30 Days of US Healthcare: United Healthcare Denies Everything

[@DGlaucomflecken]

By the way, the only thing I made up here is the joke about the PET scan. Everything else came from actual comments/anecdotes from followers

[@jlfrandsen]

horrifying..

[@benyelrod]

Even the one about the long scary name? 🥲

[@ohgodno]

@@benyelrod i was about to ask...

[@felipercalvo]

wait, what about the menstruation one? what the hell was that?

[@DGlaucomflecken]

@@felipercalvoyes, even that one. I added the bit about a man speaking confidently, but the conversation is real

[@curious1053]

Who else watching these after the CEO was clapped in NYC?

[@JAStudiospivotanimation]

boy ate it

[@RolopIsHere]

Hard to feel bad for him.

[@jcortese3300]

@@RolopIsHere My sympathy is out of network.

[@Nick3618W]

It must’ve been Jimothy… he couldn’t take it anymore

[@AludraEltaninAltair]

​@@jcortese3300 Oooooo, this is brutal. Truly cuts to the quick. Brilliant remark.

[@lolthisbenny]

this man was ahead of his time

[@davidy22]

This video is a bunch of anecdotes, many of which years or decades old by the time this video was posted. This wasn't ahead of the curve on anything, and if you're about to point to the news this video didn't do anything to get ahead on suggesting that avenue of solving the problem.

[@francessimmonds5784]

@@davidy22yeah, sadly voicing your grievances will get you no where.

[@celestiallydivine]

Definitely! To be honest after I watched Micheal Moore’s documentary Sicko, I was just horrified about the state of healthcare and insurance. How crazy is this?

[@francessimmonds5784]

@ sicko was 17 years ago and things have kept getting worse since then. How much longer will people put up with this or will they just keep dying?

[@Joseph1NJ]

No, he was and is of his and this time.

[@dalton-at-work]

recommended to me on dec. 6, 2024, the day after UHC CEO was "denied" living.

[@matthewarms3786]

Algo seems to be on the ball lately.

[@Axel_Andersen]

I find it hard to feel sympathy for the UHC CEO and I'm against all violence (defense excluded).

[@Lotuspoint1087]

🤣

[@zyeborm]

Don't think of it as living denied, he's just had his pre-approval for hell confirmed

[@zyeborm]

​@@Axel_Andersengr glauc actually has a really well done video on it btw. How you can have two feelings and they are both valid. Your against violence, admirable, you're not upset he's gone and people are motivated about health care, that's fine too.

[@stearrow_3245]

I'm not even american and this makes me furious. How are the people who write these policies not being chased through the street by a torch wielding mob?

[@raznaak]

"Hurr durr communism."

[@mandalynn1384]

Because the mob would be gunned down by the government

[@bosstowndynamics5488]

Because widespread propaganda about America being the bestest nation means that a lot of Americans think this type of healthcare is somehow better than a public system where your doctor says you need tests or treatment so you just get to have it instead of all this nonsense, and the only cost is that sometimes you might have to wait a bit if it's not urgent.

[@Roo-Smith]

​@@bosstowndynamics5488because America pays half the worlds bills is what you mean😊

[@MyCleverHandle]

Because the fuel for the torches was denied!

[@prevalent1172]

I'm a pharmacy tech, and the amount of times I've heard a patient tell me "My insulin is HOW MUCH?!?!?!, well, guess I'll die" is... more than it should be

[@itsraining6449]

Send them to pharmacies in Canada. They will two day ship in dry ice. These are not fly by night operators, but actual brick and mortar stores who have online pharmacies. Novolog or Humalog at $40 a vial is cheaper than the US at $350 a vial.

[@johnkirk8650]

As a fellow Pharmacy tech we hear this a lot at our windows too

[@BrianJRichards]

@@itsraining6449my mother has been Type 1 since the early 70’s. During a particularly tough patch when she was out of work, the Canadian pharmacies literally kept her alive. She’s much better now, but this advice is sadly 100% needed for folks out there relying on the US healthcare system.

[@garrybrown3165]

And as a retired pharmacist and physician I am old enough to remember when Keflex was introduced in the mid 1970's and it cost a DOLLAR a capsule!!! Original directions were one by mouth every 6 hours for 10 days. Patients would see the amount to be paid and say, "FORTY DOLLARS for a prescription! That is highway ROBBERY!!!" GJBrownDO 9/26/2023 11:39 Eastern

[@lohphat]

This is why the state of California is getting into the pharma business to offer common drugs as generics at cost. The Biden administration is doing something at the national level to bring down the cost of common meds and Big Pharma is having a stroke over it. GOOD.

[@AuntieAlexandra]

Anyone else wondering if the CEO was murdered by an angry family member of someone denied care . . .

[@Tsukaiyo]

Not wondering. It's obvious

[@SoCalRegisteredNurse]

He was. Supposedly the shell casings had the words “deny, depose, defend” on them

[@rizkyfirdaus8290]

Things are happening because of a reason. 😂

[@matthewarms3786]

Hmm...currently 50+ million clients (averaging around 30+ million enrolled per annum since 2000), denying around 32% of all claims over the last 15 years, not quite infinite monkeys with typewriters banging out MacBeth, but plenty of stories to choose from that make someone flip their wig.

