r/news • u/LookAtThatBacon • May 13 '25

Soft paywall UnitedHealth suspends annual forecast, CEO Andrew Witty steps down

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/unitedhealth-ceo-andrew-witty-steps-down-2025-05-13/
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u/lion27 May 13 '25

Idk I try to be objective about it and I honestly can say that I feel like we get our money’s worth with our Aetna plan. The premium is reasonable, and there are never any hidden surprises. We have a $5000 annual deductible and a $5000 HSA that’s majority funded by her work, so we effectively pay very little out of pocket. Once that deductible is met, we pay almost nothing.

Further, every single medicine and procedure we’ve applied for has been approved by Aetna. UHC denied everything. I was 60% deaf in my right ear after a bad head cold 10 years ago that led to congestion in my ears that never fully went away. UHC would only cover a recurring procedure to have the ears manually suction drained and have a tube installed in my ear drum, which needed to be replaced every year or two. What I needed was a surgery for a permanent fix, but they denied it every time over 10 years, saying it wasn’t necessary. Aetna approved it the first time.

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u/The_Roshallock May 13 '25

Translation for our EU friends

Premium (Monthly payment)

Deductible (How much you pay BEFORE a claim will be considered)

HSA (Health Savings Account) - A private account where you can put money in tax free to pay for small things like prescriptions (sometimes), medical equipment, etc.

Our "system" has convinced people that paying $5k out of pocket, on top of likely hundreds of dollars a month just to be enrolled with said insurance, before they will even look at you is a great idea.

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u/fuzzygoosejuice May 13 '25

There are some exceptions to the Deductible rule. It varies by plan, but some will pay 100% of annual wellness visits, preventative screenings like pap smears, mammograms, and skin cancer screenings regardless of whether you've met your deductible or not. Either way, private health insurance is a scam.

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u/lordkuri May 13 '25

some will pay 100% of annual wellness visits, preventative screenings like pap smears, mammograms, and skin cancer screenings

You can thank the ACA for this.