Turning the Tables: United Healthcare tried to force a Colorado hospital chain to provide mammograms at United Healthcare discounts, even though the contract with the insurer had expired. The courts sided with the hospital chain. United Healthcare is the predominant insurer in Colorado. The hospital chain owns 70% of the Denver area mammography services. United Healthcare accuses the hospital chain of being a monopoly. Isn't United Healthcare also trying to act like a monopoly? What they're really complaining about is that the hospital group has the bigger monopoly.
Meanwhile, United Healthcare subscribers will have to find some other route for their mammograms:
United spokesman Tyler Mason said members will now likely schedule mammography services before the November deadline, or switch to one of the 45 imaging centers that remain in United's network. Mason said fewer than two dozen of those centers offer mammography services. "There are alternatives," Mason said.
Like paying for them out of pocket. Or switching insurance carriers.
United Healthcare SUCKS. Unfortunately, they were the only option provided by my former employer.
ReplyDeleteThe insurance company written about in this post is UHC:
http://difficultpt.blogspot.com/2006/08/find-physician.html
United Healthcare has become like the mafia! There is no negotiation involved it is strictly here is what we are willing to pay and here are the concessions you are expected to give us. They have taken the heavy handed approach with hospitals and now laboratories. The latest is the national laboratory contract with LabCorp where to become the exclusive provider LabCorp had to agree to paying Unite Healthcare a $200 million "transition fee" over a three year period. Apparently the pricing is so low LabCorp can not make a profit on the 10 year contract but their hope is that they can make enough on the Medicare/Medicaid and profitable insurance that come with United Healthcare business from physicians.Next will they demand that providers take a 30% cut in their reimbursement to continue as UHC providers. We all know you can not take more Medicare patients to get more revenue to a practice
ReplyDelete