[@kmdn1]

​@@matthewarms3786This comment is excellent. Where did you source the info? I've been wondering about the actual data pertaining to u.s health insurance for a long time, like the number of claims covered per claim submission. How much of a medical practitioners time is diverted toward this system and taken away from patient medical care. Straight up denial of care, time wasted for pre approvals, referrals and extra referrals, and all the other excessive hoops they make you jump through, because they know if they make it difficult enough, annoying enough, confusing enough, some people will give up or maybe even just die before the health insurance company has to pay gor anything. Just for patients to be able to do what their doctors have already determined is needed for their health. The amount of unnecessary death and unnecessary suffering as a result of what they do. I don't say this unless I mean it, what they do is evil. The dishonesty and greed at the expense of their customers health and their lives. The direct effects are just one aspect. How about the people who have lost their jobs due to denial of treatment? Or the people who became addicted to pain killers because they were denied diagnostics that would have given them a diagnosis and treatment? People who committed suicide as a result? It doesn't stop with the direct harm to the patient...The harmful effects go on and on, radiating outward to so many aspects of their lives and to the lives of others around them. We will never know the real number of lives lost and unnecessary suffering caused by health insurance corporations like United Healthcare.

[@nyarparablepsis872]

"Trust me, I'm a man speaking confidently." Perfection.

[@jillthemenace]

Have they denied anyone with acute trauma because a gunshot wound is a pre-existing condition? Asking for no reason whatsoever.

[@MichaelSimmons-d3n]

Denied blood transfusion because of a family history of lacking a soul. And a pre existing condition of sudden acute lead poisoning

[@RankinMsP]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@perilousrange]

The truly awful part... these phone calls only happen AFTER it's been denied, then you've called, and been on hold for 45 minutes.

[@safaiaryu12]

This infuriates me. There are times where I've spent an entire work day on the phone trying to fix an insurance issue, sometimes even multiple days in a row. And I'm expected to manage a chronic illness and work a 40 hour week on top of that? It's bullshit. I get even angrier when the hold music is juuuusssst right to give me a horrendous headache in ten minutes.

[@perilousrange]

@@safaiaryu12 How about this one... I work for a medical billing business that works on behalf of the providers. The major insurers block our caller ID at their phone system, to try and avoid talking to us. We actually have fairly involved work-arounds; just so our calls aren't blocked.

[@WakeupAmerica777]

As a Pharmacy Technician I’ve had to tell patients the authorization, peer to peer review, etc. was denied for life saving medication for HIV, cancer, autoimmune, and transplant pt’s. You know the HMO. I almost had a nervous breakdown. I have a soul. I was constant getting written up for messing up my Teams metrics and spending more than the 4 minutes on the phone with a patient calling every department I could to move heaven and soul for my patients. I quit when I got COVID for the 5x. As an autoimmune patient myself my health deteriorated quickly. No one should profit off of someone’s pain and suffering. ✝️🇺🇸

[@MedMama24]

Can confirm that I’ve experienced at least 80% of these scenarios with patients. Hey, we may even hit 100% by Christmas. UHC is Santa’s coal in the stocking for all the bad doctors who try too hard to provide care without insurance overlords.

[@ax14pz107]

It ain't just UHC. It's pretty much all of them. Deny care to maximize profits to give them to shareholders.

[@JeffGeerling]

@@ax14pz107Cigna, checking in.

[@deepwater3646emt]

The important thing is you know this.... Now, please make sure to fill out in triplicate using ancient Sumerian cuneiform prior authorization forms so they can be denied faster. Also giving the insurance companies the joy of not only telling you and the patient no, but also killing trees and having the satisfaction of shredding the forms while you are on the phone. It's good for all.

[@jeannemacaluso162]

😰😰😰😰

[@patriciabajcer8930]

Bingo. . .and it’s paper wasteful partner-Humana. Some days I get 3 pieces of mail from them but there is always a minimum of 2/wk, innumerable texts . . .but this is the DIS-Advantage Plan. Next week I’m changing my prayers that we be permitted to put the CEO through a paper shredder.

[@Imzadi]

Having to file an appeal for my daughter while she was in the NICU and I was postpartum from a traumatic birth was the lightbulb moment that acknowledging our healthcare system is completely messed up is a non-partisan issue.

[@themidnightbanshee5927]

That was the lightbulb moment, no that should have been the last straw

[@Julia_and_the_City]

Or, well. _Should_ be a non-partisan issue.

[@stansman5461]

​@@Julia_and_the_Cityoh it is. I've asked republicans who think it should be private (which it isn't) or you think it should be public (which it also isn't) both agree the current system is broken to hell

[@justsomenobody889]

Yes, but the partisan part is opining on whether we fix the blatant crony capitalism using a government funded method a la most developed countries or with free market capitalism with an emphasis on encouraging competition. My opinion is that either is welcome since it's far better than what we have currently

[@stansman5461]

​@@justsomenobody889or put those together like Singapore. Where the gov pays part of the bill from a person's savings, but hospitals need to keep costs low and transparent since bill is still paid from my savings.

[@AludraEltaninAltair]

All you have to do is watch 1 of the 30 Days of US healthcare videos to understand why people generally don't seem to be very sympathetic toward the CEO in the UH CEO shooting. If you watch all 30 it gets hard not to sympathize with the perpetrator.

[@KnightSlasher]

I get that this is supposed to shed light on the situation but at the same time it makes me angry how messed up the US Healthcare system is

[@robert-rv8lo]

The best part is, if the insurance company decides it is most profitable, they will let the patient die. Then, they won't have to pay the claims, and they are immune from lawsuits from the family for their "medical decisions".

