Seniors needed long-term care and rehab. Their private Medicare plans said no.
A government watchdog report reveals that major private Medicare Advantage insurers frequently deny coverage for long-term hospital care and inpatient rehabilitation. The findings suggest that financial incentives may be driving these high denial rates, impacting millions of elderly beneficiaries.
Why it matters
This highlights systemic issues in privatized healthcare that could lead to medically necessary care being withheld from vulnerable populations to reduce corporate costs.
REUTERS/Faith Ninivaggi/File Photo/File Photo (REUTERS / REUTERS) Elderly people on privatized Medicare plans were routinely denied coverage for long-term hospital care and inpatient rehab by a trio of for-profit insurers that dominate the program, according to a government watchdog report released Thursday, raising concerns that some patients may have been refused medically necessary care.
The article reports on a government watchdog study and presents data from multiple insurers without taking a partisan stance.
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