Thursday, January 22

UnitedHealth CEO Tells Congress To Do Something Called 'Expanding ACA'


I came across this in "The Hill" (ugh) this morning.  
And the CEO of UnitedHealth is going to testify before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee sometime today, which will likely be overshadowed by another hearing, but still.  

Three things jump out at me: 

1.  It's the law under Obamacare that insurers have to refund you if they do not spend 80% 
of your premium on healthcare.  Fuck you very much for bragging to Congress that you're
going to obey that law, though under this Republican Congress "laws" sure do seem to 
be optional, see "releasing the Epstein Files." 

2.  The CEO is expected to tell Congress his ideas on how to reduce costs.  
One idea he has is "expanding eligibility for the lowest cost plans." 


3.  "He will also emphasize the price of hospital visits, specialty services such as diagnostic
testing, and prescription drugs as major factors that are driving premiums higher, 
according to his prepared remarks."  


This is a giant loophole in the ACA, which promises to cover annual physicals,
but allows lab work to be subject to the deductible, which, in more than one ACA plan, 
means any lab work you have done that's under six to twelve thousand dollars comes out
of your pocket, depending.  

And I don't know about you, but when I see my primary care physician for 
a physical, the main thing my doctor does is read off the results of the bloodwork.  
Period.  Calling diagnostic testing a "specialty service" is nonsense; it's the primary in primary
care, the number one reason anyone goes to the doctor.  


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