[@PBMS123]

yeah wow. I feel so lucky in Australia with these videos. We like to comeplain but in reality, wow we have it sogoodd.

[@couldntthingofone269]

@@PBMS123 Just don't let them start to defund your system so that you have to start using private insurance.

[@Jack_Redview]

Take that anger and do something about it.

[@rogueviking9268]

​@@Jack_Redviewputting insurance executives into Saw traps is frowned upon here. For now.

[@tymarmaras]

this has aged SOOOO WELL!!! Well done sir.

[@f1r3hunt3rz5]

Dear Brian Thompson, Your life-saving treatment was denied for not being deemed medically necessary, and your gunshot wound is deemed as a pre-existing condition. Good wishes and best of luck. Sincerely, United Healthcare

[@ghillies4life]

When I was pregnant with my first, United Healthcare denied my Group B strep test (completely standard routine pregnancycare which prevents newborns dying of meningitis), because they wanted it to be the rapid strep. Which isn't even the same strep species.

[@NickTobi]

As a Type 1 Diabetic that has had to work with my endo to assure my insurance that I still have the same T1D Ive had since I was 8 years many times over the past 20+ years, and had to explain to them that I will die within days without my insulin and their processing times are in fact a matter of life and death.... yeah this hit really close to home

[@StefanoFierros]

if you need a PA for that just tell them you NEED to file an urgent PA, given that the circumstances are life or death; most insurance companies have them but dont tell patients about them, some ask only drs to submit them and they're supposed to be solved in 3 natural days.

[@lynnebucher6537]

The ignorance of someone who demands proof you still have a permanent autoimmune condition... is astounding.

[@cpMetis]

I was diagnosed with T1 at 14 months old. From 16 to almost 26, I've had to prove I was diabetic and couldn't just solve it with dietary changes or a pill to insurance on at least five separate occasions, sometimes paying over $100 in copays just for the luxury of getting the ol' "WELL MABY IF YOU LAYED OFF THE TWINKIES" by multiple irate insurance reps. Sidenote: I finally tried a Twinkie when I was about 15. Worst stuff I ever tried to eat. Why did that thing become the standard for "hehe diabetics r fat" jokes? Is it specifically because it's gross?

[@safaiaryu12]

​@@cpMetisPure ignorance and stigma. I'm not diabetic, but I am overweight. I was severely UNDERWEIGHT most of my life, and then a bad medication side effect made me gain 50 pounds in three months. I eat better than anyone I know. I'm an excellent cook and I genuinely enjoy eating salads and snacking on vegetables, and yes, Twinkies are disgusting. In fact, I tracked my calorie intake for a couple months in excruciating detail, and I struggled to take in more than 1200 in any given day. And so, SO many people tell me that I just need to eat better, just need to eat less, and clearly I'm LYING to everyone about my diet. 🙄 What it comes down to, I have learned, is that people are scared of chronic illnesses. They're scared that anyone could come down with a devastating condition at any time for no reason at all. They would rather believe that we must have done something wrong and therefore we deserved this fate. So they say these things to reassure themselves that if they just do things right, they'll be safe. Too bad they're completely wrong and being genuinely shitty people while they're at it.

[@NootalieWalf]

@@safaiaryu12dude I think you hit the nail on the head with that one! I never thought about it that way but upon hearing it it makes so much more sense why people seem to have to blame the person who’s struggling.

[@relic46]

I had no clue that doctors in health care workers had to go through this just to make sure patients got the right to medications. I thought it was just the patience doing all the work. Thank you for your information and humor Dr

[@ScubaFanatic60]

We have a person in our office who spends half his time doing prior authorizations. And if we don't word this juuuust right in our charts it will be denied. It's infuriating.

[@gamemeister27]

Hell even my dentist office does stuff like this for me. The providers generally care about their patients and want them to get their treatments approved

[@StefanoFierros]

some offices even pay someone to do PAs, they're that shitty.

[@jeanjaz]

Dr Mike (youtube) talks about the time he spends arguing with insurance companies, also.

[@nailsofinterest]

Well typo but also very correct!! It was/ is the patience making it possible. Both physicians, medical workers, and patients! 😅

[@SanChase-b6j]

United HealthCare´s greed has killed so many suffering Americans it´s hard to avoid the thought it had something to do with the fate of their CEO.

[@hwezda]

Someone needs to send this to the major newstations

[@hekmoglu90]

Like they didn't know about this prior, how naive are you?

[@JeffGeerling]

You know how they say the best satire is funny because it's true? I was playing a bit of a bingo game with all the different denials I've personally experienced. The worst is having to prove-every single year-that I still have Crohn's disease and I still need treatment, to the EXACT SAME INSURANCE COMPANY going on 5 years now! Last year they wouldn't approve the treatment I was on until June, meanwhile my doctor ran out of free sample medication and I came out of remission and required a major surgery. Thanks, Cigna!

[@curtthomas8465]

FREE MARKET EFFICIENCY🎉

[@tamarinmangold1414]

ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING! 😡🤬😡🤬😡🤬😭😭😭😭😭 I'm SO very sorry you had to go through that!

[@jedinxf7]

these executives should not be able to sleep soundly. someone should dox the hell out of them, and someone else should use that information however they deem appropriate for incentivizing social parasites to change their behavior or change careers.

