4 ms·

Does anyone have something positive to share about UnitedHealth?

by cebert 11mo ago

pluto_modadic 11mo ago
if you don't have anything nice to say... :3
mystraline 11mo ago
[flagged]
- kshacker 11mo ago
  I am also not advocating anything but ... wasn't the famous Spock line "needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one". The question is of empirically proving it and that's the challenge. The jury may not be co-opted but the judiciary is. I wonder how do we go about proving this.
  - anonym29 11mo ago
    Utilitarianism is a dangerous mistress when it comes to justifying moral and ethical transgressions. Sounds great until TPTB decide that the half dozen lives that can be saved with your organs matter more than your one life.
    - kshacker 11mo ago
      If we followed the rules strictly, and not different rules for the rich, why's that a problem?
      - anonym29 11mo ago
        You don't see a problem with involuntary organ donations from living people?
- JumpCrisscross 11mo ago
  > Shooting their CEO caused more people to get claims approved One, it was a middle manager with a CEO title. Two, genuine question, can you point out how UnitedHealth’s profits relative to peers changed after the shooting versus before?
tombert 11mo ago
I don't. I have their "platinum" insurance, and they still seem to fight any claim we file. For example, my wife got knee surgery recently, and the doctor recommended we rent a CPM machine to help her knee avoid atrophying. Renting the machine is $200 a week. Insurance said it was "optional" and refused to cover any of it. We ended up buying a used one on eBay for about $900, which is a lot but not insurmountable for us. It kind of annoys me though, because not all their clients are yuppie software people who have disposable income. A lot of people can't afford to rent a machine for $200 a week or buy one for $900 on eBay, but they do make it much easier for the leg to heal better. Isn't "stuff that most people can't afford but would help with healing" the stated purpose for health insurance? It seems more than a little unfair that my wife's leg is more likely to heal better purely because she's married to a software engineer. I really have no fucking idea what the difference between the cheap and expensive UHC plans. It sure seems like I'm paying many thousands of dollars more for medical stuff than I was for equivalent services with Anthem. Oh, well, at least my premiums are higher too, so that's fun. Hopefully obviously I don't advise shooting a CEO for several reasons (both ethical and legal), but I have to say that I was unable to cry many tears when I heard it happened.
- gruez 11mo ago
  >Isn't "stuff that most people can't afford but would help with healing" the stated purpose for health insurance? I thought the operative term was "medically necessary"? "would help with healing" can theoretically cover everything from protein shakes for knee injuries, to iPads to help with stroke recovery. A CPM machine is on the far end of this, closer to "medically necessary" than the other examples, but you have to draw the line somewhere, so some reasonable-but-theoretically-optional equipment gets excluded.
  - tombert 11mo ago
    Sure. I guess I would draw the line in a different place. There are plenty of things that aren't strictly "necessary" but are still provided by insurance. My wife's painkiller medication isn't strictly necessary, she wouldn't die without it and the leg would probably heal the same way, but they covered that because obviously they should cover that. I feel like a piece of medical equipment like a CPM machine is more necessary than painkillers.
droopyEyelids 11mo ago
Here's a point about all the insurance companies: UHC administers the medical plan on behalf of your employer. For all practical purposes, they are a whipping boy for the real 'man behind the curtain' (your employer). Your company (for self-funded plans) actually decides what’s covered and what isn’t, sets copays and deductibles, and ultimately saves or spends money on healthcare costs. UHC’s role is to apply those rules, maintain the provider network, and handle the billing and customer service. If your company offers insurance, there is someone who can tell the "insurance company" to cover the service they are not covering. Usually the HR Benefits Administrator, or 'plan sponsor'. And they do it all the time! If you have a sad story and the budget is ok for the quarter, they will help! If you are a company officer, you can also have whatever your company can afford.
- kiratp 11mo ago
  This only applies to large employers. Smaller ones are just presentef a limited list of plans to pick from, and the plans change every year. Most of the time, as a startup, you can’t buy a Mag7 equivalent health plan for any amount of money off the marketplace
  - tombert 11mo ago
    Yeah, I work for a smaller company. I'm not sure which options they omitted but I don't think have the same bargaining power as a BigCo.
  - droopyEyelids 11mo ago
    It depends. If your employer is part of a self-funded group of other employers, then there is a group of trustees from all the employers that can approve. If it's a 'fully insured' group plan then the insurance company is technically in charge, but your company can do an Employer-paid exception (aka carve-out reimbursement) to cover something thats getting rejected. They also have the option to purchase add-on policies to add coverage for upper class stuff like fertility treatments, weight loss drugs, or gender-affirming care.
  - meetingthrower 11mo ago
jawiggins 11mo ago
Yeah I really like their rewards program: https://e-i.uhc.com/uhcrewards https://e-i.uhc.com/uhcrewards Each year they pay me $1,000 (in the form of HSA deposits, which I can invest) to do basic things like get a checkup, get a flu shot, and get a blood test. I sync my wear-able data and they pay me $1-2 each time I exercise or get enough sleep. It's great!
- krackers 11mo ago
  >I sync my wear-able data and they pay me $1-2 each time I exercise or get enough sleep I wonder if the data is sold off and if so whether it's properly anonymized...
  - Tadpole9181 11mo ago
    Where do you think the $1-2 comes from? Insurance company is double dipping to optimize those profits!
rayiner 11mo ago
We have a UHC choice plan at work and it’s been completely invisible, both for me and coworkers I know. Health insurers are like Congressmen. Most people hate the institution, but are satisfied with their own insurer. https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/kff-survey-of-consumer-experiences-with-health-insurance/ https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/kff-survey-of-consum...
- Larrikin 11mo ago
  [flagged]
  - efs98 11mo ago
    [flagged]
    - tomhow 11mo ago
      Please don't reply to a bad comment with a worse one, it just drags the whole place down. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
  - tomhow 11mo ago
    > I think you're a bad person. It's not acceptable to comment like this on HN, no matter who it is or what it's in reply to. The guidelines ask us to "assume good faith", "edit out swipes" and "be kind". That applies equally to all of us and in replies to anyone else on HN. If someone posts a comment that's egregious, just flag it, don't abuse the commenter, as it just makes the place worse for everyone. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
    - Larrikin 11mo ago
      [flagged]
      - tomhow 11mo ago
jmspring 11mo ago
No, but working at a company that was founded by a bunch of former gov employees, the coverage is mostly ok and some having to manage the refusal bs. What was new to me - a gap that went employed -> consulting -> employed - (same company family) - how damn expensive top tier coverage for a family of three really is - $3700/mo. Insane.
shrubble 11mo ago
I had them via a previous employer and had serious surgery; they asked me to go through the “get a second opinion” process which was getting all the records to their system and then a virtual/video call, but after that, they paid for everything.

