Published June 10, 2021
Dive Brief:
UnitedHealthcare, the biggest private payer in the U.S., is delaying a controversial policy that could retroactively deny emergency room bills it deems non-emergent — potentially saddling patients with costly medical bills — following intense backlash from patient advocates and hospital groups.
"Based on feedback from our provider partners and discussions with medical societies, we have decided to delay the implementation of our emergency department policy until at least the end of the national public health emergency period," UnitedHealthcare tweeted on Thursday.
UnitedHealthcare said it planned to use the time to "educate consumers, customers and providers on the new policy and help ensure that people visit an appropriate site of service for non-emergency care needs." The payer has estimated the policy could lead to as many as one in every 10 claims being rejected.