leading to billions of dollars in extra government payments to insurers. Patients examined by doctors
working for UnitedHealth, an indus- try pioneer in directly employing large numbers of physicians, had some of the biggest increases in sick- ness scores after moving from tra- ditional Medicare to the company’s plans, according to the Journal’s analysis of Medicare data between 2019 and 2022. Sickness scores for those United-
Health patients increased 55%, on average, in their first year in the plans, the analysis showed. That increase was roughly equivalent to every patient getting newly diagnosed with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and breast cancer, the analysis showed. That far outpaced the 7% year-
over-year rise in the sickness scores of patients who stayed in traditional Medicare, according to the analysis. Across Medicare Advantage plans
run by all insurers, including United- Health, scores for all newly enrolled patients rose by 30% in the first year. A spokesman for UnitedHealth
said that the company’s practices lead to “more accurate diagnoses, greater availability of care, and bet- ter health outcomes and prevention, including less hospitalization, more cancer screenings, and better chronic disease management.” The company’s approach, it said,
Obamacare Hits Record Enrollment
A
record 24 million people signed up for insurance
coverage through the Affordable Care Act in the months before President Donald Trump returned to ofice. Former President Joe Biden
approved billions of dollars in tax credits that expanded who qualified for the health insurance and lowered its cost. Millions of additional Americans can now pay monthly premiums of just a few dollars to get coverage. But these credits will expire at the end of this year, unless Congress passes a new law. A coalition of the nation’s top health insurers has launched a campaign called “Keep Americans Covered” to lobby Congress on the issue. Trump, meanwhile, has described
the Affordable Care Act as “costly,” and says the healthcare coverage it offers is “lousy.”
helped to avert more serious health problems later, and to achieve Medi- care Advantage’s goals of improving quality and reducing costs. The killing in December of Brian Thompson, chief executive of United- Health’s insurance division, triggered widespread public venting about health insurers. Police said his alleged killer left a
note saying he was taking action against the healthcare industry. UnitedHealth said that neither the suspected gunman nor his parents were covered by the company. UnitedHealth said Medicare’s
system of paying for diagnoses was developed by the government, not any one insurer, “to help ensure fair and accurate payments.” UnitedHealth and other Medicare Advantage insurers have said higher sickness scores among their patients reflect a sicker population with great- er medical needs. UnitedHealth has said the diagnoses it submits are accurate, and that it detects diseases sooner, benefiting patients. Jones, the Oregon doctor, said UnitedHealth didn’t suggest diagno- ses for patients he treated outside Medicare Advantage, where it doesn’t pay.
Traditional Medicare patients
treated by UnitedHealth doctors had much lower sickness scores, the Jour- nal’s analysis showed. UnitedHealth has acquired doz-
ens of medical groups over the past decade and a half. Its Optum unit now employs about
10,000 physicians, making it one of the nation’s largest employers of doc- tors. It contracts with tens of thou- sands more. No other national insur- er has acquired and hired doctors on that scale. — The Wall Street Journal
Drinking a Major Cause of Cancer Outgoing surgeon general calls for warning labels.
A
lcoholic drinks should carry a warning label
about their cancer risks, the outgoing U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said in an advisory in January. He noted that alcohol
consumption increases the risk
of developing breast, colon, liver, and other cancers. Murthy also called for the guidelines on alcohol consumption limits to be reassessed so that people can weigh the cancer risk when deciding whether or how much to drink, alongside current warnings on birth defects and impairments when operating machinery. “Alcohol consumption is
the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, after tobacco and obesity, increasing risk for at least seven types of cancer,” he said. It is responsible for 100,000
U.S. cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths each year, more than the 13,500 alcohol- associated trafic crash deaths, he added. “The direct link between
alcohol consumption and cancer risk is well-established for at least seven types of cancer, regardless of the type of alcohol (e.g., beer, wine, and spirits) that is consumed,” the statement said, including cancers of the esophagus, mouth, throat, and voice box. “Drinking less is a great
way to be healthier,” said Dr. Timothy Naimi, who directs the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria in British Columbia.
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