Unusual phone request from UHC/AARP

[RetMD21]

I'm as cynical as the next guy, but it is very possible to both benefit the company and the patient.


Let's say the NP comes out for a home visit and finds that there is no shower chair and the patient explains that they have trouble getting up from the toilet, so the NP orders a shower chair and an elevated toilet seat. Costs the patient nothing and makes life a little better and safer for them, possibly preventing future falls which would cost the company far more than a couple of cheap pieces of medical equipment.

I'd be interested to hear if this has ever happened. I don't think the NP ever orders anything but perhaps sends the primary care a report to review in his/her spare time.

 

[Teacher Terry]

My primary doctor is employed by the hospital system and is part of a ACO. They have sent letters and asked when I go to appointment if I will voluntarily let them manage my care and I say absolutely not. I purposely use the urgent care in an entirely different system to maintain my ability to use any system that I want to. It’s the reason that I pay for a supplement plan.

If I didn’t love my doctor I would find a doctor outside this medical system. This is the first step to slowly taking away people’s choice of healthcare providers for regular Medicare. The last administration started the ACO program and the current administration has expanded it. The goal is to have many people within the ACO program by 2030.

 

[RetiredHappy]

The last administration started the ACO program and the current administration has expanded it. The goal is to have many people within the ACO program by 2030.

ACO was actually started by 2 administrations ago when ACA was signed into law and introduced in the several hundred pages of ACA. Cost savings will be shared with the provider organization.

 

[Katsmeow]

How about telling them they should supplement gym memberships and other exercise equipment/programs since that will likely reduce their net costs.

I have an AARP UHC Supplement (Plan G) and they give me Active Renew which does give free gym memberships. That said, some gyms are "Premium" and you only get on a Medicare Advantage plan. They aren't gyms I want so I don't mind.

There is one thing I am sore about but I doubt it is AARP or UHC's fault. When we lived in Texas the YMCA was a free gym and I liked it. So I planned to do that when we moved to Delaware. However, the YMCA here is not on Active Renew. I suspect this is a choice made by YMCA in Delaware as I can get a YMCA free membership if I am willing to drive 25 minutes to one in Pennsylvania. Since there is a good free commercial gym 5 minutes from me I will do that. But it irks me I can't get the local YMCA free.

 

[Exchme]

We're not Medicare age, instead we're on a private BCBS plan and got this type of call. They wanted to ask me health questions to discuss their services. I just said, "I'm not comfortable giving out this information, you called me, so I don't know for sure that you're legitimate. I'm hanging up now."

It seemed 99.9% that the call was legit, but I've already read their brochures, so I doubt we're missing out on anything important.

 

[OldShooter]

W ... I don't know for sure that you're legitimate. I'm hanging up now." ... I doubt we're missing out on anything important.

I don't say anything. If Ooma doesn't catch the junk call, I just hang up. Someone's having my phone number doesn't create any obligation on my part.

 

[Buckeye]

I have an AARP UHC Supplement (Plan G) and they give me Active Renew which does give free gym memberships. That said, some gyms are "Premium" and you only get on a Medicare Advantage plan. They aren't gyms I want so I don't mind.

There is one thing I am sore about but I doubt it is AARP or UHC's fault. When we lived in Texas the YMCA was a free gym and I liked it. So I planned to do that when we moved to Delaware. However, the YMCA here is not on Active Renew. I suspect this is a choice made by YMCA in Delaware as I can get a YMCA free membership if I am willing to drive 25 minutes to one in Pennsylvania. Since there is a good free commercial gym 5 minutes from me I will do that. But it irks me I can't get the local YMCA free.

You can make a request on the UHC website that a facility be added. It might not help but you never know!

 

[Pluperfect]

I have an AARP UHC Supplement (Plan G) and they give me Active Renew which does give free gym memberships. That said, some gyms are "Premium" and you only get on a Medicare Advantage plan. They aren't gyms I want so I don't mind.

How did you find the ones that are only on Medicare Advantage? The Renew Active locator I use (renewactive.com) doesn't differentiate, that I can tell. I'm curious about which ones would participate in Advantage but not the supplement.

You can make a request on the UHC website that a facility be added. It might not help but you never know!

It's worth giving it a shot. Gyms do go in and out of the system.

The YMCA of Metropolitan Washington (D.C.) recently stopped participating in Renew Active. They sent an email saying they were not able to reach an agreement for the YMCA to continue offering Renew Active in 2024 "under the existing offering" (whatever that is) and our memberships expired 1-31-24.

As of 1-1-24, all Lifetime Fitness locations started limiting Renew Active members to only certain hours, except for Arora aqua classes (whatever those are).

I do kind of wonder if more gyms are going to start instituting restrictions; I could see them requiring payment for pickleball for Renew Active members. I was told by the membership director at a YMCA (not one in Washington) that Renew Active pays for only five visits per member per month at this YMCA, and after the member's fifth visit, they don't get paid anything. I wish I'd been bold enough to ask how much they get paid for the visits they do get paid for.

I really want to look under the hood of Renew Active and its participating gyms, but it's totally opaque. I'd like to know how much my robust Renew Active participation is costing them.

Oh, and I got the AARP/UHC call, too. I'm certain it's legit. But I ignored the message they left and they never called back.