Unitedhealth

Taking the Initiative in a Struggle Against Excessive Rate Increases

Wendell Potter | Posted 04.21.2012

Read More: California-Healthcare-Foundation, Unitedhealth, Dave Jones, California, Obamacare, Consumer Watchdog, Dianne Feinstein, Affordable Care Act, Cigna, Aetna, Humana, Wellpoint, Health Insurance Rate Increases, Rate Increases Health Insurance, California Health Insurance Rate Increases, Politics News
Wendell Potter

When insurers behave this way, they are demonstrating that they care more about their bottom lines than their policyholders. Which makes it all the more imperative for California voters to sign those petitions and vote for the ballot initiative this fall.

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The Battle for Vermont's Health -- And Why It Matters for the Rest of the Country

Wendell Potter | Posted 04.08.2012

Read More: Canadian Healthcare, Peter Shumlin, Unitedhealth, Obamacare, Michael Moore, Vermont, Health Care Reform, Sicko, Cigna, Single Payer, Aetna, Canada, Wellpoint, Politics News
Wendell Potter

Despite the ceaseless spin, Vermont lawmakers last May demonstrated they could not be bought nor intimidated when they became the first in the nation to pass a bill that will probably establish a single-payer beachhead in the U.S.

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The High Cost of Allowing Health Insurers to Continue Keeping Us in the Dark

Wendell Potter | Posted 03.27.2012

Read More: Affordable Care Act, Unitedhealth, Obamacare, America's Health Insurance Plans, Wellpoint, Ahip, State of the Union 2012, Obama Health Care, Health Care, Politics News
Wendell Potter

It might possibly cost the insurance industry $382 million to comply with the Affordable Care Act for the first two years. But the cost of allowing those companies to continue keeping consumers in the dark would be far, far higher, Mr. President.

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Insurer Profits Are Up In The Wake Of Health Care Law They Opposed

The Huffington Post | Alexander Eichler | Posted 01.06.2012

Read More: Congress, Unitedhealth, Health Care Profits, Cigna, Health Insurance, Insurance Companies, Aetna, Humana, Obama Health Care, Barack Obama, Video, Insurance, Health Care Reform, Health Coverage, Health Care, Wellpoint, Health Care Industry, Business News

Since insurance companies undertook extensive lobbying efforts against health care reform -- spending millions in an attempt to derail the legislation...

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Insurers Pressuring Obama to Defy Law So They Can Continue Keeping You in the Dark

Wendell Potter | Posted 12.31.2011

Read More: Consumers Union, Unitedhealth, Obamacare, Ahip, Health Care Reform, Chamber of Commerce, Cigna, Healthcare Reform, Aetna, Health Care, Humana, Consumer Reports, Wellpoint, Politics News
Wendell Potter

If you have no idea what you're paying good money for when you enroll in a health insurance plan, there's a good reason for that: insurers profit from your ignorance. And they're waging an intense behind-the-scenes campaign to keep you in the dark.

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Insurers Plotting How to Circumvent Reform So They Can Continue Selling Junk Health Insurance

Wendell Potter | Posted 12.24.2011

Read More: Unitedhealth, Obamacare, Health Care Reform, Anthem Blue Cross, Cigna, Aetna, Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Politics News
Wendell Potter

If the White House caves in to insurance industry demands, millions of low-wage earners will be forced to buy junk coverage on January 1, 2014. If you don't want to be forced to buy junk, send the White House a message. Now.

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"Obamacare" Hater Rick Scott, Now Florida's Governor, Is Doing Exactly What He Falsely Claimed Federal Reform Would Do

Wendell Potter | Posted 10.11.2011

Read More: Florida, Rick Scott, Unitedhealth, Hmos, Obamacare, Health Care, Managed Care, Conservatives for Patients' Rights, Politics News
Wendell Potter

So much for health care choice and competition vanishing with "Obamacare". It seems as if one of the leaders of the anti-reform crowd, Rick Scott, wasn't a true believer in the value of choice and competition after all.

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Fresh Evidence That Health Insurers Value Profits Over People

Wendell Potter | Posted 10.01.2011

Read More: Uninsured, Unitedhealth, Health Care Reform, Cigna, Aetna, Humana, Health Care, Wellpoint, Business News
Wendell Potter

WellPoint and Aetna and other insurers have demonstrated repeatedly that while they will do all they can to avoid sacrificing profitability for membership, they are quite willing to sacrifice their members -- and the American public -- for profits.