[@sophiathore3538]

I am just so indescribably sorry

[@teh-maxh]

They know surgery is more expensive than medication, right? They're not even saving money; they get nothing out of it except being terrible.

[@akmalsy159]

Doctors need to record these conversations they have with health insurance companies and put them on blast, on mass media, youtube, senate hearings, etc... let them justify denying life-saving procedures to the outrage mob.

[@feedzuh]

what stops United from lobbying literally anyone involved to be against those doctors?

[@gamemeister27]

​@@feedzuhThey don't even have to do that. All they have to do is remove the doctors from their network, and now they can't see a bunch of their existing patients

[@bonjourputas]

Can't risk exposing patient information and some states won't allow recording with both parties consent. And a pleas of other excuses but health insurance deserves to be put on blast.

[@nn123654]

That would be a massive HIPPA violation and they could literally lose their license for that. Maybe if you got the patient's and insurance company's consent in writing and got it approved by separate attorneys representing each party, but otherwise no.

[@rcslyman8929]

@@nn123654 heh, right. Cuz HIPAA was ever actually about protecting the patients.

[@BeeWhere]

Toddler takes the pill form, chokes and goes to ER. United Healthcare denies the visit. It's a pre-existing condition because he choked on a marble before.

[@daniellebrackett4905]

What the... how dare your toddler be a toddler! This defies all logic. Related: I'm currently waiting on the bill from resetting "milkmaid's elbow"... here's hoping the preexisting elbows do not cause denial.

[@awaredeshmukh3202]

Being a toddler is unsafe and is a pre-existing condition all by itself! Seriously, they should have made better choices!

[@reggie1025]

Oh thank god for Obamacare making pre-existing illegal. I spent so much time calling people’s doctor’s to track down those letter’s with lists of dx history and then going though that shit with a fine tooth comb so I could pay people’s claims. But I damn well did it and documented the fuck out of it so the company couldn’t turn around and pull a take-backsies. At this point I’ve replaced the memories of the exact time restraints for what was and wasn’t a pre-existing condition with better things, but if it meant I could spend the company’s money, my timelines were on point.

[@SoulKiller7Eternal]

Actually they cant deny a medical emergency such as...choking to death. If they do, doctor or patient (if smart enough) can appeal, and if appeal is denied, request review by a state/federal board.

[@amylynn3821]

You missed one of my favorites. “We can’t approve the medication the patient has been on for three years unless we have evidence that he has failed the preferred drug first. I know you say that he had a near fatal allergic reaction to the first line medication three years ago but we require him to have tried it and failed it in the past 180 days before we can approve the second line therapy”.

[@AludraEltaninAltair]

This is an actual thing that just happened to me at work. I wrote the prior auth requests on behalf of patients. I got a denial like this back and I had to go outside and sit in my car and cry for a few minutes before I had it together enough to be in the workplace again.

[@justinsummers8788]

The antisocial healthcare crowd really did a number on this country when they started calling insurance healthcare

[@BrightAmbition]

Hey, it's hard being social. We introverts are just trying to live life the best way we can.

[@lolwtnick4362]

​@@BrightAmbitionusing drugs and being online 24/7?? yeah, hows that working for ya

[@sam7479]

I assume one of the many reasons the service of health care is so expensive is because of the amount of overhead a medical practitioner has to employ just to fight the insurance companies to insure he/she gets paid.

[@Axel_Andersen]

I believe some hospitals have more clerks/accounting staff than medical people ... in US that is. Here in Scandinavia IDK if they have any.

[@unarei]

and all of that time spent fighting the insurance companies ends up getting paid directly by the insurance companies. they're paying for the time of people denying claims and they're paying for the time of hospital staff fighting denied claims

[@ArgzeroYT]

You can't sue the company on behalf of your patient. Your pt may not have the money for it. Your hospital is happy if it gets paid. You're stuck holding a check with no purpose for its payment.

[@elizabethm7163]

Yep. That's part of it.

[@timdowney6721]

This perhaps says it all about US healthcare. If you are not comatose when you get to the ER,, you’ll be asked about you insurance before the reason you’re seeking care.

[@WyrmsouI]

Watching in honor of the UHC CEO. It turns out that being alive was out of network.

[@johnd8553]

Terrible just terrible if only he had done his research

[@Zoecasady3337]

My fiancé is a radiation oncology tech and yesterday he had to call UHC because they decided that she can do the cheaper treatment that comes with way more side effects than the more expensive one that has less side effects. They also said her treatment isn’t emergency even though it’s treatment for her windpipe and it’s getting worse everyday and she can’t breathe really. Insurance can either be super helpful or your worst enemy.

[@robert-rv8lo]

I've never had a good experience with health insurance in my life. I don't know what you are talking about there.

[@rayzerot]

... the only time I've found insurance to be helpful is... when they do what I pay them to do. I've never had one do any more than that

[@justahugenerd1278]

Y’all are getting super helpful moments with insurance?

[@safaiaryu12]

American health insurance. Can't live with it, can't live without it.

[@luupham889]

Who is here after United healthcare CEO news 🙋‍♂️?

[@docgammycat]

@@luupham889 I am! 12/4/24.

[@QuesttoFIRE]

Yep… some of these comments haven’t aged so well.😅 But kudos to Dr. G for leaving this video up.

