A common myth about small rural hospitals is that almost all of their revenues come from Medicare or Medicaid, but the fact is, on average, more than half of the services at small rural hospitals are delivered to patients with private insurance. Learn more about Medicare Advantage plans and their consequences for rural health care.

Speakers:
Harold Miller, Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform
Shane McGuire, CEO, Columbia County Health System

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85907982157?pwd=MU4vV3E3VGZ5VU02dnhvZjg2b3hKZz09
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UnitedHealthcare, Medicare Advantage and Rural Hospitals

What does UnitedHealthcare have to do with rural hospitals? The link is Medicare Advantage. UnitedHeathcare is our largest Medicare Advantage provider. One way they make money is by denying claims and generally making expense recovery difficult for small hospitals.

Cartridges found by Brian Thompson’s body had the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” inscribed. The words mirrored Jay Feinman’s 2010 book title, Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims: “Insurance companies now often try to delay payment of justified claims, deny payment altogether, and defend these actions by forcing claimants to enter litigation.”

Learn about Medicare Advantage plans, their consequences and their politics.

Sponsored by the Ag and Rural Caucus of State Democratic Central Committee.