New UHC CEO says they will continue to guard against "unnecessary" care.

[Bettie]

It was a leaked video.

The CEO of UnitedHealth Group said in a leaked internal video that the insurance company will continue to work to prevent "unnecessary" and "unsafe" care that would strain the health care system.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/business-leaders/leaked-video-shows-unitedhealth-ceo-saying-insurer-continue-practices-combat-unnecessary-care

The leaked video is not shown, but it is being reported in multiple places.

So, don't worry, supporters of UHC! They will continue to deny coverage to as many people as possible!

[GenThePerservering]

1. Bloated CEO salaries and obscene profits

"strain the health care system."

[LiberalArkie]

2. We have to applaud him for doing everything he can to protect our kind and benevolent oligarchs.

[Bettie]

6. I know, right?

Can't have them taking even a tiny bit less profit...or having subpar champagne at one of their meetings, not to mention second-rate Hors d'oeuvres.

Got to spend that money on the important things, not health care that the suckers paid for and thought they would get!

[ProfessorGAC]

3. Who Decides What's "Unnecessary"?

If unnecessary means medically unnecessary, this seems a prudent operating procedure.
If it means "it's expensive & reduces margins" i have a different opinion.

[anciano]

9. It's my understanding that

AI algorithms now decide what is or isn't necessary.....

[ProfessorGAC]

11. I Read That, Too

And the algorithm probably takes margins & weights them accordingly.
Ss in, the most important factor!

[vanessa_ca]

17. It means "it's expensive & reduces margins"

as clearly, very clearly ullustrated here in their handling of a Penn State student case

UnitedHealthcare Tried to Deny Coverage to a Chronically Ill Patient. He Fought Back, Exposing the Insurer’s Inner Workings.

[newdeal2]

4. So who is going to take up the cause next?

Will be interesting to see if there are indeed copycats.

[Omnipresent]

28. They can't seem to grasp, that the public has had enough.

[Lonestarblue]

5. Doctors are also part of the problem.

WaPo published an article a few days ago about what doctors code for higher payments. One example given was a pediatrician who noticed a small splinter in a child’s finger and tweezed it out. The bill was for a surgery of nearly $500!

Everything turns on greed in this country.

[Evolve Dammit]

25. That is disgusting.

[sakabatou]

7. And how dafuq would he determine "unnecessary"? AI algorithms?

[Bettie]

8. Honestly, probably

that way they get to reduce headcount AND have even more claims rejected! Win/WIn for the bottom line!

[berniesandersmittens]

16. And have a scape goat to blame for the denials

It was the AI System, not us!

[Silent Type]

10. All insurers guard again "unnecessary" care, even Medicare and Medicaid. The alternative

is increased premiums due to cheating by docs, hospitals, etc.

Obviously, determining “unnecessary” is subject to abuse, even under Medicare/caid.

Guess we could shoot all administrative people, doctors, burn hospitals, etc.

[Bettie]

12. Sure, it's 100% the doctors....

trying to defraud the good, noble, oligarchs.

I mean, a broken leg doesn't NEED to be set....cancer can wait a while to get approval, and if the person dies while waiting for approval for treatment? BONUS! They won't need that expensive chemotherapy!

Such a terrible thing, to pay for health insurance and them expect that insurance to PAY for health care.

What a travesty! Won't someone think of the executives? They are just trying to ensure that their bonuses are exponentially higher every year. People making claims as if their payments entitle them to medical care is the real crime!

[Silent Type]

13. Any examples of an ACA compliant insurer that denied care for a broken leg, cancer, etc.,

other than treatments that even Medicare denies.

[EdmondDantes_]

32. Doesn't have to be doctors or medical staff

Could be a patient demanding unnecessary scans.

But there's a lot of fraud, waste, and abuse (FWA) in the medical system. Some by genuine accident, some by intent. Insurers have a mandated allowance for overhead/profit. Hospitals and medical groups don't. And even if they aren't openly fraudulent, the pay by service instead of paying by result has an influence as evidenced by doctors being way more likely to order an MRI if their practice has an MRI machine.

