Original subtitles

[cheering and applause]

>> john: welcome, welcome,

Welcome to last week tonight!

Ire back!

And we've missed a lot since

We've been away.

The iran war continued to

Escalate, with no end in sight,

We learned don junior's wedding

Weekend was bankrolled by a

Russian oligarch-- but don't

Worry, his dad says he paid it

All back, so nothing to see

There-- and ted cruz went on

Espn's college game day, where

The crowd gave him the exact

Reception he deserves:

>> they're producing enormous

Value and enormous skill, but it

Also puts reasonable rules in

Place, so for example, every

Player gets one free trade.

>> john: i do not like that man

Ted cruz.

I do not like him on the news.

I do not like him talking

Sports.

I do not like him wearing

Shorts.

I do not like him on tv, i do

Not like him trying to flee.

I do not like him in a tux, but

I love him being told he sucks.

[cheering and applause]

Also this week, kash patel

Appeared before the senate

Judiciary committee and answered

Questions about changes to fbi

Hiring rules, making certain

Types of conduct that had

Previously be disqualifying,

Suddenly potentially okay

And one of those types of

Conduct was pretty striking.

>> why would you even get into

Bestiality?

>> we are not into bestiality.

>> john: look, if you ever find

Yourself defensively saying "we

Are not 'into' bestiality",

You've already lost the

Argument.

And incredibly, that exchange

Continued:

>> these changes didn't start

With you, did they?

>> no.

>> someone came to you and

Recommended them?

>> yeah.

And when you saw bestiality-- i

Say this with respect-- the

Person who recommended it, why

Didn't you just say, "what

Planet did you parachute in

From?

Why do i want to lead with my

Chin and get into bestiality?"

>> john: that's amazing.

I just wish kennedy had kept

Going on.

"mr. Patel, explained what

Constitutes bestiality.

Hand job?

Mouth stuff?

Also, exactly when does gentle

Petting crossed the line?

And please, speak into the

Microphone so history can

Remember your answer."

And look, i'd absolutely love to

Spend the rest of the show

Talking about that exchange.

I have a particular set of

Skills, and discussing that clip

For forty minutes would finally

Utilize all of them.

You think i don't want to show

You a clip of the ass-shaking

Donkeys from encanto live at the

Hollywood bowl?

Of course i do!

You think i don't want to show

You that other clip of kennedy

Talking about sex that we're all

Thinking about right now?

>> i can't wait to have your

Cock--

>> john: stop!

Stop!

We don't have time for it!

And i don't like it either, but

We don't have time!

Unfortunately, we have something

Different planned this week.

Because we're actually going to

Dive straight in with our main,

And only story tonight, which

Concerns health insurance.

The thing supposed to cover

Anything bad that happens to

Your body, except eyes and

Teeth, as those cost extra.

They're the guacamole of the

Face.

Specifically, we're going to

Talk about united healthcare,

The country's largest insurance

Company.

As you undoubtedly know, almost

Two years ago, its then-ceo,

Brian thompson, was shot in

Midtown manhattan while going to

An investor conference.

And that killing was,

Noticeably, not exactly met with

Universal sympathy.

In fact, in some quarters, there

Was even support for luigi

Mangione, the suspect who's

Since admitted to the shooting.

>> this ivy league hottie named

Luigi is the robin hood that we

Never knew that we needed.

>> this is like a regular,

Everyday person becoming our

Hero, our vigilante.

>> universal health care now or

Free luigi.

>> john: yeah, luigi had a lot

Of fans, many of whom-- like

That guy-- supported him by

Wearing green hats.

Which must be so weird for

Nintendo.

This guy's been mario's sidekick

For decades without controversy,

It'd be like finding out every

Mario kart game had oj simpson

As a playable character.

But that was just the beginning.

A sign depicting luigi as a

Saint was projected on a new

York building like his album was

About to drop.

And supporters showed up at his

Arraignment dressed in shirts

That said things like "i love

Italian boys," and "cougars for

Luigi."

And, look, let's just get this

Straight out of the way: luigi

Is hot.

There's no way around that.

In fact, he's so hot, they even

Had to acknowledge it on the

News:

>> so much of, you know, the

Clips we were watching at the

Top of this segment are driven

By the fact that this is-- this

Is an attractive person.

>> you know, we've got to drop

The banner to show why.