[@hannahbauer1143]

we need a compilation

[@OPERATOR-SHCP]

Something something about fine wine

[@Ayanabeautiful101]

Me

[@crusaderanimation6967]

"our ceo got direct complaint" "Oh somone wrote angry e-mail ?" "no it was in person" "Oh verbally abused ?" "No" "In writing ?" "No in 9mm"

[@Crazymama81]

I've been watching this series everyday and I'm always simultaneously interested and terrified to watch it.

[@samkadel8185]

As a diabetic, yeah.... id recommend looking into New England Home medical to see some horror stories of medical suppliers. They repeatedly lie to you about sending medical supplies (taking over a MONTH to fix their own failure to ship despite me callinf nearly dailt) and will randomly stop covering supplies without telling you. Truly a nightmare. Also, double charging is... way too common in healthcare.

[@SoCalRegisteredNurse]

This is so relevant right now. Wow. A prediction of the future. People are fed up by these for-profit insurance companies.

[@davidy22]

Not a prediction of the future, a compilation of the past. The distinction is critical

[@SoCalRegisteredNurse]

@ I’m referring to when this video was made, which was a year ago.

[@Alex-xk9yd]

The scariest thing is that there's a very high chance that all of those exact phrases were used at least once

[@lizmalsam7528]

I’m sure you mean “once per hour!” 😏

[@lilowhitney8614]

They were. He took them from anecdotes from followers.

[@DianneGerrity]

Every one is real- except the pet scan comment.

[@waffles3629]

Oh, it's not just a very high chance, he got these stories from people (minus the pet scan). My insurance checks every year to make sure my incurable condition hasn't magically stopped.

[@haruhisuzumiya6650]

Including the PET scan?

[@Sikkeskatona]

With each day I get more depressed by this series . 😥 This is just so inhumane tactics... 🤬 Thank you for shining light on this practise so people can understand this misery...

[@i-love-comountains3850]

We still know where the pitchforks are... but now they are ranged🎉😊

[@fayej6591]

I love that my surgically proven endometriosis patient with antiphospholipid syndrome who has failed an attempt at bleeding suppression with a Mirena was told that she had to try ibuprofen before they would approve a GnRH agonist. 🤦‍♀️We are waiting for her to start her new job and the new health insurance to see if we will have better luck with them. 🤷‍♀️

[@waffles3629]

My insurance tried to deny I needed a hysterectomy because "there's no evidence". Apparently narrowly avoiding iron/blood transfusions multiple times a year (I believe I was 1% above the levels at one test), and needing narcotics for my cramps so I wouldn't pass out aren't good reasons. They then tried to deny it stating I hadn't tried a med. That I had tried...after two appeals in which they stated it wasn't medically indicated for my condition. I don't know what magic my doc did, but she got it approved. I also wanted a hysterectomy so bonus. Bye bastard, don't miss ya.

[@TheLastEchelon]

American healthcare system just breaks my heart

[@alliecat8348]

The American health-care system broke my life 😢

[@timothypryor7952]

Violence, so much violence. Make united need it's own healthcare.

[@daniellegammon967]

issue is that the people who control public healthcare can afford not to use it and therefore never need to deal with the utter bullshit that they force upon everyone else

[@lagomoof]

I seem to remember that Dr G has already said that that the top brass of the health insurance companies - those who most need the swift and repeated kicking of their _glutei maximi_ - are covered for everything, all of the time.

[@goodfortunetoyou]

Justice is about harmony, revenge is about making yourself feel better. - Batman begins. Also, I'm going to guess that United already self funds their own insurance plan. Why wouldn't they? So I'm not sure how this would help.

[@i-love-comountains3850]

​@@goodfortunetoyou Yes, stacking insurance company c-suite like sandbags WOULD make us feel better. That's why we want that for them.

[@goodfortunetoyou]

@@i-love-comountains3850 Don't calm down. Just be aware that anger can be a poison that will redirect your attention from solving the problem.

[@margaretbear]

God almighty this series needs to be seen by everyone in the United States 😩😩😩

[@generaljellyroll8737]

Katie Porter should show it on the floor of congress

[@SilverStarHeggisist]

Could be worse, could be Canada "have you considered dying instead of healthcare?"

[@tlpineapple1]

​@@SilverStarHeggisistTry actually reading the law instead of falling for the propaganda. That is for terminal patients who frankly should have the choice to die. Religious activists and American healthcare activists have spun instead to be either purely monetarily forcused (which there is certainly a benefit in that regard) or as the shining failure of socialized healthcare. You could instead of course have U.S. healthcare where you pay so much you wish you could die.

[@maggie6152]

@@SilverStarHeggisist I'm disabled and live in the states. I'm already openly and quietly told that every day of my life from every institution here. And I get treated like a criminal for needing state and federal assistance to live. So, yeah. Find a better talking point than "allowing people with terminal illnesses to choose euthanization to avoid extended suffering is bad."

[@nailsofinterest]

​@@maggie6152heck they outlaw euthenization, too! 🤯 Sorry you're suffering from the system too.

[@thesauce669]

And this is why the CEO was killed.

[@bandelay2134]

I think it's great that United Healthcare shares their customer service training videos with the public. It shows how honest and transparent they are!

[@RC3117]

Having ADHD my whole life. That line near the end about ADHD medications hit a bit hard. Nothing like talking to the Dr every 30 days to have a 90 second conversation about how the meds I've used for years are still working just fine and could I please have 30 days of my dose.

