UnitedHealth drops thousands of doctors: Seniors scramble to find coverage

[The Free North]

Barry is in over his head and his foolishness is having real impacts. This is not a friggin game anymore, political talking points dont matter. Our healthcare system needed reform for sure, but pushing through some POS bill like this is only going to hurt the very people it vainly tried to help.

Disgrace

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/16/us-unitedhealth-medicare-idUSBRE9AF01N20131116

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[7,052,770]

Yawn, insurance companies are always adding and dropping doctors based on how reimbursement negotiations are going.  People have to change doctors all the time based on who comes in and out of their network, not to mention doctors moving or retiring.

If these doctors want more money than the going rate, United is doing its members a favor by dropping them and bringing down the premium.  If members want to keep their doctors for whatever reason, they can find another insurance company that includes those doctors.  You know, that free market that you yellow avatars worship so much.

[Yank2133]

Yawn, insurance companies are always adding and dropping doctors based on how reimbursement negotiations are going.  People have to change doctors all the time based on who comes in and out of their network, not to mention doctors moving or retiring.

If these doctors want more money than the going rate, United is doing its members a favor by dropping them and bringing down the premium.  If members want to keep their doctors for whatever reason, they can find another insurance company that includes those doctors.  You know, that free market that you yellow avatars worship so much.

This.

Honestly, are we going to have deal with these type of post from now on?

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Every time a poor defenseless insurance company needs to blame the nasty ol' government.

[cinyc]

This guy said "We will keep this promise to the American people: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor.  Period." 

He didn't say "If you like your doctor, you'll have to switch plans to keep your doctor because of [some nonsense about how that's] the free market.  Period."  Or "we're going to take money from Medicare Advantage to pay for Obamacare so that insurance companies providing Medicare Advantage plans will have no choice but to cut costs and doctors and you'll need to find another plan to keep your doctor.  Period."

Yet another Obama "promise" that was nothing but a convenient lie.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Obama almost seems reasonable after all these baseless attacks on him.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

This guy said "We will keep this promise to the American people: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor.  Period." 

He didn't say "If you like your doctor, you'll have to switch plans to keep your doctor because of [some nonsense about how that's] the free market.  Period."  Or "we're going to take money from Medicare Advantage to pay for Obamacare so that insurance companies providing Medicare Advantage plans will have no choice but to cut costs and doctors and you'll need to find another plan to keep your doctor.  Period."

Yet another Obama "promise" that was nothing but a convenient lie.

Look, honestly, this part of ObamaCare sucks. But what you're bitching about here is that some people will have to do some extra work on their own. That's it. That's what this comes down to.

If you want to keep your own doctor, you can guaranteed find a plan that will let you keep your own doctor. It will probably be cheaper than your current plan for the same level of coverage. It may be more expensive. But one will definitely be available to you.

I am sorry you are so outraged that someone will have to do this extra amount of work. But being outraged over it makes you look like a child. Buying insurance is not hard for someone who has already bought insurance. It's clicking around on a website, making a phone call, or talking to a volunteer at a community center. Your current doctor will even help you out. Come on.

[bedstuy]

This guy said "We will keep this promise to the American people: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor.  Period." 

He didn't say "If you like your doctor, you'll have to switch plans to keep your doctor because of [some nonsense about how that's] the free market.  Period."  Or "we're going to take money from Medicare Advantage to pay for Obamacare so that insurance companies providing Medicare Advantage plans will have no choice but to cut costs and doctors and you'll need to find another plan to keep your doctor.  Period."

Yet another Obama "promise" that was nothing but a convenient lie.

Got to love the sanctimonious attitude of Republicans.

I think the essence of what Obama was saying is that the ACA is not a separate government health system like the VA or an HMO.  Nobody directly loses access to their doctor by rule under Obamacare.  That holds true.

The literal interpretation of what Obama said is really ridiculous if you think about it.  Has there ever been a guarantee that a specific provider will stay within your PPO network forever?  Of course not.  There are no free lunches.  Sure, some people have a slightly worse deal under the ACA, but that's to pay for all the great things it does.   

[cinyc]

This guy said "We will keep this promise to the American people: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor.  Period." 

He didn't say "If you like your doctor, you'll have to switch plans to keep your doctor because of [some nonsense about how that's] the free market.  Period."  Or "we're going to take money from Medicare Advantage to pay for Obamacare so that insurance companies providing Medicare Advantage plans will have no choice but to cut costs and doctors and you'll need to find another plan to keep your doctor.  Period."

Yet another Obama "promise" that was nothing but a convenient lie.

Look, honestly, this part of ObamaCare sucks. But what you're bitching about here is that some people will have to do some extra work on their own. That's it. That's what this comes down to.

