Dell outfitted their employees with cheapest health insurer they could find.
Leave no penny unturned and always cut corners
13 replies (most recent on top)
i moved to my spouses healthcare bc I was worried about getting off. Theirs is much worse than Dell’s!!
While Dell does pay the claims, UHC makes the coverage determinations based on the contract docs Dell signed when they were brought on as benefits administrator. We all should have received a 2-3" thick book in the mail that has most of those docs.
Any hold up and slow down is 100% on UHC. Dell can get involved to help speed up the process or even approve claims/procedures that UHC would typically deny, but I've only ever seen that in extraordinary cases. My last company added cochlear implants to our coverage after an employee went to our CEO explaining the need. They also added additional autism care resources.
Dell has been with UHC many times. They've su-ked every time, but I think a big part of that is Dell's appetite to pay up for better coverage.
For anyone else not aware of self-funded insurance:
https://www.aetna.com/employers-organizations/self-insurance-plans.html
The worst part about a self-funded plan is they aren't generally regulated by state insurance commissions so you have no where to escalate an issue outside of UHC and HR.
"Dell liable as well in a delay in care?"
No. UHC in this case will take the brunt of it as the overseer of the policy and good luck trying to chase down HR: they will just point you back to a UHC representative
Still very dubious UHC is better than Aetna. Dell partnered with them for cost savings and now the world is seeing the fraud with UHC. They had a horrific reputation before Dell BTW
So if it’s self funded and Dell pays the claims and is charged with denying/approving then is Dell liable as well in a delay in care? Especially when it comes to children? Does Dell know how many working hours are lost battling for approvals and fighting to have a child’s treatment scheduled and covered?
It just gets better and better.
DOJ just announced investigation into UNH for Medicare fraud.
Sure - UHC charges Dell less than Aetna to manage claims. But that doesn't change the fact our coverages/approvals are exactly the same under Aetna and UHC. Stuff that was covered under Aetna that typically isn't covered by UHC is still covered.
I have no love for UHC. A decade ago I went through 8 levels of appeals for a medically necessary procedure that UHC still ultimately denied. I reached out to my HR department who told me to pound sand and change insurance if I wanted an exception. Also a large self insured company.
I have a bit of experience in this space.
I will let UNH's reputation and current stock happenings speak for itself.
But you are silly to think Dell opted for UNH other than for cost savings.
@a9+1jv536qcg - you should do a little research on self insured companies. Each company sets their own approval/rejection policies. As in Dell sets those policies, not UHC, Aetna, or any of the PBMs. Dell can and does pay for services UHC denies in their commercial plans.
I've had UHC at multiple companies. Some companies cover certain treatments and others don't. My last carved out an exception to UHC policy for the entire company to add coverage for certain conditions.
All insurance companies su-k, but your employer is just as guilty for claims denials as the insurance benefits manager.
Aetna is horrible. Deny, deny, deny. Aetna is keeping our benefits pros busy. Six week waits for approvals and Dr’s have to submit so much documentation that many are dropping it. Then back and forth with claims that should be covered. Don’t go to the ER, you’ll walk away with a $1000 bill. They constantly change what medications they will cover. The out of pocket costs are high. They are owned by CVS - a retailer so they are run like one.
"Aetna was. much better"
I have never had to deal with UNH, Dell employees in Utah still have Aetna. Saying Aetna is better though.... Wow. Aetna is 10-20 times worse than any other provider I have dealt with over the past 40 years.
"You couldn't be more wrong. UNH leads in claims rejection. They are notorious for it."
Indeed, and their online bot was programmed to automatically deny any claims submitted, I don't know if it still does since the CEO got mu---red.
A few years ago, having the option to choose between at least two or three different insurance providers was part of my Tell Dell survey. There were also significant issues with insurance at EMC when Dell attempted to change the system—many employees even threatened to leave the company over it, because our insurance is not that great compared to other insurances.
"actual coverage between Aetna and UHC isn't that different"
You couldn't be more wrong. UNH leads in claims rejection. They are notorious for it.
Dell is self insured. That means they pay all claims direct. UHC doesn't "pay" anything. They're just the Dell benefits manager.
Don't disagree that they are terrible. Aetna was. much better, but the actual coverage between Aetna and UHC isn't that different