[@MaryCumbersnatch]

I go through that with my ADHD seven-year-old, except he's also autistic and has hyperactive catatonia. If he doesn't get his meds, he will slip into auditory and visual hallucinations, and also be rendered mute, requiring inpatient treatment. However, that doesn't mean the doctor will have availability before the scripts expire, nor does it mean CVS will actually have the Klonopin and other meds in stock when the scripts are finally renewed. The medication game sure is a barrel of laughs!

[@backseatogre4902]

And then you get the bill for $125 for a 90 second conversation with the Dr. Every 30 days.

[@jrmckim]

I had to do that with my insulin. Thank God for telemed now.

[@deamonmist]

They tried to do that "try different formularies" route but underestimated my determination. Every time an appeal was denied I just sent in a new prior authorization request. It did take a few months but eventually they just gave up and started covering my medication. Butt munchers.

[@lolwtnick4362]

​@@MaryCumbersnatchdid he get vaccinated?

[@cpete2976]

I was waiting to see my ob/gyn and overheard the angry doc say to his assistant about another patient: "how can they deny diagnostic tests for a75 year old woman with vaginal bleeding and severe pelvic pain ???&*@!!"

[@lynnebucher6537]

Apparently these are the death panels that Sarah Palin claimed would be part of Obamacare.

[@Tker1970]

UHC just denied Thyrogen for me yesterday-needs prior authorization. I'm living and loving these videos.

[@suemilkbone4868]

Dr. G, thank you so much for this series. It brings light to a very dark situation here in the United States. The more information gets out to the general public, then maybe, just maybe, we can change things for the better. Thank you!

[@jeaniemcc3188]

How did it take a shooting for me to find this channel? Subscribed.

[@alabaster1913]

At the start of September: "Wow, Dr. G's going to upload daily for an whole month, lucky us!" At the end of September: "Noo, make it stop!"

[@marialegare3954]

I feel like I'm just walking on eggshells in my healthy body, hoping something doesn't go wrong and make me poor forever

[@LexYeen]

That's because you are. Everyone who is not currently considered disabled is one bad day or a long-lived life away from becoming disabled, and there’s no telling which applies to you.

[@waffles3629]

​@@LexYeen yep. 25% of people will become disabled. It's just a question of if you die before that.

[@alliecat8348]

​@@LexYeenSo true! In my case I was 100% fine 1 day and within 24 hours I was disabled. No job no savings no home no good health care either because when you're poor the only healthcare you get is completely bottom-of-the-barrel. Great country we live in.

[@georgegordonmeade5663]

Heyo! Who’s here after the CEO got greased in broad daylight?

[@Luka23567]

And in front of a witness!

[@jamster1100]

Bro this video is about to blow up in a big way 🤣

[@jeremybartlett2396]

I had an initial consultation with a psychiatrist about a possible ADHD diagnosis, then went back a couple of weeks later to actually get tested. United proceeded to deny the claim, and when the psychiatrist and I asked why, we were told : First, the wrong charge code was used/UHC doesn't have a contract with him to do the testing (he copy and pasted from the last person he did an ADHD diagnosis for with United, and that had been approved); second, that testing and consultation were done on the same day (they weren't, and United's bill said they weren't); third, that the psychiatrist hadn't gotten prior authorization (he had never had to before, and didn't get a notice of a policy change. Plus, it's prior authorization for a computer test?), and fourth, "no", as his appeal was denied and they didn't bother responding to the one I had to fax in. This was after I had to spend three months trying to get them to pay for an appointment to the nurse practitioner that had referred me to the psychiatrist, because UHC didn't have the correct tax ID numbers on file. If UHC doesn't know why the claim is being denied, how on Earth am I supposed to figure out if a claim is going to be paid for ahead of time?! During one of these calls where I was told the problem was prior authorization, the rep had the gall to say "you didn't do anything wrong, your doctor didn't follow the correct procedure", and it took everything in me to not yell at the minimum wage worker that my assumption was the neither of us did something wrong, and that United had either screwed up or made something so complicated that it would be impossible for anyone to get it completely right.

[@gingersun535]

Honestly, I just appreciate that you recognize that them saying your doc did it wrong was a lie. They do that crap all the time, "it's coded wrong," "your dr did it wrong," whatever they can say to get out of paying!

[@waffles3629]

Ugh, my insurance blamed me for having my claim denied because I did something...the thing they told me I needed to do for my claim to be approved. I needed a sleep study, they said I had to do a home sleep study before the lab study. They denied my lab study because I did a home one.

[@elizabethm7163]

They aren't getting paid minimum wage. Not that that invalidates any of your story and they definitely aren't paid enough.

[@pauldrice1996]

DON'T WORRY BOYS, WE GOT 'IM.

[@marjieestivill]

This series has aged beautifully into fully spilled transparency thanks to a murder.

[@jaimealmodovar1307]

Ages like wine 🍷

[@EShum]

"Trust me, I am a man speaking confidently" pretty much sums up health insurance and why we're still in this mess

[@socgrrrl]

I’ll add a story. My dad has Parkinson’s and as you know, that’s a degenerative disease. One of the things that really helps him and improve his quality of life is speech therapy and loud therapy. My mom has to pester the insurance company for referrals. They only give him a small handful of sessions at a time. Then they have to wait and evaluate and then maybe they’ll authorize more sessions. But it’s never continuous (which it should be!) Just once I want to scream at their insurance company.

[@Haromour]

I hate this so much because it's true, I have UHC and i've had these conversations with them trying to get them to cover anything or explain why I owe thousands more than their own website says I would have. I've been lied, misled, and denied by them more times than i've ever had anything covered.

