Center for Health & Democracy

YouTube video by Health Care Voices Why Are Insurance Plans Delaying Your Care?

The increasing use of pre authorization in private health insurance plans, including Medicare Advantage, is a growing concern for patients. 

Learn more from Rachel Madley at the Center for Health & Democracy: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCdx...

YouTube video by IndivisibleUlster - NY18 & 19 Planet Seniors: Patients Over Profit

Tune in 🔊 CHD’s Dr. Rachel Madley discusses the #PatientsOverProfits Act on Radio Kingston's Planet Seniors! This bill would break up big vertically integrated health care corporations and protect patients from corporate greed!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUhe...

Federal Government Shutdown Exposes Crisis in Long Failing U.S. Healthcare System Wendell Potter, a former health insurance industry executive turned whistleblower, who links the current federal government shutdown to America’s long failing healthcare system.

“Federal Government Shutdown Exposes Crisis in Long Failing U.S. Healthcare System” w/ @wendellpotter.bsky.social

“The people are going to be getting notices from their insurance companies if they get coverage in the ACA marketplaces. Big, big, big increases”

btlonline.org/federal-gove...

NEW POLL: Crushing Health Care Costs Top Priority for Voters - Families USA WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Families USA is releasing a new poll conducted by Hart Research Associates showing that lowering health care costs is the top priority for American voters across party lines,

A new poll from @familiesusa.bsky.social shows that health care affordability is the # 1 issue on voters' minds heading into 2026. Big Insurance is making a huge profit while working people struggle to get by.

familiesusa.org/press-releas...

‘A Big Positive’: How One Company Plans to Profit From Medicaid Cuts

Not only will work requirements result in millions of people losing their coverage due to faulty eligibility checks — it also creates a new opportunity for big corporations to profit from our health care system in new and unnecessary ways.

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/h...

Medicare Advantage enrollment expected to fall in 2026 as insurers cut back on unprofitable plans CMS sees Medicare Advantage enrollment falling in 2026, as insurers facing lower profits cut back on unprofitable plans

For the first time in many years, Medicare Advantage enrollment is expected to decrease.

While consumers may be increasingly aware of the drawbacks of these so-called Advantage plans, rising costs and worse benefits are also likely contributing to lower enrollment.

www.cnbc.com/2025/09/29/c...

Check out CHD Director of Policy & Advocacy Dr. Rachel Madley on @codewack.bsky.social! If you’ve ever worried about losing coverage, struggled with medical costs, or want to understand how we can build a fairer system — this episode is for you. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...

It might sound wonky, but when corporate insurers game the Medical Loss Ratio, the result is higher costs for consumers and bigger profits for CEOs and shareholders.

By paying a subsidiary that the insurance company owns, they are able to hide their profits as money spent on providing care.

How Insurers That Own Providers Can Game The Medical Loss Ratio Rules | Health Affairs Forefront As states pursue policies to slow cost growth, they must apply greater scrutiny of vertical integration arrangements—especially around internal financial transactions between affiliated entities.

“How Insurers That Own Providers Can Game The Medical Loss Ratio Rules“ ~Health Affairs

“The recently released Sunlight Report on UnitedHealth Group shows that it grew more than 10 times its size over the past decade.”

www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...

No UPCODE Act could be part of shutdown solution … and more Days into the federal government shutdown, health care funding is perhaps the key issue in talks to end the partisan stalemate.

By passing the NO UPCODE Act, Congress can cut overpayments to Big Insurance by $124 billion every year, and reinvest that in expanding benefits and lowering costs for consumers.

www.legalnewsline.com/legislation-...

Oz reiterates need to improve Medicare Advantage payment accuracy The CMS administrator’s comments at an industry event in D.C. on Wednesday reflect the difficult tightrope regulators in the Trump administration walk as they pursue MA reform.

Dr. Oz has loved the for-profit, privately-run corporate Medicare Advantage plans. But even he knows that Big Insurance is gaming the system and overbilling U.S. taxpayers by $140 billion every year.

www.healthcaredive.com/news/oz-medi...

Image that reads: “I’ve worked for the same company for 26 years. We’ve had the same health plan provider the entire time. We’ve already been notified we will be changing carriers due to the steep increases in premiums. While our company is switching to help, they’ve still indicated premiums will be going up. They’ve gone up every single one of my 26 years. I have chronic illness so my out of pocket costs are higher than my mortgage.”

