Apparently UnitedHealthcare thinks WakeMed‘s costs are too high. WakeMed refused to buckle, so now UnitedHealthcare is ending coverage for WakeMed hospitals.
I think this is quite unfortunate, so I decided to let UHC know. After navigating through the worst voicemail gauntlet I’ve ever encountered, I got a live representative on the phone. After telling her I wanted to register a complaint about this decision, she began to correct me to say that UHC didn’t drop Wakemed, they’re just ending their contract.
“Okay,” I responded, cutting her off. “I don’t care what caused it, I want you to know I don’t like it.”
This we agreed to do. She even helpfully wrote it up in the dramatic way I presented it to her and sent it off to their complaint department.
Yeah, it takes two to tango. I don’t know what either side’s position was, but I don’t care. WakeMed took care of our family when we needed it most. No hospital in the Triangle can match WakeMed’s neonatal intensive care facility. I believe our daughter Hallie would not be with us if it wasn’t for WakeMed’s outstanding care. In my eyes WakeMed can do no wrong.
Now that I can’t go to the hospital just two miles away from my home I’ve got to consider other options. This royally sucks.
My wife is 6 months along and planned to deliver at WakeMed Cary. Now we have to change our plans. This includes switching doctors. Nice work UHC and WakeMed. In the end, the cost is highest for the consumer.
I think there is an exception for pregnancy, though I’m not sure the details. Check with UHC (and good luck with the voicemail jail)!
Insurance companies don’t really give a damn about their customers; they’re in the business of making maximum profits. This involves giving customers as little service as possible without driving them away (but then, if all the insurance companies act like this, there really isn’t anywhere else to go…). When it comes time to honor their obligations and pay their customers, all too often insurance companies will use any and every excuse to weasel out — just ask the homeowners who got slammed by hurricane Katrina.
I’ve always believed that insurance companies should be run as non-profits: they exist to provide a safety net for their customers, not to rake in piles of cash, not to pay dividends to non-customers. This is especially true with health insurance. UnitedHealth Group reported a net income of $4.1 billion in 2006, and yet they whine about paying for decent health care for their cash cows, er uh, customers.
You can call UHC and speak to their coordination of care department who can open a file number for you under Continuation of Care provisions due to pregnancy in the second trimester. I am due on 2-20 and found out on 2-20 that they were dropping Wake Med from their In Network Providers. I was told by the UHC agent that they don’t turn down these types of requests for pregnant women in their second or third trimsters. In addition, you can call Wake Med who will work on their end to provide you with a waiver so your wife can have your baby at Wake Med.
Good Luck