Recently announced by United HealthCare is a unfathomable restriction that forces patients into using ONLY a Medtronic Insulin pump.
This type of competitive bidding to earn insurance favoritism is akin to medical malpractice. Since when did insurance earn the right to play the role of medical doctor.
“Having diabetes isn’t a choice. How people manage it should be,” said Kim Blickenstaff, president and CEO of Tandem Diabetes Care. “Insulin pumps are not a one-size fits all solution. Selecting which pump is the best fit for a person to manage their therapy needs should be a decision made between a person and their healthcare provider.”
The diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes arrives without a choice.
However, the means in which Type 1 Diabetes is managed is all about choice.
From Melissa Lee at A Sweet Life; "We stand with the community in renouncing this kind of competitive bidding and high stakes collusion. We stand for choice, for precision medicine, for tailored care. This has been coming at us for years and now it’s here. If you’re not a UHC member, please realize that your payer is next on the list."
Taking away that freedom will result in a potentially life-threatening 'one-size-fits-all' approach that reduces patients to care that may not have been prescribed or tailored to their own personal health needs.
"Our sense is that industry -- from manufacturers to physicians and patients -- will aggressively pushback on this policy change that allows no options for the patient in what is a very personal decision," wrote Danielle Antalffy, an analyst with Leerink Partners, in a research following the Tandem announcement. "We estimate that UnitedHealthcare represents 15% of total covered lives in the U.S."
United HealthCare Needs to Know that together we support the freedom of choice in our medical care. Contact information for the state of Michigan is provided below.
Provider Relations
Toll Free Phone: (877) 842-3210
Email: mi_pr_team@uhc.com
Email: mi_pr_team@uhc.com
All other states may be found HERE. United we stand with the DOC. #MyPumpMyChoice.
1 comment:
Shame on you, Medtronic. In my mind, you are more culpable than United Healthcare in this decision. A company committed to serving the needs of patients living with Type 1 surely understands how individual each case of Type 1 diabetes is, and the importance of personalized management and OPTIONS. I will never be a Medtronic customer based on this. Ever.
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