‘Patients Hung Out To Dry’: Report Shows Insurers Significantly Increase Rate Of Denials For Post-Acute Care
Home Health Care News October 18, 2024
The Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) released a report on Thursday revealing that the nation’s three largest Medicare Advantage (MA) insurers have significantly increased the rate at which they denied seniors’ post-acute care from 2020 to 2023. This includes denying access to nursing homes, inpatient rehabilitation facilities and long-term acute care hospitals. The report illustrates how insurers use unregulated algorithms and technologies to increase prior authorization denials.
In May 2023, PSI launched an inquiry into the barriers facing seniors enrolled in MA in accessing care. The subcommittee obtained documents and information from the three largest MA insurers: UnitedHealth Group’s (NYSE: UNH) UnitedHealthcare, Humana (NYSE: HUM) and CVS Health’s (NYSE: CVS) Aetna, which cover nearly 60% of all...