If you want to keep your own doctor, you can guaranteed find a plan that will let you keep your own doctor. It will probably be cheaper than your current plan for the same level of coverage. It may be more expensive. But one will definitely be available to you.

I am sorry you are so outraged that someone will have to do this extra amount of work. But being outraged over it makes you look like a child. Buying insurance is not hard for someone who has already bought insurance. It's clicking around on a website, making a phone call, or talking to a volunteer at a community center. Your current doctor will even help you out. Come on.

Except the Obamacare website doesn't work and many of the supposedly "superior" Obamacare plans are very geographically limited so that if your GP is in one county and your specialist is in another county, both doctors might not be covered under ANY possible plan.  But, hey, at least your average 50-year-old will get the mandatory maternity care coverage that her "substandard" plan lacked.

And I'm not the one who said "We will keep this promise to the American people: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor.  Period."  President Obama did.  Numerous times.  Don't make promises you can't keep.  Again, he didn't say "If you want to keep your doctor, you can - but only if you go shopping on our broken website and buy a new plan.  Period."

[badgate]

This guy said "We will keep this promise to the American people: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor.  Period." 

He didn't say "If you like your doctor, you'll have to switch plans to keep your doctor because of [some nonsense about how that's] the free market.  Period."  Or "we're going to take money from Medicare Advantage to pay for Obamacare so that insurance companies providing Medicare Advantage plans will have no choice but to cut costs and doctors and you'll need to find another plan to keep your doctor.  Period."

Yet another Obama "promise" that was nothing but a convenient lie.

Look, honestly, this part of ObamaCare sucks. But what you're bitching about here is that some people will have to do some extra work on their own. That's it. That's what this comes down to.

If you want to keep your own doctor, you can guaranteed find a plan that will let you keep your own doctor. It will probably be cheaper than your current plan for the same level of coverage. It may be more expensive. But one will definitely be available to you.

I am sorry you are so outraged that someone will have to do this extra amount of work. But being outraged over it makes you look like a child. Buying insurance is not hard for someone who has already bought insurance. It's clicking around on a website, making a phone call, or talking to a volunteer at a community center. Your current doctor will even help you out. Come on.

Except the Obamacare website doesn't work and many of the supposedly "superior" Obamacare plans are very geographically limited so that if your GP is in one county and your specialist is in another county, both doctors might not be covered under ANY possible plan.  But, hey, at least your average 50-year-old will get the mandatory maternity care coverage that her "substandard" plan lacked.

And I'm not the one who said "We will keep this promise to the American people: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor.  Period."  President Obama did.  Numerous times.  Don't make promises you can't keep.  Again, he didn't say "If you want to keep your doctor, you can - but only if you go shopping on our broken website and buy a new plan.  Period."

Tell that to the thousands that have enrolled through it.

[7,052,770]

And I'm not the one who said "We will keep this promise to the American people: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor.  Period."  President Obama did.  Numerous times.  Don't make promises you can't keep.  Again, he didn't say "If you want to keep your doctor, you can - but only if you go shopping on our broken website and buy a new plan.  Period."

Again, Obama cannot and will not force insurance companies to keep every doctor in their network (Republicans would be howling socialism if he tried!).  Insurance companies are constantly bringing doctors in and out of their networks -- Obamacare doesn't change that.  It's the free market that determines which doctors are in which networks, not Obamacare, period.

I realize that basic tenets of how health insurance works aren't part of the high school curriculum or anything, but I've never seen an entire political party show such utter ignorance of a topic that that they argue so vehemently about like Republicans lately.

[barfbag]

And I'm not the one who said "We will keep this promise to the American people: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor.  Period."  President Obama did.  Numerous times.  Don't make promises you can't keep.  Again, he didn't say "If you want to keep your doctor, you can - but only if you go shopping on our broken website and buy a new plan.  Period."

Again, Obama cannot and will not force insurance companies to keep every doctor in their network (Republicans would be howling socialism if he tried!).  Insurance companies are constantly bringing doctors in and out of their networks -- Obamacare doesn't change that.  It's the free market that determines which doctors are in which networks, not Obamacare, period.

I realize that basic tenets of how health insurance works aren't part of the high school curriculum or anything, but I've never seen an entire political party show such utter ignorance of a topic that that they argue so vehemently about like Republicans lately.

That's too bad because he said "if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor too." He shouldn't promise things he doesn't mean or things he can't control. The Washington Post gave him four Pinocchio's but I give him four Nixons.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

And I'm not the one who said "We will keep this promise to the American people: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor.  Period."  President Obama did.  Numerous times.  Don't make promises you can't keep.  Again, he didn't say "If you want to keep your doctor, you can - but only if you go shopping on our broken website and buy a new plan.  Period."

