Disruption of patient care because of UnitedHealthcare's denial rates and long wait times for payment “remain a sticking point” in negotiations with the insurer, Oregon Health & Science University says. OHSU has warned 74,000 patients covered by UnitedHealthcare that they may lose access to OHSU hospitals and clinics unless difficult negotiations result in an agreement before the existing contract expires March 31. "Operational and financial issues in the UnitedHealthcare contracts have resulted in significant disruption of patient care, which OHSU finds unacceptable and remains a sticking point in negotiations," an OHSU spokeswoman says.
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana voted to advance RFK Jr.'s nomination for HHS secretary, giving him enough votes to clear the Senate Finance committee and advance to a full floor vote in the Senate. The vote was on party lines, 14-13.
Cigna Group said it will tie its executives' pay to customer satisfaction in a move that follows an outcry against the insurance industry over denials of care. The change is the start of what Cigna called a yearslong effort to improve customers' experience and "ensure accountability," the company said in a statement Monday. Health insurers are responding to widespread anger at the industry following the December shooting of a UnitedHealth Group Inc. executive. Insurers have long defended their practices, but some companies have recently shifted toward acknowledging problems in the healthcare system.
Centene beat Wall Street estimates for fourth-quarter profit on Tuesday, helped by strength in its commercial health insurance plans. Enrollments in private plans for individuals and families have risen, while the company saw a drop in memberships in Medicaid plans for lower-income groups after the end of a pandemic-era federal policy that offered protection to a wider section of the society.
A Kaiser Family Foundation study found 18% of adults say they've had a claim denial in the last year. A new patient coalition has formed in Texas to fight for patients. The Texas Coalition for Patients is a coalition of patients, physicians and providers, advocating to bring greater accountability to health insurance.
Direct primary care is an increasingly popular health care option, and experts say it may become more common under health policy changes that President Donald Trump's administration is expected to pursue. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, mentioned direct primary care during his recent confirmation hearings.