A Guardian investigation finds insurer quietly paid facilities that helped it gain Medicare enrollees and reduce hospitalizations. Whistleblowers allege harm to residents
UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest healthcare conglomerate, has secretly paid nursing homes thousands in bonuses to help slash hospital transfers for ailing residents – part of a series of cost-cutting tactics that has saved the company millions, but at times risked residents’ health, a Guardian investigation has found.
Those secret bonuses have been paid out as part of a UnitedHealth program that stations the company’s own medical teams in nursing homes and pushes them to cut care expenses for residents covered by the insurance giant.
In several cases identified by the Guardian, nursing home residents who needed immediate hospital care under the program failed to receive it, after interventions from UnitedHealth staffers. At least one lived with permanent brain damage following his delayed transfer, according to a confidential nursing home incident log, recordings and photo evidence.
I remember when they were trying to pass the ACA Republicans were screeching about government “death panels” that would decide it wasn’t worth it to keep you alive. Anyway, I’m glad nothing like that ever came to exist
Back in the 90s, my wife once briefly worked for the largest health care company in our state, working with a lawyer whose entire job was to go through the files of patients who had been diagnosed with chronic or expensive issues, and find a reason, any reason, to deny them. This lawyer was very, very good at her job, and routinely invented reasons to deny people the health care that they had been paying for over years, just when they needed the coverage the most. She was a one woman death panel, and she sentenced people to death, or suffering, every single day.
This started as a temp job, and every day my wife would come home feeling terrible about what this woman was doing, and supporting her efforts as her assistant. Then one day she came with the news that they had offered her a permanent position, which is why she was temping in the first place.
I’ve never seen anyone so unhappy about a job offer. I had a good job, and we didn’t NEED the money, but it would be nice. She felt obligated to take this job, but it was clear her soul was highly conflicted. I had also been conflicted about this job, and told her that under no circumstances was she to accept it, and the relief on her face was obvious.
She ended up with a different job that fit her much better, and didn’t require her to be a functionary in Corporate Serial Killing.
Years later, Sarah Palin started yammering about the “death panels” in ObamaCare, and I thought “the insurance companies already have death panels, why isn’t anybody worried about that?”
And not even death panels, just individuals who are not licensed to practice medicine who deny anyone and everyone they can make up a reason for. The merits are never considered, death is the default option.
Jeez, just when I think the thread is safe from me having to post an “it’s always projection” comment for once, you go and tee this up for me.
Fore!