HEALTH

Via  Scott McLart

What's News -  The government’s Medicare Advantage system uses private insurers like UnitedHealth to provide health benefits to seniors and disabled people, and pays the companies based on how sick patients are. More diagnoses make for higher sickness scores—and larger payments. Patients seen by UnitedHealth doctors had some of the biggest increases in sickness scores after moving from traditional Medicare to the company’s plans, a WSJ investigation found. UnitedHealth said that its practices lead to “more accurate diagnoses, greater availability of care and better health outcomes and prevention” and helped Medicare Advantage improve quality and reduce costs.