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State Health Exchanges Tilting Toward Insurers

Wendell Potter | Posted 09.13.2011

Read More: Unitedhealth, Kathleen Sebelius, Obamacare, Health Care Reform, Anthem Blue Cross, Affordable Care Act, John Hickenlooper, Barack Obama, Colorado, Business News
Wendell Potter

The insurance industry made it abundantly clear this week that it is in the driver's seat--in both Washington and state capitals -- of one of the most important vehicles created by Congress to reform the U.S. health care system.

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Insurers' Bait and Switch

Wendell Potter | Posted 08.30.2011

Read More: California, Unitedhealth, Ahip, Health Care Reform, Anthem Blue Cross, Cigna, Hmos, Kaiser Permanente, Health Care, Blue Cross Blue Shield, John Garamendi, Wellpoint, Business News
Wendell Potter

The health insurance industry's long-term strategy is to move all Americans into high-deductible plans, and they're well on their way to achieving that goal. Once there, you can bet the rates will be hiked up.

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Insurance Executives' Get-Rich-Quick Scheme -- Using Your Premiums

Wendell Potter | Posted 08.13.2011

Read More: Uninsured, Unitedhealth, Hcan, Stock Buybacks, Wall Street, Stock Market, Stock Options, United Health Insurance, Health; Health Care; Health Insurance; Universal Healthcare; Barack Obama; John Mccain; British Healthcare; David Cameron; Hillary Clinton; Mandates; Premiums; Uninsured Millions; United Kingdom; London; British Conservatives; Liberals, Health Insurance, Cigna, Ethan Rome, Humana, Business News
Wendell Potter

You might be surprised to learn that more and more of the dollars you pay for coverage are being sucked into a kind of black hole. It doesn't really disappear, of course.

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Insuring Good Times at the Mauna Lani

Wendell Potter | Posted 07.26.2011

Read More: Unitedhealth, Uninsured, Stephen Hemsley, Health Care Reform, Cigna, Naic, Medical-Loss Ratio, Mlr, Obama Health Care Reform, Business News
Wendell Potter

One of the reasons insurers have been spending less of our premium dollars on medical care in recent years is because they have decided to devote more to meeting the relentless profit expectations, and lavishly rewarding those who succeed.

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Got Health Insurance? Pray You Won't Get "Purged"

Wendell Potter | Posted 07.16.2011

Read More: Small Business, Uninsured, Unitedhealth, National-Small-Business-Association, Health Care Reform, Cigna, Health Insurance, Aetna, Small Business America, Business News
Wendell Potter

For several years now, insurance companies have been "purging" small business accounts they no longer consider profitable. Meanwhile, U.S. health insurers are reporting record profits, and their CEOs are topping the list of highest paid corporate executives.

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Insurers' Cynical Calculations on the Cost of Doing Business

Wendell Potter | Posted 05.31.2011

Read More: State-Insurance-Regulators, Health Net, Unitedhealth, Anthem Blue Cross, National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Cigna, Health Insurance, Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Business News
Wendell Potter

The next time you hear a politician say that reducing regulations and allowing the sale of health insurance across state lines would go a long way toward controlling health care costs, think of the real, much higher cost of such a solution.

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Reframing the Debate to Make Insurers Look Poor

Wendell Potter | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Rj-Reynolds, Uninsured, Unitedhealth, Wall Street, Obamacare, Ahip, Forbes Magazine, Sally-Pipes, Health Insurance, Cigna, Aetna, Health Reform, Humana, Barack Obama, Wellpoint, Business News
Wendell Potter

The next time you hear the health insurance industry complain about its "measly" profit margins, don't buy it. Their "reframing" is nothing more than an attempt to take your mind off the tragedies they cause for so many Americans.

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The Insurers' Real Agenda for Change

Wendell Potter | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Trial Lawyers, Unitedhealth, Ahip, Health Care Reform, Cigna, Aetna, Humana, Health Care, Wellpoint, Health Care Funding, Health Care Lobbying, Business News
Wendell Potter

The media had lots of health care news to obsess about last week. But most of the press paid no attention to a multi-pronged effort by five major insurers to strip key regulations and consumer protections that aren't to their liking.

