Stay Away From United Healthcare

[hansvossde]

I strongly advise to stay away from United Advantage Plans endorsed by AARP. I subscribed to a United Advantage Plan via the Medicare.gov website and received a confirmation email from United the next day. Today I got the insurance card reflecting  Medical, Drug,Vision and Dental coverage. My hospital (in network) wanted to get a treatment approved today. They were told that I only have “behavioral” coverage, despite the United website, APP and their member service, as well as the Medicare.gov website, their RSS department insisted on me only having “behavioral” coverage. My hospital appointment will be in 9 days, and it will be lifesaving (leukemia treatment). Still UHC will not cooperate in solving this internal problem. They rather have their member die. All they are willing to do is issue an internal “ticket” to get the problem saved within 5 business days.

So - again - STAY AWAY from United Health Care if you can!

[AudreyJ781325]

Run far far away now! My husband who is 17 years older was on Original/Traditional Medicare for years. UHC was constantly calling as much as 3 times per week, in addition to mailings. It was ridiculous. For a long time, he hadn't spoken with them until the one time in 2018 when they told him they'd save him some $ on his plan. My husband usually is keen in knowing what he was signing onto, but I guess he was convinced on saving $. I his wife did not know enough how much his plan changed. He is a bad diabetic and required insulin and then of course he had a previous heart attack in 2015. Prescriptions were costly $$. He ran and had a good business and just dealt with the monies, but knowing he was saving on the premiums since 2018. Today, I'm struggling with his choices and what I believe that he was solicited heavily and then twice  baited into a Medicare Advantage PPO in 2018, and adding insult to injury switched again to HMO plan 2019. Last December he fell and broke his right ankle. They tried to eject him out 20 days after he broke his ankle. I was growing suspicious of his care. I went into his Medicare.gov account and saw all the plan changes. It is obvious to me they want to take the elderly down. He's been denied almost all things that would have helped him. I have a $15,000 bill from 2 Skilled Nursing Facilities. The hospitals are confused with the terms of MA and said that he could go to another SNF. It was far from the truth. If he had been on the Medigap plan, it would have covered 100 days and not 20. That said, I'm always on the lookout for the next shoe to fall. YouTube has excellent channels regarding the pitfalls of MA...stay tuned! 

[marina38]

@AudreyJ781325 this is happening all over the country. 

[a53764b]

I've had similar, although less life-threatening, experiences with the United Healthcare AARP Medicare Advantage Plan.  The coverage looks good on paper — but actually getting United Healthcare to pay out on a claim can take many months.  I believe that they figure that if they "lose" claims often enough, or deny them repeatedly even though the treatment is covered, then the insured patient will either die, or simply give up.

[marina38]

To be clear -for those of you that are confused and rightfully so...there is NO "MEDICARE ADVANTAGE" ... politicians have allowed private insurers to call their HMO Plans for seniors the use of the word MEDICARE as a marketing tool. These HMO ADVANTAGE plans for seniors are ok if you are very healthy in your first years with Medicare, and you do not care to be locked up to a network for everything. Once your body starts really needing care, you get the taste of an HMO Plan... which is an enormous DISADVANTAGE! they can deny care, and it's very difficult to get back on MEDICARE.

In my opinion, Medicare with a SUPPLEMENT, plus a Prescription Drug Plan (D) it's the way to go. Your health in your silver years should be a priority.

Skip the (C) with all their bells and whistles. 

[GailL1]

Medicare.gov - Medicare PART C - Understanding Medicare Advantage Plans\

These type plans are attractive to beneficiaries who don’t want to buy a MediGAP plan and their escalating monthly premiums.  OR for those who make too much money / or too much in assets to qualify for Medicaid which will suppliment their Medicare.

Yes, people need to understand the different types of MA coverage (see page 26 of the link).  They need to understand their out of pocket cost too.  But so do they need to understand the Traditional program too.

Medicare - traditional or advantage - both have coverage determinations.

CMS.gov Coverage Determinations

As the link shows they update these as best practices are developed - which means that new types of care are added but also old ones, less effective ones, are updated or removed.

Beneficiaries can find just about every subject and coverage descriptions on Medicare.gov