>> and it is deeply troubling

That we are celebrating this

Person who's committed cold

Blooded murder--

>> yeah.

>> because, you know, he clearly

Went to the gym.

>> john: yeah, someone on that

Panel said, "drop the banner",

So viewers could understand the

Full extent of luigi's

Attractiveness.

Cheeky pecs peeking out is

Insufficient.

We are the fourth estate and we

Will show all four rows of abs.

But it's not "just" that luigi

Was handsome.

One reason many found it hard to

Completely condemn the murder is

That so many americans are

Furious with united healthcare.

In fact, shortly after the

Shooting, when a poll asked "how

Much responsibility do you think

Each of the following had for

The killing?"

78% said the killer held some

Responsibility, which, of

Course.

But 69% also blamed "denials for

Health care coverage by health

Insurance companies".

In fact, one of united's

Executives even coincidentally

Alluded to public anger at the

Investor meeting taking place

"on the day of the murder", and

Claimed it was all misdirected:

>> in no way you would design

Something as complicated and as

Contradictory and as difficult

To navigate as the system we all

Find ourselves in today, because

Nobody designed it.

It simply evolved.

>> john: oh, i get it, it's not

United's fault the system's like

This.

Nobody designed it.

It just evolved naturally.

It presumably all started when

This nasty bitch crawled out of

The ocean and therefore,

Regrettably, out of network.

And not long after that, that

Same guy gave an address to his

Company's employees, and offered

A pretty direct piece of advice.

>> i'd encourage you to tune out

That critical noise that we're

Hearing right now.

>> john: wow.

If someone shooting your

Insurance division's ceo won't

Make you listen to 'critical

Noise,' i'm not sure anything

Will.

Because it's pretty much the

Ultimate yelp review.

That man's andrew witty, and at

That point he was the ceo of

Unitedhealth group.

That's the company that owns

United healthcare, y'know, in

The same way that alphabet owns

Google or benson boone owns

Backflipping.

I know other people must have

Backflipped before him, but i

Cannot name a single one.

And, while you're undoubtedly

Familiar with united healthcare

As an insurer, because it served

Almost 50 million people last

Year, you may be less aware of

The sheer scope of its parent

Company, united health group.

Last year, it took in $447

Billion, making it the third

Largest company by revenue in

The u.s.

That's behind only amazon and

Walmart, and above apple.

It's almost unimaginably

Massive, as it doesn't just own

United healthcare, it now also

Has subsidiaries touching almost

Every aspect of our healthcare

System.

In fact, as the washington post

Put it, "in many parts of the

Country, a patient could be a

Unitedhealth customer from

Cradle to grave, starting with

Obstetric care and ending with

Hospice services."

And you should know: that was

Their aim all along.

In fact, in 2007, unitedhealth

Group's then-ceo, stephen

Hemsley-- who recently returned

To that role-- said the company

Was trying to be "a health care

System unto itself."

Which is a pretty far cry from

"hey, nobody designed this, the

System just evolved naturally

From the fertile crescent of

Mesopotamia."

And the very fact that one

Company controls so much of

America's healthcare is what

Makes it so infuriating when you

See just how bad people's

Experiences with it can be.

In fact, if you just search for

"united healthcare" on tiktok,

It won't take you long to find

Videos like these:

>> i am frustrated.

I'm living in pain.

And you guys are denying

Everything.

What is wrong with you?

United healthcare, get it the

Fuck together.

>> i have a surgery that's been

Canceled four times due to

United healthcare denying a

Claim.

>> i want somebody to go tell

United healthcare to eat a giant

Dick.

>> john: yeah, "telling united

Healthcare to go fuck itself"

Has become an entire genre of

Internet video, like "unboxing

Products" or "horny whispering"

Or "someone doing a dance trend

With their friend who's not

Quite as good at dancing as they

Are, which you feel is why they

Picked that friend in the first

Place."

And look, luigi's upcoming

Sentencing is obviously going to

Get a lot of media attention.

But it's important that noise

Doesn't drown out the broader

Frustration with united that his

Case also revealed.

So given all that, tonight,

Let's talk about unitedhealth

Group.

How it makes so much money, how

Big it's gotten, and what that

Means for all of us.

And let's start with the aspect

Of united you're probably most

Familiar with, the fact its

Insurance division has a

Well-earned reputation for

Denying claims.

