News & Blogs

NYT: Insurers Reap Hidden Fees by Slashing Payments. You May Get the Bill.

Weeks after undergoing heart surgery, Gail Lawson found herself back in an operating room. Her incision wasn’t healing, and an infection was spreading. At a hospital in Ridgewood, N.J., Dr. Sidney Rabinowitz performed a complex, hourslong procedure to repair tissue and close the wound. While recuperating, Ms. Lawson phoned the doctor’s office in a panic. He returned the call himself and squeezed her in for an appointment the next day.

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The American Prospect: Building a Giant: Mapping UnitedHealth’s consumption of our health care system—from the ’70s to today

“Things changed after Optum took over.” That was the statement of a case manager with naviHealth, a technology company that used predictive algorithms to manage post-acute care for Medicare Advantage patients. The company sought to limit unnecessary hospital stays and minimize waste, a problem that has plagued the U.S. health care system for decades. After being sold to Optum, a subsidiary of the health care colossus UnitedHealth Group, naviHealth denied coverage for at least two elderly patients against their…

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Citrus County Chronicle: AARP is conflicted about everything — except its bottom line

To some, it might seem odd that an organization that claims to advocate for seniors has as its largest partner a business reportedly under investigation by the Justice Department for its Medicare billing practices. But unfortunately, such conflicts are par for the course for AARP. As I outline in a new report for American Commitment, the organization formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons has become incredibly compromised over the past two decades…

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NH Journal: JACOBS: AARP Is Conflicted About Everything—Except Its Bottom Line

To some, it might seem odd that an organization that claims to advocate for seniors has as its largest partner a business reportedly under investigation by the Justice Department for its Medicare billing practices. But unfortunately, such conflicts are par for the course for AARP. As I outline in a new report for American Commitment, the organization formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons has become incredibly compromised over the past two decades by its financial entanglements.…

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Townhall: UnitedHealth Has Too Much Power

Next week, Senate Finance Committee members will grill UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty for the lax security that enabled a cyberattack on UnitedHealth’s claims-processing subsidiary, Change Healthcare. The attack shut down payments across the healthcare industry for weeks, creating a $14 billion backlog in claims and sending providers on a frustrating search for workarounds. Much of the April 30 hearing will focus on the specifics of the cyberattack and its aftermath. But lawmakers should think…

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DC Journal: AARP Is Conflicted About Everything—Except Its Bottom Line

To some, it might seem odd that an organization that claims to advocate for seniors has as its largest partner a business reportedly under investigation by the Justice Department for its Medicare billing practices. But unfortunately, such conflicts are par for the course for AARP. As I outline in a new report for American Commitment, the organization formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons has become incredibly compromised over the past two decades by its financial…

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AARP’s Multi-Billion-Dollar Financial Ties to Mega Insurer-PBM UnitedHealth Cause Alarm

Media Contact: Michael DeSantis michael@americancommitment.org AARP Has Been Paid More Than $9 Billion Via Its Corporate Partner  Washington, D.C. — April 24, 2024 — Today, as part of its “Commitment to Seniors” initiative, American Commitment released a comprehensive report conducted by Juniper Research Group that explores the deep financial relationship AARP has with UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest health insurance and pharmacy benefit management (PBM) corporation.   Key findings include: AARP has received an estimated $9…

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AARP’s Silence on Insurer-PBMs Speaks Volumes

As a Medicare retiree and resident of The Villages, as well as former insurance association professional, I’ve witnessed firsthand the unique healthcare cost challenges faced by older Americans. The pain points are obvious and come in the form of skyrocketing out-of-pocket costs, but the complex and confusing reasons why these are so high are not. Fortunately, the latter, especially as they relate to prescription drug prices, benefited from some much needed sunlight during a recent…

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