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AARP Medicare Plan Cuts Signal Major Changes, Says UnitedHealthcare CEO
For all the current focus on Obamacare lurching into its infancy, 50-year-old Medicare is also undergoing profound and disruptive change as Congress struggles with soaring medical bills and a growing senior population.
Roz Vellines attends her local YMCA three times a week for an exercise class in the swimming pool — a $43-per-month perk from her AARP Medicare plan.
"I love it," said Vellines, 70. Classmates "are my Y family. Some of these ladies don't have much other contact with people.''
But come Jan. 1, Vellines will lose her free ride. Her insurance plan is dropping the popular fitness program Silver Sneakers.
"It's pretty dumb,'' Vellines said. "They are supposed to be promoting health.''
AARP Medicare plans, administered by insurance giant UnitedHealthCare, have been under scrutiny lately for belt tightening, ranging from dropping Silver Sneakers to dropping thousands of physicians from their networks. Major providers like Moffitt Cancer Center and St. Luke's Cataract and Laser Institute are out for 2014.
As a result, many of AARP's 50,000 Tampa Bay customers have indicated they will drop their plans during Medicare's current open enrollment.
Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/16WTICu
Source: Tampa Bay Times
Patient Care Experience Declines After Private Equity Hospital Acquisitions
January 31st 2025Private equity hospital acquisitions in the US were associated with declines in patient care experience, particularly in overall hospital ratings, willingness to recommend, and staff responsiveness.
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Unlocking Access: Exploring Mental Health Care Among Medicaid Managed Care Enrollees
January 23rd 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the author of a study published in the January 2025 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® to examine the association between quantitative network adequacy standards and mental health care access among adult Medicaid enrollees.
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