04/30/2024

UnitedHealth Grew Very Big

Now, some lawmakers want to chop it down

After becoming pregnant, Alexandra Day, a 31-year-old consultant living in South Carolina, sought out neonatal genetic testing that was covered in her health insurance policy. But her insurer, UnitedHealthcare, balked at paying for the December 2022 test, claiming there was no proof Day needed it, and billed her $3,900, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post.

Day succeeded in persuading the health-care colossus to reduce her bill after weeks of telephone calls, letters and paperwork, ultimately paying $650 and abandoning her efforts to try to lower the bill further. The episode left a bitter taste, particularly after UnitedHealthcare became locked in a contracting fight and stopped covering care at South Carolina’s largest not-for-profit health system, threatening Day’s access to longtime physicians.

"They've made it so complicated that nobody can use this system," Day said, drawing a lesson from her work trying to simplify companies' supply chains. "Bigger is not always more efficient. Bigger is [often] more convoluted."

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.