New York AG Targets UnitedHealth Group
The New York Attorney General is planning to sue UnitedHealth Group Inc., which does a ton of business in North Texas. At issue: The way health insurers set rates for providers who aren’t in their “networks.” The AG’s also issued subpoenas to other carriers including Aetna, Cigna and Wellpoint in connection with the suit. And hey, just because Cigna misrouted one of my medical-reimbursement claims, then misinformed and stonewalled me for months about it–and still hasn’t coughed up the dough!–has nothing at all to do with me posting this news.
5 Comments to “New York AG Targets UnitedHealth Group”
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Heck, Spitzer targets everyone. D may be next.
Uh, Kid, Andy Cuomo is the NYAG. Spitzer’s NY Gov.
My bad. I walked by the TV and saw Spitzer testifying on Capitol Hill. Although he was speaking about bond insurance, I had flashbacks from the old days.
I’m married to a physician. A huge percentage of our over 60 day accounts receiveables are from patients who fall into this category but you never know what the insurer will cover (or IF they will even cover) until after the patient is treated. Physicians have essentially become health care banks. Employers pay huge premiums (self-employed, forget it) and the insurers find enormously complex ways of not paying physicians. Years ago when I first learned that United owns Ingenix I was amazed. They also manufacture CPT coding books that physicians buy because that’s the only way they can use the codes to get reimbursed. Then they reap off the licensing to other insurers! Huge monopoly. Physicians, on the other hand, are controlled like puppets by Starke and other laws. And when Karen Ignagni talks physicians’ charges let’s talk about what former United CEO Dr. Bill McGuire —$124 million in 2005 from a company that saw $75.4 BILLION in revenue last year. Oh and it’s not just Spitzer and Cuomo spitting the venom: LA City attorney Rocky Delgadillo unveiled a website today: http://www.protectingtheinsured.org.
United Healthcare is evil. I work for a provider, and I spend at least half of my administrative time dealing with UHC. They are always coming up with newly ludicrous ways to deny claims, or pay well below the reasonable and customary rate determined by Medicare. I’m still fighting with them over claims over a year old, that they are incorrectly processing 15 and 20 times over. It’s easy to make a $75 billion profit when you never pay claims, isn’t it? Hope other states decide to join in, and they’re forced to clean up their act.