AARP you know UHC is harrassing your members with calls but do nothing about it

[MarilynT952757]

Numerous AARP members with UHC Medicare plans complain about the constant harrasshing and unwelcome phone calls from UHC and yet AARP who is supposed to advocate for seniors allows them to continue...I have asked UHC to put me on a do not call list to no avail....when I tell them on the call to stop the calls they have gotten nasty...is there anywhere that says because I paid for their insurance I am required to speak to them numerous times a week..and when I keep asking them what are you calling me about they don't won't even answer....it's really abusive and needs to be stopped and AARP should be ashamed that they are allowing their heavily endorsed insurance company to take advantage of seniors this way.  UHC is clearly trying to "get" something from us--I think they want us to agree to home visits or something which I assume will be more money in their pocket and I consider all of this almost as bad as the scams that AARP is constantly "warning" us about...it has to stop or I will stop with AARP and UHC.

[BarryJ45256]

 I agree, they are really a pain and so annoying. They are trying to "sell" me something one way or another. Or, they have some trivial reason for bothering me by telephone. I don't bother answering anymore because I think it might be something important but it is useless information. Ever heard of "The boy who cried wolf"?

[aruzinsky]

I strongly suspect that insurance companies do this to prevent you from having a written record of what is said that potentially can be used for legal purposes. That is one reason I block their phone numbers.  Another reason is that I dislike speaking extemporaneously because extemporaneous speech is more error fraught than writing.

[GailL1]

  CMS (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services) has given Medicare Advantage plans (the insurers of the plan)  permission to do certain canvassing of their members for various purposes.

Here’s part of the manual 

CMS.gov - Medicare Managed Care Manual Chapter 4 - Benefits and Beneficiary Protections

Look at Sect 80 - Value Added Items and Services (that’s page 62)

Look ar Sect 100 - Rewards & Incentives (that’s page 72 )

The last few years, CMS Innovation has began a new program or new type of Medicare Advantage plan called Value-Based Care Insurance Design Model - for certain plans and enrollees, it will offer special benefits like transportation to medical appointments or even food.

See the highlights of this new innovation design here:

CMS.gov Medicare Advantage Value Based Insurance Design Model

That’s what Medicare Advantage is - managed care - thus they have to be aware of your health needs to better serve you and manage your care.

Medicare Advantage plans have a stake in you and your heath - some plans more than others - Like Special Needs plans.

What type of things are they asking about?  

Are they selling something or are they trying to determine what healthcare you might need?

Or are they asking if you use specific services?  

Or are they asking if you would be interested in some new service or established benefit based on your needs.  

Are they asking about your health including nutrition or maybe even transportation.

Medicare Supplemental plans (MediGAP) should not be calling at all - MediGAP is not health insurance coverage, it’s GAP coverage.

[MaryRose416568]

Value based plans are where the insurance company gives monetary incentives to the providers for controlling your health care. When an insurance company and provider are aligned, that means saving money is the most important aspect of caring for the patient.  This 'canoodling' between the providers and insurance companies needs to stop.

[aruzinsky]

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@GailL1 wrote:

What type of things are they asking about?  

They want to know why I stopped getting a prescription.  They should satisfy their ill conceived need by asking the prescribing doctor, who is in their network, before bothering me.  And, nothing is preventing them from using email or snail mail instead of the telephone.

[MarilynT952757]

Well shame on CMS--I don't think signing up for insurance is an invitation for harrassment when I tell you to stop the calls or perhaps I have no rights....I will call them if I need anything but I don't need them telling me what I need unless seniors are perceived as helpless and unable to think for themselves?  It's abuse and it's very disappointing...don't tell me to watch out for scams and then have insurance companies call me daily when I don't want their calls or what they are "selling"

[aruzinsky]

Aetna, Cigna and Wellcare also harass members with frivolous phone calls.  It's like a conspiracy.  You have no choice. I have received dozens of phone calls from them and I have never benefited from any of them.  Now, I block their phone numbers but they phone other people (like a technician at my pharmacy) to phone me to phone them.  They are relentless.

[MarilynT952757]

Maybe the Federal Trade Commission or the agency that regulates the insurance industry should be notified as it probably won't stop unless they are forced to--I still don't know what it is they are calling about although I assume to upsell me on some service so they make money--they won't just be honest and say what it is I think they want to trick us into it.  I hate to have to think so poorly of them but my experience is they don't give me straight answers so it comes off as suspicious.  Their approach needs a total overhaul as it is not gaining them any fans--they come off as stalkers!!

[aruzinsky]

The root of the problem is that medical insurance companies want to give members unsolicited medical advice. Most people wouldn't want their car insurance company to tell them when to get an oil change or their house insurance company tell them when to paint their house but they are accepting of insurance companies giving them medical advice because they are gullible. 

[MarilynT952757]

It feels like a violation of Hippa laws too as my health is my private matter and am not discussing it with strangers from a call center!

[seamanjg]

I have also been harassed... and also on this website by a suspected "troll"... I am very disappointed with AARP and UHC and am shopping for another source for my Medicare Supplemental Insurance (Medigap)...

[kapustiaks]

Agree. I've had success with stopping these harassing calls by blocking/reporting as spam their number(s).