FWA is at least 100 billion a year just in Medicare and Medicaid, but are presumed higher. That's a lot of money. And only going to get worse as private equity gets more powerful in buying hospitals and other medical groups.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2011/12/01/143004226/mris-more-likely-to-be-negative-when-the-doctor-profits

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/09/how-medicare-and-medicaid-fraud-became-a-100b-problem-for-the-us.html

[multigraincracker]

34. Back in the 60s they gave out lots of restriction for

Bone Spurs.

[Silent Type]

39. Have more guts than me. I decided not to mention patients doctor shopping, asking for multiple tests, wanting the newest

expensive meds/treatments because they saw an ad, asking doc to bill cosmetic Botox as a covered treatment for headaches, etc. All us poor people pay for that, although I fully support when a doctor tells a patient maybe they should see a psychiatrist.

It is a problem that will plague us under universal healthcare too.

[Just_Vote_Dem]

20. Yep. Every now and then DOJ announces that they caught healthcare providers

cheating Medicare. There always has to be some kind of oversight for those who are trying to game the sytem.

[JanMichael]

14. Hmm. He didn't learn a thing.

[TBF]

22. Not only didn't learn, but doubled down.

And I expect Trump et al to do the same.

The folks in the comments who are defending their insurance company employers will understand when their O/T is *poof* gone.

[enid602]

15. Unnecessary

‘Unnecessary’ care. Is that like ‘unnecessary’ eaters?

[malaise]

18. Rec

I’m shocked - NOT

[B.See]

19. Helluva slogan for a TV ad though...eh?

"Because at United, we guard against unnecessary care."

[LAS14]

21. That was really stupid!! He should have kept his mouth shut. But I'm glad he was stupid!! nt

[Evolve Dammit]

23. Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss...

[Moostache]

24. "Unnecessary" is the very definition of Healthcare company CEO...

"profit" and "share-holder value" have no place in the discussion, no seat at the table and no quarter in the future to come...

The last guy that led that organization is probably smiling up from hell at his protege...

BY DEFINITION - EVERY DOLLAR SPENT ON EXECUTIVE PAY - EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. - is "MEDICALLY UNNECESSARY".

[Jit423]

26. There is also out there a leaked video of a group of CEO discussing pricing options while inflation is high (2023 or

early 2024). It was shown on YouTube about 8 months ago but has since disappeared.

[multigraincracker]

37. Have a friend that works for BC/BS and said

all the CEOs have had bodyguards for years.

[Mustellus]

27. Back under George HW Bush..

Back under George HW Bush, my wife was fighting Crohn's disease. I had to get pre-authorization TO GO TO THE F*****G EMERGENCY ROOM. Doctors would lie that they approved going, and i wound up TAPPING MY OWN TELEPHONE. The last refusal was withdrawn when I pointed out Open Season was coming, and I threatened to use my computer to notify 50,000 of my closest friends to not choose United Health Care. This is what is coming again.
And yes, after years of death threats from conservatives, "Kill all the Liberals", I am perfectly happy with some CEO's worrying.. losing sleep.. even getting ulcers. Better them than third graders. Its the cost of Free Dumb.
At the cost of a medical bankruptcy, my wife survived.

[ClaireF]

29. He's not the new CEO

He’s been CEO since 2021.

[byronius]

30. What an idiot.

Next!

Next!

Next!

See how long the corporate learning curve is.

[soandso]

31. That guy dumped 100 million in stock

and it was insider trading. I hope he gets taken down. Total asshole.

[Javaman]

33. Anyone taking bets? nt

[Karasu]

35. Their only alternative is admitting the truth--that they shouldn't even fucking exist. Which of course they

(quite literally) can't afford to do.

[Xipe Totec]

36. Does that include body guards?

I mean, that's totally unecessary, right? Besides, flying lead is a preexisting condition.

[patphil]

38. translation: We haven't learned a damn thing from this. We're gonna keep screwing people.

further translation: Unnecessary and unsafe care is anything that cuts into our profit margin, so fuck you all.

[Jack Valentino]

40. We shall continue to guard against "unnecessary" shootings...

[Hellbound Hellhound]

41. Looks like their CEO didn't spring for the "Preventative Care from Shootings" package. n/t