[@cindyre85]

Dealing with denials from UHC for a stage 4 Cancer Patient. It is crazy how they do not follow their own code of Ethics. Time is critical & appeals can take up to 45 days.

[@hq1082]

whose here after the CEO news?

[@Kairamek]

Last year my CPAP was dying and I needed a new one. Had to redo the sleep study to show that my chronic lifelong condition that can't be cured hadn't been cured. When I said this verbatim to the tech who set me up, he gave me a very resigned and definitive "Yep."

[@debayanmandal8368]

Who is here after the UnitedHealthcare's CEO got obliterated?

[@pc9434]

0:29 I had this exact thing happen to me. Working in an electrical shop, any kind of chest pain was an automatic 911 call. It should have been worker's comp, but I was on file with the hospital so they billed my insurance, who denied the claim because I hadn't actually had a heart attack.

[@regularbloke4395]

I had a patient coming in last week with headaches with a bunch of red flags. UHC approved an MR the same day and her scan showed a 6 cm bleeding intracranial tumor that turned out to be a glioblastoma. In conclusion, your documentation is going to help your patient get the test they need.

[@vhs10907]

I am blown away daily by the truthful, hard-hitting, and yet humorous videos that you produce. We must do something to get them out to the powers that be, so the system and hijinks can be altered.

[@ingibingi2000]

Someone did something about it

[@TimJohnsonBizNet3]

And for 2025 several insurers are dropping Revlamid (lenalinomide) from their formularies. Rev is the fundamental lynchpin for treating multiple myeloma, both as induction therapy and for maintenance. It retails for $15K a MONTH and is the same price from 2.5mg to 25mg. Some patients are on it for five years or more.

[@Ro-ro-ro]

Doc, I'm a huge fan and hv been following this series from the onset. But this one is the one that broke me. As a medical student who really just wants to make things better for people who are suffering, this was heartbreaking on so many levels Insulin, Pacemaker Batteries, Birth Control, Multiple Open Fractures?!?! Is there even a light at the end of this tunnel?

[@sarahmason8154]

I hate hate hate United. I have no idea how they have gotten away with this for so long. They sent me a job link and asked me to apply. I told them you make my life a living hell everyday, why would I do that? Although it was tempting to go work there and approve as many rehabs as I could before I got fired.

[@OfficerRay101]

This is painfully real. Just had a Code 3 Critical Care transport get cancelled by the ordering facility because apparently being vented and on full life support wasn’t good enough of an excuse for their insurance company. God bless the American EMS/Healthcare system.

[@laukinath194]

"Counterpoint... No." Well that's just insurance in a nutshell, isn't it?

[@LaureanoFulco]

“If the chemotherapy causes nausea then we’ll talk” had me laughing for an hour

[@longforgotten4823]

My depression and anger are through the roof. Our healthcare system is awful and needs to stop. Your life is forfeit, while the executives make record profit.

[@garrybrown3165]

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! Personal AND professional with United Health Care captured precisely in this episode.

[@benzandpour]

TODAY, United healthcare CEO was merkkked.

[@fayej6591]

1:24 Thank you Dr. G for throwing this one in there for all the menstrual migraine, endometriosis, PCOS, etc. patients out there! It’s even worse when trying to prescribe birth control patch this way. The boxes only come with three patches. 😤

[@waffles3629]

My insurance covered 12 boxes a year. A box was 4 weeks. Thankfully I have since evicted my uterus so it's not an issue anymore.

[@201cag]

He was shot and taken to hospital but his health insurance company said bullet removal wasnt part of his coverage so he died

[@jodil1209]

I have a large cyst growing on my ovary. I needed to have a CT scan for it. So, I scheduled the CT scan at the hospital where I was told by my doctor to go. A week after I had the scan, a guy from our insurance called and suggested that I go have the scan at an orthopedic office because it was cheaper. I said I'm pretty sure they don't do those there. He insisted on keeping talking. I just started laughing. I didn't know what else to say.

[@AntarticTheFox]

Former UHC Tier 2 Insurance Adjustor here: I got to see almost all of these. This brings me great pain and that job drove me to day drinking my way to an early grave! Thanks for shedding light on the Bullshittery they pull. It's fucking soulless.

[@Jorde-v4w]

Luigi Mangione sono innocente! 🙏

[@amylizbrarian]

“Trust me, I’m a man speaking confidently” absolutely killed me 😂😭

[@bricolleen7956]

Theyve fucked up so badly that even their medicaid patients cant find a doctor that still takes them. They are literally killing me slowly.

[@sstudio36]

Come to India for your treatment. You will get the best treatment at affordable price.

[@bricolleen7956]

@sstudio36 I can't afford private insurance and I've been disabled for the last 10 years and can't work. I have medicaid under united healthcare and instead of giving me a surgery with a 90% success rate, the chance to go back to work and have a life is too much to ask for, united healthcare hopes I'll have an intestinal rupture and die from sepsis because that's cheaper than surgery.

[@sstudio36]

@@bricolleen7956 Just search 'Indian Medical Tourism' you might get an idea of what will get if you come to India for treatment.

[@blazefury8336]

They are so awful. I have them through work. I saw a specialist for issues I've had with my left shoulder off and on for 10-11 years. They ordered an MRI with contrast. I went and had it done and then I get a letter in the mail from them saying they denied the claim because they deemed it not medically necessary and now I have a $4300 bill that doesn't count towards the deductible or max out of pocket cost. I'm going to try and file an appeal, but am really frustrated with it.

