Shannon Skinner (she/her) on Nostr: 3/4 In the 1990s, I used to work where Carey works. Back then, it was called The ...
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In the 1990s, I used to work where Carey works. Back then, it was called The Polyclinic, an independent, Seattle-based, physician-owned, multispecialty medical clinic with 89 physicians. The Polyclinic’s ownership structure granted one share to to each physician. Physician-owners’ votes dictated policy change. As an employee back then, I had full health coverage with no out-of-pocket costs.
The Polyclinic has been the target of multiple acquisitions. The Polyclinic is no more. It now runs under the brand of Optum, a UnitedHealth subsidiary. The physician-ownership structure is long gone. So is the good employee health insurance coverage.
In 2018, UnitedHealth purchased The Polyclinic, which until that point had remained “staunchly independent for more than century.” According to Carey, things went south pretty quickly from there.
Carey says their HSA balance at Optum Bank always zeroes out because they must use the money saved there to cover out-of-pocket health expenses, because, you know, high deductibles. So, at minimum, Optum skims another $1 per month off them in fees due to not meeting the $500 balance threshold. Talk about adding insult to injury.
#Healthcare #UnitedHealth #USPol #USPolitics #BrianThompson #HealthcareIsAHumanRight #GetProfitOutOfHealthcare
In the 1990s, I used to work where Carey works. Back then, it was called The Polyclinic, an independent, Seattle-based, physician-owned, multispecialty medical clinic with 89 physicians. The Polyclinic’s ownership structure granted one share to to each physician. Physician-owners’ votes dictated policy change. As an employee back then, I had full health coverage with no out-of-pocket costs.
The Polyclinic has been the target of multiple acquisitions. The Polyclinic is no more. It now runs under the brand of Optum, a UnitedHealth subsidiary. The physician-ownership structure is long gone. So is the good employee health insurance coverage.
In 2018, UnitedHealth purchased The Polyclinic, which until that point had remained “staunchly independent for more than century.” According to Carey, things went south pretty quickly from there.
Carey says their HSA balance at Optum Bank always zeroes out because they must use the money saved there to cover out-of-pocket health expenses, because, you know, high deductibles. So, at minimum, Optum skims another $1 per month off them in fees due to not meeting the $500 balance threshold. Talk about adding insult to injury.
#Healthcare #UnitedHealth #USPol #USPolitics #BrianThompson #HealthcareIsAHumanRight #GetProfitOutOfHealthcare