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UnitedHealth sued over prescription drug co-pay costs
CNBC ^ | ‎10‎/‎5‎/‎2016‎

Posted on 10/05/2016 5:10:37 PM PDT by george76

UnitedHealth Group has been sued by three customers who accused the largest U.S. health insurer of charging co-payments for prescription drugs that were higher than their actual cost and pocketing the difference.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court in Minnesota by three UnitedHealth customers, seeks to represent a nationwide class that it says could include "tens of thousands" of people insured by UnitedHealth.

The lawsuit said Minnesota-based UnitedHealth and affiliated companies charged customers co-payments for drugs that were significantly higher than prices it negotiated with pharmacies for those drugs.

For example, the lawsuit claims, one class member paid a $50 co-payment for Sprintec, a contraceptive, while UnitedHealth paid the pharmacy only $11.65. The pharmacy was then required to hand the extra $38.85 over to UnitedHealth under its agreement with the insurer, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit claims that such a co-payment "is not a 'co-' payment for a prescription drug because the insurer is paying nothing," but is instead "a hidden additional premium."

(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; US: Minnesota
KEYWORDS: 0carenightmare; aarp; aca; lawsuit; obamacare; prescriptiondrugs; unitedhealth; zerocare
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1 posted on 10/05/2016 5:10:37 PM PDT by george76
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To: george76

AARP


2 posted on 10/05/2016 5:12:00 PM PDT by headstamp 2 (Fear is the mind killer.)
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To: george76

happened to wife with simvostatin

almost happened to me with hydroxyzine


3 posted on 10/05/2016 5:13:03 PM PDT by dp0622 (IThe only thing an upper crust conservative hates more than a liberal is a middle class conservative)
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To: george76

instead of 27 with health, they wanted to charge 200 lol


4 posted on 10/05/2016 5:13:44 PM PDT by dp0622 (IThe only thing an upper crust conservative hates more than a liberal is a middle class conservative)
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To: george76

My prescription card carrier said unless my doctor sent a lengthy explanation on why I was taking the drug he prescribed for me they would not pay any more towards it. I went to the pharmacy and asked what the cash price was without my prescription card and it was the same price. They weren’t paying anything.


5 posted on 10/05/2016 5:13:56 PM PDT by BipolarBob (My Maserati does 185.)
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To: george76

They should be sued for the outrageous co-pays for brand-name diabetes drugs. If it hasn’t been released as a generic, you are screwed.


6 posted on 10/05/2016 5:14:47 PM PDT by txrefugee
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To: dp0622

were you with United Health?


7 posted on 10/05/2016 5:15:03 PM PDT by BipolarBob (My Maserati does 185.)
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To: BipolarBob

YES!!


8 posted on 10/05/2016 5:18:20 PM PDT by dp0622 (IThe only thing an upper crust conservative hates more than a liberal is a middle class conservative)
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To: txrefugee
If it hasn’t been released as a generic, you are screwed.

I learned something from the epi-pen debacle that I didn't know. A pharmacy can PAY other pharmacies not to manufacture a generic drug so they can retain a monopoly. A bill was presented to Congress to make that illegal but they wouldn't pass it. That's the drug lobby money talking to our congress critters.

9 posted on 10/05/2016 5:18:32 PM PDT by BipolarBob (My Maserati does 185.)
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To: dp0622

Sounds like you need to contact these people to join for a class lawsuit over this.


10 posted on 10/05/2016 5:19:48 PM PDT by BipolarBob (My Maserati does 185.)
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To: BipolarBob

i’m not a class action kind if guy :)

unless injury or DEATH is involved like toyota covering up cars that stall out of nowhere.

I guess i’ll think about it


11 posted on 10/05/2016 5:21:34 PM PDT by dp0622 (IThe only thing an upper crust conservative hates more than a liberal is a middle class conservative)
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To: BipolarBob

More fig leaves for the wreck that is (and please God, may it soon be “WAS”) Obamacare. In a way it is hard to blame these pharma houses. What the right hand taketh away, they were told that the left hand shalt give.

It needs a businessman like Trump to look at this and say what a cluster eff, let’s stop the games and let business be business.


12 posted on 10/05/2016 5:22:00 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: dp0622
’m not a class action kind if guy :)

Normally I'm not either but these predators are committing fraud. They will continue to prey on people until they are stopped.

13 posted on 10/05/2016 5:22:57 PM PDT by BipolarBob (My Maserati does 185.)
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To: headstamp 2
AARP

I joined AARP briefly many years ago.

As soon as I learned that AARP was getting similar kickbacks, I immediately quit them.
Permanently.

14 posted on 10/05/2016 5:23:03 PM PDT by publius911 (IMPEACH HIM NOW evil, stupid, insane ignorant or just clueless, doesn't matter!)
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To: BipolarBob

THAT’S a valid point.

200 bucks compared to 27!!! :)

pharma is no better. Doctor gave me a script for enhanced folic acid. it was 200 bucks when the pharmacist brought it up to the counter!!!

i said keep it. And I got the regular 5 dollar bottle :)


15 posted on 10/05/2016 5:25:10 PM PDT by dp0622 (IThe only thing an upper crust conservative hates more than a liberal is a middle class conservative)
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To: george76

Happened to me.


16 posted on 10/05/2016 5:26:52 PM PDT by Trumpisourlastchance
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To: BipolarBob

Something “MIGHT” happen as a result, but I’d rather see the whole boat rebuilt rather than people suing one another over whose deck has the worst leaks in it.


17 posted on 10/05/2016 5:29:05 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: BipolarBob

And if that doesn’t work, the generic will never get approved by the FDA.


18 posted on 10/05/2016 5:29:30 PM PDT by RetiredTexasVet (The Mofia is a private crime family; whereas, the DOJ is the gov't's political crime family.)
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To: RetiredTexasVet

I get testosterone injectable, cheaper to pay cash at Walmart, copay amout was more. All depends on the medicine.


19 posted on 10/05/2016 5:39:29 PM PDT by rstrahan
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To: george76

I guess they didn’t read the contract. They should look on page 538, paragraph 46c.


20 posted on 10/05/2016 5:40:02 PM PDT by proxy_user
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