So much so, in fact, the shell

Casings for the bullets fired at

Brian thompson were inscribed

With "deny, delay, depose"-- a

Reference to a common criticism

Of the insurance industry that

They "delay, deny, defend".

Basically, delay processing

Claims, deny paying them out,

And, if necessary, then defend

That denial.

Now, united will say that's

Completely unfair.

It loves to repeat the argument

That it actually pays out 98% of

All "eligible" claims under the

Terms of members' plans.

Which sounds great!

But remember, the company itself

Is the one determining what is

And isn't "eligible."

And the glimpses of data that

Are publicly available suggest a

Very different picture.

For instance, when kff examined

A group of 37 million claims

Under united's obamacare plans,

They found that in 2024, nearly

One in five in-network claims

Were denied.

But it's not just denials,

There's also the practice of the

Company requiring "prior

Authorization" for certain

Treatments, which can be the

Bane of both patients' and

Doctors' existence.

Just listen to this doctor who

Had to get permission from

United to prescribe someone a

Cheap, basic blood pressure

Drug.

>> i just got a prior

Authorization from

Unitedhealthcare for lisinopril.

I hope the whole board at

Unitedhealthcare gets diarrhea

Tonight.

>> john: yeah, i get it.

And in the interest of balance,

I should say that man doesn't

Speak for all doctors.

In fact, one actually issued a

Response to that video, that

Took a different tack:

>> now, as frustrating as it is

For us to have to do prior

Authorizations and other

Ridiculous paperwork for the

Insurance companies, i don't

Think as healthcare

Professionals, it is appropriate

For us to be wishing ill upon

Other people.

Except for the board of united

Healthcare.

Yes, may they have explosive

Diarrhea, not just tonight, but

Every night.

[cheering and applause]

>> john: perfect.

In fact, i'll go a step further.

I hope they get diarrhea every

Night and then have to pay a

Fuck ton of money out of pocket

To treat it because the

Gastrointenstinal distress

Associated with the guilt of

Being a healthcare executive

Turns out to be a pre-existing

Condition.

And on the patient side,

Fighting claim denials or

Seeking "prior authorizations"

Can be a massive time suck, too.

Take these parents, whose

Workplace insurance is

Administered by united, and

Whose child has a rare

Neurological disorder:

>> your experience with your

Insurer, if you had to sum it up

In one word, what would that

Word be?

>> frustrating.

Like her physical and

Occupational therapy, it's the

Same claim every month, and

Every month they'll deny it

Because instead of looking at

All of her diagnosis, they look

At the top line and go punch it

In the computer and say, nope,

Denied.

>> it's hours a week, if not

More.

>> and every time we have to

Call in it's a different claims

Rep we have to deal with.

>> to bathe without drowning,

Emmy needs to be strapped into

This chair.

Amid the maddening fight to get

One covered, carrie says a

Unitedhealthcare rep had this

Suggestion.

>> they said that we should find

A way to give her a bath, either

Us getting in the bath with her

Or just wiping her down was

Sufficient enough.

>> john: wipe her down?

She's not an iphone you just

Sneezed on, she's a fucking

Human being.

And while thankfully, those

Parents did finally get that

Chair, it was only after a

Prolonged back-and-forth.

In fact, when their daughter

Outgrew that chair and needed a

New one that cost $1,800, they

Opted to skip the hassle of

Dealing with united again, and

Paid for it with donations

Coordinated by his employer.

But at that point, having

Insurance sure looks an awful

Lot like not having it.

Because if you're paying

Premiums, but still having to

Take up a collection for medical

Equipment, what exactly is

Insurance for?

They're just sending you mail

You don't want to open, and

Forcing you to have phone calls

That make you angry, and we all

Know that's supposed to be your

Nana's job.

"no, new york's not under sharia

Law, nana.

Also, what do you mean, i 'sound

Like i put on weight', how's

That possible?"

And the thing is, far too often,

United's denials can seem to be

Completely at odds with medical

Advice patients are getting.

Take this story, of a woman who

Was fighting cervical cancer:

>> several years ago, kate

Weissman was diagnosed with

Cancer.

Because her cancer was so close

To her vital organs, her doctors

Wanted to use a very special

Type of treatment called proton

Beam radiation therapy.

Basically, the radiation is

Beamed exactly where it needs to

Go and it protects the organs.

But guess what?

Her insurance company,

Unitedhealthcare, said, nope,

We're not paying for it.