With enrollment season underway, hundreds of millions of Americans are about to see their premiums go up 📈

Tell us what you’re hearing at c4hd.org/ShareMyStory

“Racial minority enrollees in MA suffer from worse clinical outcomes and face barriers accessing best quality care. These disparities stem from factors such as restrictive networks and misaligned financial incentives that fundamentally oppose public health priorities.”

NEW from our allies @pnhp.bsky.social — “No Real Choices: How Medicare Advantage Fails Seniors of Color.”

This new report looks at how for-profit Medicare Advantage plans result in worse health outcomes for communities of color.

Read the report now ➡️ pnhp.org/EquityReport

Is Health Insurance Making Us Sick? MIDAS Screening and Discission with Wendell Potter When: Wednesday, October 15, 6 pm What: Film screening and Panel Discussion Where: CT Legislative Office Building Room 2E Why: Every day, health insurance companies make billions of dollars for exe...

Join @ctcag.bsky.social for an electrifying movie about a group of young people who take on the broken health care system, followed by a discussion with national and state leaders in health insurance advocacy, including @wendellpotter.bsky.social!

RSVP: actionnetwork.org/events/is-he...

At a moment when patients and consumers are facing 20% premium increases, more and more prior authorizations and denials, increasingly narrow networks, it's time for Congress to take action and clamp down on corporate greed in health care!

If you are someone who has been directly impacted by our broken, for-profit health care system, share your story with our team at c4hd.org/ShareMyStory — our advocacy team will get in touch to talk with you about your experiences!

Now, it's time for grassroots voices across the country to encourage elected officials from both parties to sign on as cosponsors and support the bill.

Got to c4hd.org/CallCongress to use our easy-to-use call tool to call your representative and both of your senators today!

If your organization is interested in learning more and sponsoring the bill, please DM us!

CHD is proud to support this bill alongside @econliberties.bsky.social, @labor4singlepayer.bsky.social, @moveon.org, @pnhpnymetro.bsky.social, @publiccitizen.bsky.social, @socialsecurityworks.org, JustCare USA, Health Care for America NOW, and Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action.

In addition to Senators Merkley and Warren, and Representatives Hoyle, Ryan and Jayapal, the #PatientsOverProfits Act is cosponsored by @markey.senate.gov and @ocasio-cortez.house.gov

This bill will provide an urgently needed major fix to our for-profit health care system, and ensure providers can care for patients without the influence of greedy insurance corporations.

Now, it's time for Congress to take bipartisan action to protect patients from monopolization and profiteering in the health care system.

Sunlight Report on UnitedHealth Group Webinar Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

In our recent webinar, CHD's Director of Policy & Advocacy Dr. Rachel Madley walked through a patient's journey through the U.S. health care system, highlighting all of the ways in which corporations like UnitedHealth Group impact your health care from cradle to grave.

c4hd.org/SunlightWebinar

Johns Hopkins says UnitedHealthcare negotiations are over without return to in-network coverage Johns Hopkins Medicine and UnitedHealthcare have ended contract negotiations, leaving thousands of patients without in-network health insurance, according to a letter reviewed by our media partner, Th...

Just today, John Hopkins Medicine announced that they would not stay in network with UnitedHealth. When United owns 90,000 doctor offices, they have more leverage against hospital systems and provider networks that are not under their control.

www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/ne...

Not only does this vertical integration result in more profits for United, but it means more control over the health care system.

The Sunlight Report on UnitedHealth Group The Sunlight Report on UnitedHealth Group is a first-of-its-kind look at the nearly 2,700 mergers, acquisitions and subsidiaries that make up UnitedHealth Group, the largest health care conglomerate i...

As shown in our Sunlight Report, the first-of-its-kind analysis of UnitedHealth Group's ~2,700 subsidiaries, Optum now owns or has close contractual ties with 1 in 10 doctors across the country.

sunlightreportinsurance.com

When UnitedHealth's subsidiary Optum purchased the Corvallis Clinic in Oregon, they fired dozens of physicians, leaving thousands of patients without the ability to see a doctor.

In recent years, insurance corporations like UnitedHealth and CVS have aggressively pursued acquisitions of local physician practices. This practice, known as vertical integration, has resulted in massive increases in profits for big corporations at the expense of patients and consumers.

The #PatientsOverProfits Act will prevent large insurance corporations like UnitedHealth Group from buying up doctor's offices and physician practices.