Does anyone have something positive to share about UnitedHealth?

by cebert 11mo ago

Does anyone have something positive to share about UnitedHealth?

pluto_modadic 11mo ago

if you don't have anything nice to say... :3

mystraline 11mo ago

[flagged]

kshacker 11mo ago
I am also not advocating anything but ... wasn't the famous Spock line "needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one". The question is of empirically proving it and that's the challenge. The jury may not be co-opted but the judiciary is. I wonder how do we go about proving this.
- anonym29 11mo ago
  Utilitarianism is a dangerous mistress when it comes to justifying moral and ethical transgressions. Sounds great until TPTB decide that the half dozen lives that can be saved with your organs matter more than your one life.
  - kshacker 11mo ago
    If we followed the rules strictly, and not different rules for the rich, why's that a problem?
    - anonym29 11mo ago
      You don't see a problem with involuntary organ donations from living people?
JumpCrisscross 11mo ago
> Shooting their CEO caused more people to get claims approved One, it was a middle manager with a CEO title. Two, genuine question, can you point out how UnitedHealth’s profits relative to peers changed after the shooting versus before?

tombert 11mo ago

I don't. I have their "platinum" insurance, and they still seem to fight any claim we file. For example, my wife got knee surgery recently, and the doctor recommended we rent a CPM machine to help her knee avoid atrophying. Renting the machine is $200 a week. Insurance said it was "optional" and refused to cover any of it. We ended up buying a used one on eBay for about $900, which is a lot but not insurmountable for us. It kind of annoys me though, because not all their clients are yuppie software people who have disposable income. A lot of people can't afford to rent a machine for $200 a week or buy one for $900 on eBay, but they do make it much easier for the leg to heal better. Isn't "stuff that most people can't afford but would help with healing" the stated purpose for health insurance? It seems more than a little unfair that my wife's leg is more likely to heal better purely because she's married to a software engineer. I really have no fucking idea what the difference between the cheap and expensive UHC plans. It sure seems like I'm paying many thousands of dollars more for medical stuff than I was for equivalent services with Anthem. Oh, well, at least my premiums are higher too, so that's fun. Hopefully obviously I don't advise shooting a CEO for several reasons (both ethical and legal), but I have to say that I was unable to cry many tears when I heard it happened.

