A Guardian investigation finds insurer quietly paid facilities that helped it gain Medicare enrollees and reduce hospitalizations. Whistleblowers allege harm to residents

A Guardian investigation finds insurer quietly paid facilities that helped it gain Medicare enrollees and reduce hospitalizations. Whistleblowers allege harm to residents

UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest healthcare conglomerate, has secretly paid nursing homes thousands in bonuses to help slash hospital transfers for ailing residents – part of a series of cost-cutting tactics that has saved the company millions, but at times risked residents’ health, a Guardian investigation has found.

Those secret bonuses have been paid out as part of a UnitedHealth program that stations the company’s own medical teams in nursing homes and pushes them to cut care expenses for residents covered by the insurance giant.

In several cases identified by the Guardian, nursing home residents who needed immediate hospital care under the program failed to receive it, after interventions from UnitedHealth staffers. At least one lived with permanent brain damage following his delayed transfer, according to a confidential nursing home incident log, recordings and photo evidence.

  • nkat2112@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    137·
    2 days ago

    Thank you for sharing this, OP.

    The horrors of privatized healthcare appear to be unending.

    May UnitedHealth and other “healthcare” insurers get what they deserve.

      • supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz
        23·
        2 days ago

        We need a necromancer to keep bringing him back to life so we can do it millions of times, then he would have got what he deserved.

        • barneypiccolo@lemm.eeEnglish
          16·
          2 days ago

          Nah, once is good enough. Better to spend all those other bullets on other deserving CEOs.

          • supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz
            3·
            2 days ago

            I mean I would prefer everyone get good quality healthcare for free, so don’t listen to me cus I am the radical here right…? (only radicals respond to threats of senseless cyclical violence with appeals to collective visions of the future that benefit all by truthfully recognizing the present incongruity?)

            Maybe we could both sides things here a bit? Exchange some bullets for some affordable end of life care and I have a queer premonition the angry mobs might start to go home to their families that now have a chance at a humane future.

            The literal fatal flaw of this strategy however is that the people in power have to panic and pick the “appease the angry mob” option before the angry mob has no families left to go home to for it to have the possibility of working.

            If you wait too long inveitably and irrevocably you face a counter force, not a force, which is a much worse eventuality for everyone most especially our children in the end.

    • makeshiftreaper@lemmy.worldEnglish
      481·
      2 days ago

      I remember when they were trying to pass the ACA Republicans were screeching about government “death panels” that would decide it wasn’t worth it to keep you alive. Anyway, I’m glad nothing like that ever came to exist

      • barneypiccolo@lemm.eeEnglish
        12·
        2 days ago

        Back in the 90s, my wife once briefly worked for the largest health care company in our state, working with a lawyer whose entire job was to go through the files of patients who had been diagnosed with chronic or expensive issues, and find a reason, any reason, to deny them. This lawyer was very, very good at her job, and routinely invented reasons to deny people the health care that they had been paying for over years, just when they needed the coverage the most. She was a one woman death panel, and she sentenced people to death, or suffering, every single day.

        This started as a temp job, and every day my wife would come home feeling terrible about what this woman was doing, and supporting her efforts as her assistant. Then one day she came with the news that they had offered her a permanent position, which is why she was temping in the first place.

        I’ve never seen anyone so unhappy about a job offer. I had a good job, and we didn’t NEED the money, but it would be nice. She felt obligated to take this job, but it was clear her soul was highly conflicted. I had also been conflicted about this job, and told her that under no circumstances was she to accept it, and the relief on her face was obvious.

        She ended up with a different job that fit her much better, and didn’t require her to be a functionary in Corporate Serial Killing.

        Years later, Sarah Palin started yammering about the “death panels” in ObamaCare, and I thought “the insurance companies already have death panels, why isn’t anybody worried about that?”

        • Ledericas@lemm.eeEnglish
          1·
          23 hours ago

          it does take a psychopath to work in a corporate job, all the way to being a CEO, OR BOD. thompson was allegedly operating this way before become the ceo of United health,.

        • rhombus@sh.itjust.works
          11·
          2 days ago

          Years later, Sarah Palin started yammering about the “death panels” in ObamaCare, and I thought "the insurance companies already have death panels, why isn’t anybody worried about that?

          And not even death panels, just individuals who are not licensed to practice medicine who deny anyone and everyone they can make up a reason for. The merits are never considered, death is the default option.

          • Ledericas@lemm.eeEnglish
            2·
            23 hours ago

            it takes the distraction off of the companies, when politicians are paid to do it, screech about it.

      • grue@lemmy.world
        17·
        2 days ago

        Jeez, just when I think the thread is safe from me having to post an “it’s always projection” comment for once, you go and tee this up for me.