[@floridamaninthewild]

Everything my Dr requested for the last 6 months has been initially denied by insurance requiring him to resubmit it with additional information, causing delays and twice the amount of paperwork. The industry is killing itself and convincing more people we need universal healthcare.

[@starrychan33]

As a therapist, watching my ADHD patients go through all the shit they have to go through with my meds is endlessly frustrating

[@lauragonzalez-yr1kv]

Soy española, tenemos un sistema sanitario que lo cubre prácticamente todo. No es perfecto, hay poco personal y listas de espera. No pagan demasiado bien y los profesionales se van a otros países. Por eso y por qué lo pagamos todas las personas q trabajamos con nuestros impuestos, hay gente que quiere q tengamos lo q hay en estados unidos, por q en la tele se ve q tienen muchas novedades, recursos y hospitales estupendos y aquí no lo parecen, sin darse cuenta que allí te puedes morir si no tienes dinero para pagar cosas que aquí se tratan sin problema. Ojalá todos los países tuvieran mínimo lo q tenemos, y ojalá no acabemos como vosotros Gracias por tus vídeos, soy enfermera y me encantan 😂

[@StefanoFierros]

igual en méxico, está creo un poco más peor que en otros países con medicina socializada, principalmente por que solo ponemos 3% de nuestro PIB en salud cuando la OMS recomienda 6% como mínimo; aún así a mi novia le van a hacer una cirugía de rodilla no urgente esperamos para diciembre sin que le cueste nada y pagándole 60% de su sueldo por los días que ella esté incapacitada; no cambiaría este sistema por la pesadilla gringa.

[@AnOriginalYouTuber]

Well, emergency rooms are supposed to treat you whether you can pay or not. However, they can only do so much.

[@StefanoFierros]

@@AnOriginalKZbinr you can still die of things that an ER wouldn't treat tho, such as diabetes, cadiovascular disease, etc; plus you'll still get a bill and still get harassed if you cannot pay and do the whole lotta paperwork required to have your debt swiped away

[@h3yw00d]

All of those new things you see on tv? I'm American, I don't get to see those new things on TV either. The doctors offices and hospitals I've been to look a lot worse than that. Whole hospitals heald together by I swear to God the sheer willpower of the nurses and doctors alone. You don't get that TV treatment until you are a multimillionaire.

[@LibraryAce]

TV doesn't show you the many hospitals that have closed, the doctor's offices that can't afford enough staff to handle the endless insurance paperwork, the people who can't get a Covid test much less medication because it's just not available, regardless of cost. And we still have long wait times for anything not immediately life threatening. It is almost always months to see any specialist. Please show people these videos to help them understand the reality of the situation.

[@docgammycat]

So you now have heard the CEO of UHC was shot + killed in Manhattan this morning, 12/4/2024. Was it random? Or done by someone whose loved one was denied care?

[@jillthemenace]

police have stated it does not appear to be a random act of violence.

[@docgammycat]

@jillthemenace Oh, it was absolutely not random.

[@ReallyBadJuJu]

I'm not calling for anyone to be harmed, but there are people in our society deserving of harm.

[@LexYeen]

I don't need to touch grass. I need the people ruining the world to face genuine consequences for their actions and decisions.

[@elaexplorer]

I got one for you. NP sent in a request for a sleep study for sleep apnea. It was denied because all of the conditions suggested I DO have sleep apnea so no need for the sleep study. The NP was confused and didn't know where to go from there. So nothing was done and I had a heart attack a few years later. So now they're paying for my $600 in prescriptions every 3 months.

[@mcchoco2661]

Soon "To be alive will require prior authorization"

[@goodfortunetoyou]

A pre-auth on the delivery, nicu, or surgical interventions like a C-section? Or perhaps whatever they do beforehand? They connect this stuff to tables in their claim system, so I get the feeling this wouldn't even be hard if you precisely specify "being alive" to be a unique number in said system.

[@maggie6152]

I'm chronically ill and disabled. I'm already there.

[@alissagoodwin]

Thank you so much for making this series. It's so helpful in explaining to my family, friends and sometimes patients about why our job is so hard. Family Med here and I feel exactly how skewed glasses guy looks most days.

[@lennoxbaumbach390]

Something really funny happened today… 🦀🦀🦀

[@emilyc8457]

As a firm believer in "You have to laugh, or else you'd cry" and a primary care physician...THANK YOU. This should be required viewing for Congress critters.

[@HikaruKatayamma]

Note on insulin: Walmart sells vials of both short and long for $25 each.

[@ChanceNP]

Some pts need other insulins or will go through 5 vials of insulin monthly. $125 is a a lot of money to those on fixed incomes. This can help a few people, but is not a solution.

[@sylv_ain]

These videos are just a gift that keeps on giving. Loved the part about T1D, so true

[@HacksignKT]

Aged like fine wine.

[@MirageUchiha]

Bro, I'm so scared. UF & UHC not coming to agreements could mean life or death for me and MANY others! I'm absolutely terrified, man! 😭

[@Carrington900al]

The foreshadowing and the fact that the robber barons I work for switched our plan from Cigna to United effective 1/1/25 😮

[@GreenMyce]

….Multiple open fractures! Killin it, man. MD here, longtime watcher. Please keep doing what you do. Hopefully some good will come of this. ❤