Insurers Pocketed $50 Billion From Medicare for Diseases No Doctor Treated

[Zorro]

Gloria Lee was perplexed when the phone calls started coming in from a representative of her Medicare insurer. Could a nurse stop by her Boston home to give her a quick checkup? It was a helpful perk. No cost. In fact, she’d get a $50 gift card.

After several such calls in 2022, Lee agreed. A nurse showed up, checked her over, asked her questions, then diagnosed her with diabetic cataracts.

The finding was good news for Lee’s insurer, a unit of UnitedHealth Group. Medicare pays insurers more for sicker patients. In the case of someone like Lee with diabetic cataracts, up to about $2,700 more a year at that time.

But the retired accountant doesn’t have diabetes, her own doctor later said, let alone the cloudy vision sometimes caused by the disease.

https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/medicare-health-insurance-diagnosis-payments-b4d99a5d?st=6pcf66tdkujtg9f&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

[Joinfortmill]

1. Wow

[Skittles]

7. notice how the headline says MEDICARE

while the tiny byline says Medicare Advantage

[erronis]

2. Surprised that the WSJ would even print this - big corp (UHC) does something bad?

[ancianita]

3. This is why Democrats regulate industries. They get caught stealing from The People.

[notemason]

4. Indeed!

Found it easy to explain to my son why we need regulation; showed him a bottle of pure aloe vera that was discovered to contain no aloe vera.

[ancianita]

5. Yep,

and you're a good parent to frame events around big corps vs humans. Because besides the oligarchs that hid behind big corps, they're both behind pretty much behind all the causes of unnecessary human suffering.

[Skittles]

6. it's Medicare "Advantage"

and this is part of their SOP - they are a SCAM

[democrattotheend]

8. Even my Trump-supporting "libertarian" father-in-law

Ended up switching to traditional Medicare after initially going with Medicare Advantage and being unhappy with it.

[Skittles]

9. they've been allowed this corruption for FAR TOO LONG

I know the ultimate goal is to get rid of Medicare but these greedy fuckers just cannot wait that long.....it is SICKENING

[FakeNoose]

10. Be careful my friend, there are several DUers who swear by MA

I'm not one, but there have been a few arguments over MA.

Just sayin'

[Skittles]

11. it disgusts me

I can understand someone saying that due to finances I feel like I don't have a choice but to actually pimp for this corruption is sickening.