The US Department of Labor has sued UMR, the administrator of Hennepin County’s health insurance plan. The federal government says UMR has routinely denied paying legitimate medical claims.
The government’s lawsuit mentions two types of claims UMR refused to pay: emergency room visits and urinary drug testing.
According to the text of the lawsuit, UMR at times “applied no standard and simply denied all claims.” Additionally, according to the lawsuit, “UMR’s explanation of benefits for denied emergency services claims also failed to comply with the requirements of the [Affordable Care Act] and the US Department of Labor’s… claims procedures regulation….” UMR broke the rules by denying claims and then improperly reported the denials to mistreated patients.
Emergency room visits can cost thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. Being on the hook for a bill like that is a risk we can’t afford. We simply can’t trust UMR. They lied about the health insurance plans they could offer us. And they don’t pay their bills.
Contact your county commissioner and county administrator today and tell them:
UMR must go! Hennepin County workers deserve better!