UnitedHealth Group (UNH) CEO Andrew Witty said the country’s health care system is “not working as it should” and that the insurance giant could be more transparent about its distribution decisions. He said this in an op-ed published on Friday in the New York Times.
The op-ed comes as the company faces increased public scrutiny following the killing of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealth’s insurance subsidiary.
Thompson was fatally shot in New York City on December 04, just hours before he was scheduled to speak at the insurance company’s annual day. The incident has sparked controversy over how the industry evaluates medical claims.
“Health care is personal and very complex, and the reasons for closure decisions are not well understood. We share some of the responsibility to do that,” Witty wrote. “Together with employers, governments and other health care providers, we need to improve how we define insurance coverage and how decisions are made.” The New York Times (NYT) deleted the comment section of the story after several commentators criticized the article.
The op-ed marks a change in tone from Witty, who previously defended the company’s anti-discrimination practices in a video released after the shooting.
“We make sure that care is safe, appropriate, and delivered when people need it and prevent the pressure that exists for unsafe or inappropriate care to be delivered in a way that makes the entire system more complex and ultimately uncomfortable,” Witty. he told the crew in a video released to reporter Ken Klippenstein.
In response to the video, many people posted on social media criticizing Witty’s comments and sharing their experiences with the insurance company.
Additionally, after the firing, posts on social media accused UnitedHealthcare of denying the highest number in the industry. However, because insurance companies often keep such data confidential, the true extent of this denial remains unclear, especially for private plans.
However, recent reports indicate that the rejection of some patients has been on the rise.
In October, a report from the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations revealed that the country’s insurance companies have been using AI-powered tools to deny certain claims from the Medicare Advantage program.
The report found that UnitedHealthcare’s denial rate for post-hospital care — the health care needed to move people out of hospitals and back into their homes — for people with Medicare Advantage plans rose to 22.7% in 2022, up from 10.9% in 2020.
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