United Healthcare

[JimG454455]

Just curious when you guys are going to address and speak to this issue. My guess is many of your members are negatively affected by Advantage plans and more specifically the ones AARP endorses - United healthcare. I am currently living the nightmare of dealing with UHC. Their denial, delay and defend strategies have all been applied to my care which has had a significant negative impact to my care and recovery.  I joined AARP because of your advocacies for seniors. What is currently in the news about the horrors of our healthcare system that are affecting seniors most needs to be talked about.

The fact that AARP has been mostly silent on these matters AND endorses the worst offender is a disservice to your members. You lend your respected name, which I know your are paid handsomely for,  at the peril of your members.

The exposure and pressure to reform their cruel practices needs more coverage, not just a silent endorsement.

Please step up and help us on this issue.

Regards

Jim Groll

[CBtoo]

IN MY STATE THERE IS NO MEDICAID for "regular" (eg non-disabled) people under 65 because it was not expanded. Not even if you work 1/2 time. I live in one of the states who won't give out food stamps to people under 62 not working 1/2 time either. Apparently their goal is to kill the poor to solve the poverty problem. 

I am not disabled so this is not relevant to me. Not to mention your entire post is irrelevant to what myself and shamit are talking about which you are sidestepping by changing the subject.

I don't have minor children so CHIPS and pregnant women are irrelevant to me as 20 years after menopause if I were to have a child at my age that would be a miracle. I am sure if that happened the Catholic church would be interested and I'd be set for life. LOL

Rating. I thought you were talking about number of stars rating. What you are talking about is the RISK POOL. That is not a rating. That is a risk pool (community, etc.). They are entirely two different things.

I am well informed about medicare for 65+. I am sure most of us are aware of network issues and accepting medicare. Most insurance you have when you work is that way too. 

Brokers have a financial incentive to steer to people to the plans where their commission is higher (usually advantage plans give the highest commissions - often twice what supplements do and D is the least with some now not giving any). I am on an insurance forum for agents and am floored at what some of them post. While not all do that many do. I am not sure I'd trust an unknown to me broker because of that. And brokers usually don't write for all plans available in a state. 

On medicare.gov I put the zip code in for a nice residential area in a major city in each of the states as I was looking for which states offered G and G+ (15 of them) that also had a birthday rule or equivalent (a total of two of them: IL and OK) because moving there and back would also solve my problem if I fail medical underwriting to switch. The rates were NOT higher in each and every one of those states, only some of them. One was lower and several were within a couple of dollars. I saw the rate for someone my age, sex, etc. in medicare.gov as I checked it in each state. I also checked on UHC via the AAPR link to get over there. Same results. So that is not correct information. Sure the odds of them being higher would be there as sicker people could move from advantage plans where now that they actually needed care they couldn't afford the out of pocket and limited networks so that would increase the number of sicker people in medigap but it is NOT true rates are higher in all those states. I was surprised at that. 

[SusanM664094]

Maybe some of us are suggesting we'd like to see other options available. The "AARP" name on products does carry some intrinsic weight. Otherwise it's just another marketplace without much value as intellectual property....it's somebody else hawking their wares.

[robin24]

I also brought this up in a post last week, but my post was removed.

[CBtoo]

Hmm I discussed royalties in a reply today. I wonder when that post of mine will be taken down. AARP owns these forums so freedom of speech is not our right when we post here. AARP though might find it useful to read about complaints and then think about how they can make folks happier or discuss it with UHC (and others they get royalties from) to see if they can get them to fix issues. That certainly would be in the mission of AARP if they so choose.

[SoulSurvivor61]

Regardless if it's United Health Care or what ever medical plan you have and how benefits are severely cut each year. The truth of the matter is, The United States does not and never has, properly cared for Seniors and/or disabled citizens. It's shameful... a disgrace compared to other countries. This country was built on capitalism, greed and it is a detriment to survival.  Dare I say, I wonder who will be shot next?