processes and insert privatization. More to come...
If the VA contracts Optum so veterans can go to a specific network similar to a DPC probably at no charge, but the veteran chooses to go outside that DPC network, how is that double billing? I agree that's more expensive for the VA but its not double billing. If that's not acceptable, then VA needs to change the contracts. Like most govt contracts, govt reserves the right to change them anytime.
This is how you get rid of fraud and waste. Not by burning government to the ground.
While I tend to agree, I've watched for decades, congress haul pharma, PBMs, & insurance companies to the hill and then do squat. This didn't happen overnight.
Wowza. Thanks for this report, Wendell. I missed the previous two OIG reports on this overbilling. And have made a note to follow up about this report.
Once again, I will point out, why people weren't shedding a tear when Brian Thompson was gunned down.
Makes you understand more deeply Luigi Humm
So again another report showing how taxpayers are getting fleeced along with all those veterans. Money that could have been used for mental health and support. This report will make headlines ( a whisper ) for about an hour. And be gone while some person appointed by a judge somewhere states every is on board. UHC will report on its web page , see we haven’t done anything wrong . And they will continue .
Wash, rinse, repeat
Yet republicans continue to suggest UnitedHealthgroup and other for-profit private health insurance companies will provide the fix.
We must demand Universal Healthcare NOW!! I don’t think asking for people before profits is unreasonable!
Alot will need to get done to correct the wrongs being done.
United Health Care also commits grievous procedures, such as a very high denial rate, frequent errors, difficulties reaching customer service, and multilayer profiting owning clinics, PBMs, and preferential referrals to their clinics.v Their sole purpose is profiteering. If you call the customer service number the first thing you here, is do you want to enroll?
https://veterans.house.gov/about/members.htm is the list of members serving alongside Rep Mark Takano. Wendell can we get a link to start filling up their mailboxes?
The issue of double billing has become standard in many institutions. For instance a patient comes in for a simple laceration that needs suturing and a tetanus booster, the visit should be coded with a surgical repair fee and injection fee. But most often an evaluation and management office fee is added as a separate service, under the guise that patient was questioned on cause of injury, advice given after repair. In reality the E and M fee is double billing as that service should be covered under the surgical fee. Insurances have allowed this and institutions push clinicians to add the extra charges. This is just a simple example and many will insist that the double billing is legit. There are some situations where it is acceptable, but limited.
During Trumps first administration he slipped a private company into the VA Community Care to skim money in local specialty referrals and up ended services that VA was managing well previously within the VA. It required more VA supervision and created issues of delay in getting local care. It was the VA and it's staff who took the anger and frustration from the interruption of services. I know because I was working in Comm. Care as an RN at the time. I can only imagine that some kickback was involved. This is the pattern, dismantle processes and insert privatization. More to come...
If the VA contracts Optum so veterans can go to a specific network similar to a DPC probably at no charge, but the veteran chooses to go outside that DPC network, how is that double billing? I agree that's more expensive for the VA but its not double billing. If that's not acceptable, then VA needs to change the contracts. Like most govt contracts, govt reserves the right to change them anytime.