Cuomo to Sue UnitedHealth, Probe Reimbursement Policy (Update7)

[Joanne98]

Source: Bloomberg

Feb. 13 (Bloomberg) -- New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo will sue UnitedHealth Group Inc. and has subpoenaed 16 other insurers to probe reimbursement practices that allegedly cheated customers out of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Cuomo, 50, said he plans to sue Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth, the largest U.S. health insurer, over how it limits payments to customers by claiming out-of-network medical charges are unreasonably high. Cuomo accused UnitedHealth of a conflict of interest in how it set limits on repayments.

``When insurers like United create convoluted and dishonest systems for determining the rate of reimbursement, real people get stuck with excessive bills and are less likely to seek the care they need,'' Cuomo said today in a statement.

UnitedHealth touched $44 after Cuomo's announcement of the industrywide probe -- its lowest price since Oct. 19, 2004, when his predecessor, Eliot Spitzer, widened a probe of insurance brokers' fees. The stock fell $1.30, or 2.7 percent, to $46.97 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading at 4:01 p.m..



Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a6vH2s_oDmLM&refer=home

[Lydia Leftcoast]

1. Did you know that United Health is not allowed to sell policies in Minnesota?

That should tell you something right there. It's not as if the companies that ARE allowed to sell insurance are that great, either.

[dflprincess]

2. That's not entirely true

UHG can't sell its HMO product in Minnesota because MN only allows non profit HMOs. It can sell other products in the state. Pity.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

3. Judging from what I've seen of the HMOs here

How do they tell which ones are for profit and which ones aren't? :crazy:

They both screw over the patients and doctors.

[dflprincess]

4. This is true

but technically Medica, HealthPartners and Blue Cross Blue Shield are non-profit. That's why the Attorney General's office gets to audit them - remember all the trouble Medica had a few years ago after Hatch finished going over their books?

[Robbien]

5. It is almost getting to the point where

one has to hire a lawyer to get an insurance company to pay claims.

Don't know how much this Cuomo suit is going to help, but at least he is out there trying.

[OhioChick]

6. United Health Sucks...

Thank God I Don't Have Them Anymore. They Wouldn't Pay for Jack Shit for My Chronically Ill Child. I Used to Spend Whatever Little Spare Time That I Had Appealing and Appealing, etc. to No Avail. Blood-Sucking SOB's.

[kingrube9]

7. UnitedHealth cares, they care about your money!

It does not get much more to the point than that. They make claims that they are concerned about your health and wellbeing and they are concerned. The problem is the health and wellbeing they are concerned about is your pocketbook and whether you can continue to pay the premiums. They are also concerned about whether your charts are right at the doctor’s office. Of course, they will tell you that this is so you receive the best care possible. What they neglect to talk about is how they audit records to ensure codes are right so that they can make sure they are receiving the maximum dollars allotted for you medical conditions. They insist that they are not guiding doctors in their chart records, yet they are able to audit them and “make recommendations” in documentation. The concern once again runs only as deep as the green.

[livetohike]

8. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

My husband and I are on COBRA and we had United Health as our provider for a nightmarish 11 mths. We switched as soon as we could. My husband was on the phone numerous times until last month trying to straighten out an ER bill from May 2007!!

[kingrube9]

11. Thanks for the welcome

I stumbled across this board and the diverse topics and I am still am becoming acquainted with the boards.

I have to be honest, I think UnitedHealth is going to pay the piper in the not to distant future. Of course, this could be true or simply wishful thinking.

[LostinVA]

9. They did it to me a few years ago -- they suck

They said I owed $1,000+ for allergy testing, when I had it preapproved. Of course, they told me this six months after I had the testing and paid my $30 copay. EIGHTEEN MONTHS later I got it taken care of, after letters to elected officials, etc. This was after they had my state tax refund seized for not paying them.

I knew lots of people this happened to. They suck.

[harun]

10. United Health Care made 8.65 Billion dollars in PROFIT last year

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=UNH

For profit Health Insurance HAS TO GO !!!!

They can leave for profit Drug Companies, Medical Equipment Companies, Testing companies, etc.

Health Insurance does NOTHING to help the system, it only makes costs higher.