gruez 11mo ago
>Isn't "stuff that most people can't afford but would help with healing" the stated purpose for health insurance? I thought the operative term was "medically necessary"? "would help with healing" can theoretically cover everything from protein shakes for knee injuries, to iPads to help with stroke recovery. A CPM machine is on the far end of this, closer to "medically necessary" than the other examples, but you have to draw the line somewhere, so some reasonable-but-theoretically-optional equipment gets excluded.
- tombert 11mo ago
  Sure. I guess I would draw the line in a different place. There are plenty of things that aren't strictly "necessary" but are still provided by insurance. My wife's painkiller medication isn't strictly necessary, she wouldn't die without it and the leg would probably heal the same way, but they covered that because obviously they should cover that. I feel like a piece of medical equipment like a CPM machine is more necessary than painkillers.

droopyEyelids 11mo ago

Here's a point about all the insurance companies: UHC administers the medical plan on behalf of your employer. For all practical purposes, they are a whipping boy for the real 'man behind the curtain' (your employer). Your company (for self-funded plans) actually decides what’s covered and what isn’t, sets copays and deductibles, and ultimately saves or spends money on healthcare costs. UHC’s role is to apply those rules, maintain the provider network, and handle the billing and customer service. If your company offers insurance, there is someone who can tell the "insurance company" to cover the service they are not covering. Usually the HR Benefits Administrator, or 'plan sponsor'. And they do it all the time! If you have a sad story and the budget is ok for the quarter, they will help! If you are a company officer, you can also have whatever your company can afford.

kiratp 11mo ago
This only applies to large employers. Smaller ones are just presentef a limited list of plans to pick from, and the plans change every year. Most of the time, as a startup, you can’t buy a Mag7 equivalent health plan for any amount of money off the marketplace
- tombert 11mo ago
  Yeah, I work for a smaller company. I'm not sure which options they omitted but I don't think have the same bargaining power as a BigCo.
- droopyEyelids 11mo ago
  It depends. If your employer is part of a self-funded group of other employers, then there is a group of trustees from all the employers that can approve. If it's a 'fully insured' group plan then the insurance company is technically in charge, but your company can do an Employer-paid exception (aka carve-out reimbursement) to cover something thats getting rejected. They also have the option to purchase add-on policies to add coverage for upper class stuff like fertility treatments, weight loss drugs, or gender-affirming care.
- meetingthrower 11mo ago

jawiggins 11mo ago

Yeah I really like their rewards program: https://e-i.uhc.com/uhcrewards https://e-i.uhc.com/uhcrewards Each year they pay me $1,000 (in the form of HSA deposits, which I can invest) to do basic things like get a checkup, get a flu shot, and get a blood test. I sync my wear-able data and they pay me $1-2 each time I exercise or get enough sleep. It's great!

krackers 11mo ago
>I sync my wear-able data and they pay me $1-2 each time I exercise or get enough sleep I wonder if the data is sold off and if so whether it's properly anonymized...
- Tadpole9181 11mo ago
  Where do you think the $1-2 comes from? Insurance company is double dipping to optimize those profits!

rayiner 11mo ago

We have a UHC choice plan at work and it’s been completely invisible, both for me and coworkers I know. Health insurers are like Congressmen. Most people hate the institution, but are satisfied with their own insurer. https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/kff-survey-of-consumer-experiences-with-health-insurance/ https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/kff-survey-of-consum...

Larrikin 11mo ago
[flagged]
- efs98 11mo ago
  [flagged]
  - tomhow 11mo ago
    Please don't reply to a bad comment with a worse one, it just drags the whole place down. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- tomhow 11mo ago
  > I think you're a bad person. It's not acceptable to comment like this on HN, no matter who it is or what it's in reply to. The guidelines ask us to "assume good faith", "edit out swipes" and "be kind". That applies equally to all of us and in replies to anyone else on HN. If someone posts a comment that's egregious, just flag it, don't abuse the commenter, as it just makes the place worse for everyone. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
  - Larrikin 11mo ago
    [flagged]
    - tomhow 11mo ago

jmspring 11mo ago

No, but working at a company that was founded by a bunch of former gov employees, the coverage is mostly ok and some having to manage the refusal bs. What was new to me - a gap that went employed -> consulting -> employed - (same company family) - how damn expensive top tier coverage for a family of three really is - $3700/mo. Insane.

shrubble 11mo ago

I had them via a previous employer and had serious surgery; they asked me to go through the “get a second opinion” process which was getting all the records to their system and then a virtual/video call, but after that, they paid for everything.