WASHINGTON — A group of New York doctors is suing insurance giant UnitedHealthcare, charging that it booted doctors from its network to avoid cost hikes imposed by ObamaCare.
The company’s decision to kick more than 2,000 docs from its Medicare Advantage network threatens to harm elderly and disabled patients, according to the filing in Brooklyn federal court.
“By terminating numerous physicians from the . . . network, United seeks to stem financial losses occasioned by reduced federal payments under the Affordable Care Act,” the suit launched by the Medical Society of the State of New York claims.
“This, of course, comes at the expense of physicians,” the suit continues, arguing that the company violated doctors’ contracts by failing to give sufficient notice, among other things.
Tugging at the heartstrings, the suit specifically mentions elderly and disabled patients “who must now either find new physicians (including traveling farther distances to find a participating . . . provider), switch plans to continue treatment with the terminated physicians, or pay significant additional out-of-pocket costs to continue treatment with an ‘out-of-network’ provider.”
It accuses United of “shifting the financial burdens imposed by the Affordable Care Act from itself, a multibillion-dollar company,” to providers and patients.
Medical Society President Sam Unterricht told The Post the company’s decision was unfair to patients, since they had to choose a new plan under Medicare Advantage, a private alternative to traditional Medicare, by Dec. 7, when company Web sites still showed doctors who were being kicked out of the network at the start of the new year.
“For some people who are medically fragile it can really be dangerous. There can be gaps in care,” he said.
Unterricht said reduced Medicare Advantage payments to physicians are being used as a cost-saving measure to fund ObamaCare. He said docs would get paid 20 percent or even 40 percent less per patient.
“A lot of doctors are not going to be able to accept that and really give good medical care at that kind of a price,” he said.
UnitedHealthcare defended its decision to reduce its roster of doctors.
“The changes we are making to our network will encourage higher quality and more affordable Medicare coverage,” UnitedHealthcare said in a statement. “We will remain focused on serving our members and will continue to provide them a broad and comprehensive choice of doctors in New York.”
The Medicare Advantage savings used to help fund ObamaCare shaved nearly $200 billion over a decade under the law. Democrats have long complained that the program amounts to an overpriced subsidy to private companies and a burden to taxpayers.