Again, Obama cannot and will not force insurance companies to keep every doctor in their network (Republicans would be howling socialism if he tried!).  Insurance companies are constantly bringing doctors in and out of their networks -- Obamacare doesn't change that.  It's the free market that determines which doctors are in which networks, not Obamacare, period.

I realize that basic tenets of how health insurance works aren't part of the high school curriculum or anything, but I've never seen an entire political party show such utter ignorance of a topic that that they argue so vehemently about like Republicans lately.

If Obama and those who voted for the ACA really thought that it would not cause people to have to change their insurance and their doctors - their ignorance is astounding.

[barfbag]

And I'm not the one who said "We will keep this promise to the American people: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor.  Period."  President Obama did.  Numerous times.  Don't make promises you can't keep.  Again, he didn't say "If you want to keep your doctor, you can - but only if you go shopping on our broken website and buy a new plan.  Period."

Again, Obama cannot and will not force insurance companies to keep every doctor in their network (Republicans would be howling socialism if he tried!).  Insurance companies are constantly bringing doctors in and out of their networks -- Obamacare doesn't change that.  It's the free market that determines which doctors are in which networks, not Obamacare, period.

I realize that basic tenets of how health insurance works aren't part of the high school curriculum or anything, but I've never seen an entire political party show such utter ignorance of a topic that that they argue so vehemently about like Republicans lately.

If Obama and those who voted for the ACA really thought that it would not cause people to have to change their insurance and their doctors - their ignorance is astounding.

They're politicians and most who voted for it intended for people to lose their coverage so that more people could be dependent on them. The more people dependent on the government, the better things are for Obama and his allies.

[Indy Texas]

Obama is likely finding private grief in the words of Herbert Hoover...

"...I would be sacrificed to the unreasoning disappointment of people who expected too much."

[Franzl]

And I'm not the one who said "We will keep this promise to the American people: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor.  Period."  President Obama did.  Numerous times.  Don't make promises you can't keep.  Again, he didn't say "If you want to keep your doctor, you can - but only if you go shopping on our broken website and buy a new plan.  Period."

Again, Obama cannot and will not force insurance companies to keep every doctor in their network (Republicans would be howling socialism if he tried!).  Insurance companies are constantly bringing doctors in and out of their networks -- Obamacare doesn't change that.  It's the free market that determines which doctors are in which networks, not Obamacare, period.

I realize that basic tenets of how health insurance works aren't part of the high school curriculum or anything, but I've never seen an entire political party show such utter ignorance of a topic that that they argue so vehemently about like Republicans lately.

If Obama and those who voted for the ACA really thought that it would not cause people to have to change their insurance and their doctors - their ignorance is astounding.

They're politicians and most who voted for it intended for people to lose their coverage so that more people could be dependent on them. The more people dependent on the government, the better things are for Obama and his allies.

Please direct me to the government health insurance that people are forced to buy.

[Antonio the Sixth]

OBUMMACARE IZ DISTRUYING MURICAAAAA!!!!!1!111!!1

[Mordecai]

Except the Obamacare website doesn't work

That's because right-wingers are launching DDOS attacks on it.

The Washington Post gave him four Pinocchio's but I give him four Nixons.

So Republican Presidents are the yardstick for misleading statements?

[Brittain33]

Didn't we have this same exact story a few weeks ago?

Medicare Advantage was a failed Republican pilot to privatize Medicare where the government paid private insurers substantially MORE than Medicare rates to create a "free market" option for seniors. As part of Obamacare's efforts to reduce federal spending on Medicare, this was brought to an end. It has nothing to do with the other promise in the news.

"Seniors" never have to "scramble to find coverage" because they are all eligible for Medicare.

Republicans who make hay about this are being complete hypocrites, even if only out of ignorance about what Medicare Advantage is. I'm pretty sure anyone complaining about the end of Medicare Advantage has also complained about the runaway deficit...

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Didn't we have this same exact story a few weeks ago?

Medicare Advantage was a failed Republican pilot to privatize Medicare where the government paid private insurers substantially MORE than Medicare rates to create a "free market" option for seniors. As part of Obamacare's efforts to reduce federal spending on Medicare, this was brought to an end. It has nothing to do with the other promise in the news.

"Seniors" never have to "scramble to find coverage" because they are all eligible for Medicare.

Republicans who make hay about this are being complete hypocrites, even if only out of ignorance about what Medicare Advantage is. I'm pretty sure anyone complaining about the end of Medicare Advantage has also complained about the runaway deficit...

If they are losing their insurance plan, they would have to find another plan if they want to keep their doctor(s), which might not include regular Medicare. So yes it has something to do with the promise.

[7,052,770]

Again, Obamacare can't promise an insurance company will keep your doctor in its network any more than he can promise that your local grocery store will keep stocking Caffeine Free Mountain Dew even though you're the only one who likes it.  In fact, if Obama did try to compel insurance companies to hold on to your doctors the right wingers would be rolling around in the streets shrieking about socialism, and they might even have a point.