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Fear and Loathing Over a Public Insurance Option in Hartford

Wendell Potter | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Unitedhealth, Public Option, Sustinet, Connecticut, Health Care Reform, Joe Lieberman, Cigna, Aetna, Health Care, Wellpoint, Politics News
Wendell Potter

This Monday, state lawmakers in Hartford will begin debate on implementing something insurers pulled out all the stops to kill at the national level -- the public option that would have created a government program to compete with private carriers.

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Consumers Win An Important Battle Against Insurers, Thanks to State Insurance Commissioners

Wendell Potter | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Fraud, Unitedhealth, Health Care Reform, Health Insurance, UnitedHealth Group, Naic, Insurance Companies, Health Care, Mlr, Health Insurance Reform, Politics News
Wendell Potter

Earlier this week I asked you to send thank-you notes to one of America's biggest health insurers for helping to shed light on an important policy mat...

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Health Insurer Faces Nearly $10 BILLION In Fines For Almost A Million Alleged Health Care Violations

Los Angeles Times | Duke Helfand | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: California Pacificare, Health Insurance Violations, Pacificare, Unitedhealth, Pacificare Lawsuit, Health Insurance, Health Insurers, Pacificare Unitedhealth, Health Care, Business News

California regulators are seeking fines of up to $9.9 billion from health insurer PacifiCare over allegations that it repeatedly mismanaged medical cl...

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Health Insurance Industry Executives Make Millions As Firms Plan Big Rate Hikes

Los Angeles Times | Noam N. Levey | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Unitedhealth, Cigna, Health Insurance Executives Paychecks, Health Insurance Rate Hikes, Health Care Reform, Health Insurance Industry, Health Insurance Cost Increase, Wellpoint, Health Insurance Executive Salaries, Aetna, Humana, Health Insurance Rate Increases, Health Insurance Reform, Politics News

The top executives at the nation's five largest for-profit health insurance companies pulled in nearly $200 million in compensation last year -- while...

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Big Health Insurers Top Quarterly Earnings Forecasts, Even Without More Customers

AP | The Associated Press | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Unitedhealth, Health Insurance, Health Insurance Industry, Health Insurers, Wellpoint, Aetna, Business News

The three largest commercial health insurers all beat Wall Street expectations for second-quarter earnings. Other big insurers like Cigna Corp. and Hu...

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Ryan Grim

UnitedHealthcare Will Voluntarily End Rescissions, Second Insurer In Last Two Days

HuffingtonPost.com | Ryan Grim | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Rescissions, Unitedhealth, Wellpoint Rescissions, Rescission, Wellpoint, UnitedHealth Rescissions, Unitedhealthcare, Politics News

Within a day of House leaders calling on insurance companies to preemptively end the practice of rescinding plans when a patient gets sick, two major ...

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UnitedHealth CEO Cashes In Big With $100 million Profit On Options

washingtonpost.com | David S. Hilzenrath | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Corporate Profits, Unitedhealth Ceo, Unitedhealth, Health Insurance Profits, Health Care Reform, Ceo, CEO Compensation, Health Care, Obama Health Care Reform, Stephen Helmsley, Business News

The chief executive of UnitedHealth Group, one of the nation's largest health insurers, reaped almost $100 million from exercising stock options last ...

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Napalm, Big Health Insurance, and Divestment

Rob Stone M.D. | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: South Africa, Shareholders, Unitedhealth, Divestment, Wellpoint Rescissions, Health Insurance Industry, Blue Cross, Health Care Reform, Wellpoint, Quentin Young, Business News
Rob Stone M.D.

We need to move beyond shareholder resolutions and begin building a divestment campaign against health insurers like the one aimed at American corporations doing business with South Africa's apartheid government.

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Meet UnitedHealth CEO Stephen Hemsley: Rich, Powerful, Not Yet Famous

Peter Dreier | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Unitedhealth, Stephen Hemsley, Hcan, Cory Alexander, St. Matthrew's Lutheran Church, Andrew Cuomo, Tom Strickland, Judah Sommer, Consumer Watchdog, Public Campaign, Jerry Brown, Rev. Grant Stevenson, Tom Daschle, Brave New Films, Wellpoint, American Medical Association, Health Cre for American Now, Minneapolis, Ingenix, Wayzata, Politics News
Peter Dreier

Business as usual for Hemsley and UnitedHealth is a chronic pattern of abuse and neglect of its policy-holders, along with a powerful political influence-peddling operation that involves costly campaign contributions.

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