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.
my family just rescued an estranged MIL from a UHC nursing home.
They had: not taken her to her doctor’s appointments. not got her out of the bed for 3 weeks. she now needs physical therapy to help her walk again. stolen money from her purse. used her phone for personal calls (the nursing staff).
when we got there, they were trying to get her to sign her power of attorney over to UHC. we had to fight with them to get her out of there and they have denied her insurance claims now citing she was removed against doctor’s orders.
nightmare shit. this probably happens a LOT to people who have no one to advocate for them.
guns, people. guns.