All Obama's "promise" means that Obamacare will not compel any insurance company to drop a doctor, and it doesn't.  If an insurance company decides to do what's in its own best interest (and the interests of its customers, if that's to drop expensive doctors and lower people's premiums), that's the decision of the company, not of Obama.

Anyway, everyone knows this.  The Right is just fauxraging and concern trolling over this non-issue.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Again, Obamacare can't promise an insurance company will keep your doctor in its network any more than he can promise that your local grocery store will keep stocking Caffeine Free Mountain Dew even though you're the only one who likes it.  In fact, if Obama did try to compel insurance companies to hold on to your doctors the right wingers would be rolling around in the streets shrieking about socialism, and they might even have a point.

All Obama's "promise" means that Obamacare will not compel any insurance company to drop a doctor, and it doesn't.  If an insurance company decides to do what's in its own best interest (and the interests of its customers, if that's to drop expensive doctors and lower people's premiums), that's the decision of the company, not of Obama.

Anyway, everyone knows this.  The Right is just fauxraging and concern trolling over this non-issue.

The point is that the interests of the insurance companies and of doctors change due to the ACA and the regulations of the Obama administration.  Something that made financial sense for them to offer before nor longer does.

[Brittain33]

Didn't we have this same exact story a few weeks ago?

Medicare Advantage was a failed Republican pilot to privatize Medicare where the government paid private insurers substantially MORE than Medicare rates to create a "free market" option for seniors. As part of Obamacare's efforts to reduce federal spending on Medicare, this was brought to an end. It has nothing to do with the other promise in the news.

"Seniors" never have to "scramble to find coverage" because they are all eligible for Medicare.

Republicans who make hay about this are being complete hypocrites, even if only out of ignorance about what Medicare Advantage is. I'm pretty sure anyone complaining about the end of Medicare Advantage has also complained about the runaway deficit...

If they are losing their insurance plan, they would have to find another plan if they want to keep their doctor(s), which might not include regular Medicare. So yes it has something to do with the promise.

Hence the argument about hypocrisy, because the only reason this was possible was because of Republican subsidies to private insurers to give Medicare beneficiaries a gold-played option. This is a separate issue from private insurance.

While Republicans complain about the deficit and runaway government spending.

[Brittain33]

Again, Obamacare can't promise an insurance company will keep your doctor in its network any more than he can promise that your local grocery store will keep stocking Caffeine Free Mountain Dew even though you're the only one who likes it.  In fact, if Obama did try to compel insurance companies to hold on to your doctors the right wingers would be rolling around in the streets shrieking about socialism, and they might even have a point.

All Obama's "promise" means that Obamacare will not compel any insurance company to drop a doctor, and it doesn't.  If an insurance company decides to do what's in its own best interest (and the interests of its customers, if that's to drop expensive doctors and lower people's premiums), that's the decision of the company, not of Obama.

Anyway, everyone knows this.  The Right is just fauxraging and concern trolling over this non-issue.

The point is that the interests of the insurance companies and of doctors change due to the ACA and the regulations of the Obama administration.  Something that made financial sense for them to offer before nor longer does.

Obamacare could have been put in place in its entirety without touching Medicare Advantage. The health insurance market for seniors is separate from that affected by Obamacare.

The only reason Medicare Advantage was cut was to reduce the deficit and make Obamacare revenue-neutral or revenue-positive. This was never a consideration for Medicare Part D when Republicans were in power, but it was a requirement the Dems took upon themselves as a matter of fiscal responsibility.

Shua, in criticizing Obama for ending Medicare Advantage, you are advocating for deficits and wasteful spending in order to score gotcha points on a related but independent policy. You are welcome to do so, but I would question what you stand for, strategically, if your focus is on tactics. Do you support higher deficits and wasteful subsidies? If not, why are you happy for this?

[barfbag]

Again, Obamacare can't promise an insurance company will keep your doctor in its network any more than he can promise that your local grocery store will keep stocking Caffeine Free Mountain Dew even though you're the only one who likes it.  In fact, if Obama did try to compel insurance companies to hold on to your doctors the right wingers would be rolling around in the streets shrieking about socialism, and they might even have a point.

All Obama's "promise" means that Obamacare will not compel any insurance company to drop a doctor, and it doesn't.  If an insurance company decides to do what's in its own best interest (and the interests of its customers, if that's to drop expensive doctors and lower people's premiums), that's the decision of the company, not of Obama.

Anyway, everyone knows this.  The Right is just fauxraging and concern trolling over this non-issue.

Well then he should've thought before he spoke. Remember when Bush landed on the aircraft carrier? Don't you think he should've thought before speaking too?