>> john: yeah, that's maddening.

That woman's own doctors got

Overruled by people who had no

Experience with her case.

Which is ridiculous.

It's kind of like how sex ed at

Catholic school is taught not by

Medical professionals, but by

Sister henrietta, who's never

Even had sex.

Except for, y'know, that one

Summer in italy.

The convent sent her there to

Study, but it was so hot, and

The sea was so sweet, and

Valentina was so beautiful.

They spoke in different tongues,

But connected in a way that

Transcends language.

It was perfect, pure, one could

Even say holy, but all too

Brief.

And when the air cooled, and

They parted for the final time,

The pain was like nothing she'd

Ever known.

To this day, whenever she sees a

Shock of red hair, she yearns to

Sprint down the street, to spin

Valentina around, to take her

Face in her hands.

But each time, she lets the

Moment pass.

They probably wouldn't even

Recognize each other now.

And yet henrietta still keeps

Her greatest treasure, a secret

Between the pages of her bible:

A white lily, browned and

Brittled with time, nestled in

The book of psalms.

And that's why you should never,

Ever have sex.

Not even once!

[cheering and applause]

Now, united healthcare insisted

In that woman's case that "three

Independent radiation

Oncologists agreed that proton

Beam therapy was not safer or

More effective than the proven

Standard of care."

But here's the thing about that,

Highly-esteemed oncologists

Advocating on her behalf,

Including five who also teach at

Harvard medical school, with the

Sixth, presumably, sick of

Having to hear about how the

Other five teach at harvard

During every fucking

Conversation.

Meanwhile, one of united's

Ob-gyns who helped deny that

Woman's appeals wasn't even

Board-certified in gynecologic

Oncology.

She did, however, co-found a

Tattoo laser removal business

And apparently once violated the

State's medical code by allowing

An unlicensed individual to

Perform laser-based procedures.

And i'll be honest, i personally

Wouldn't want my cancer

Treatment being decided by that

Person, even if they are

Probably destined to become

Deputy secretary of health and

Human services.

Now, in the end, her parents

Paid $95,000 out of pocket to

Cover the treatment, which, in

Happy news, did actually work!

But having access to wealthy

Parents just cannot be the

System to get badly-needed

Healthcare.

Even if it is, apparently, the

System that lets you be in

Charge of hbo.

Yeah, my soon-to-be business

Daddy has a literal business

Daddy.

And, to be very clear, i deeply

Respect that.

And i'd never make fun of you

For it, unlike that pesky

Stephen colbert.

And, look, it's frustrating

Enough when united's medical

Experts are coming to bad

Decisions.

But in some cases, there's

Evidence people are barely

Involved at all.

Because former employees of one

United company have said that,

When determining how long to

Cover patients' stays in skilled

Nursing facilities to recover

From injuries, they'd rely

Heavily on an algorithm called

"nh predict", which would

Routinely come up with a date

Earlier than they felt was

Appropriate under medicare

Guidelines.

And as this former case manager

Explains, there were real

Problems if she tried to contest

That.

>> you've got all this

Experience.

Can you use your human judgment

Instead if you saw that it was

Wrong?

>> wouldn't that be great?

Unfortunately, no.

The expectation was i would stay

Within 3% of that estimated

Discharge date.

But by the time i stopped

Working, it was down to 1%.

>> one percent.

>> john: it's true!

And employees have said

Deviating from that one percent

Could mean exposing themselves

To discipline, including

Possible termination.

And look, unitedhealth group

Will claim those were

S medical

Directors, and that they were

Consistent with medicare

Coverage criteria."

But, here's the thing - if a

Company essentially forbids its

Case managers from deviating

More than 1% from an algorithm,

That company is run by an

Algorithm.

And that is very dangerous,

Because as we all know,

Algorithms can make huge

Mistakes.

It's why, for instance, hbo

Suggested that you watch this

Show after you caught up with

Euphoria.

Why would it do that?

No one's hot here, no one's on

Drugs, and no one's getting

Laid.

I am the ontological opposite of

Euphoria.

And look, everything you've seen

So far is basically par for the

Course in the insurance

Industry.

United may be worse in some

Ways, but they're not much of an

Outlier.

Where united's genuinely

Different, though, is in its

Size.

Because, remember: it's the

Third largest company in

America.

And the way it got that big was

By expanding into other,

Non-insurance areas of

Healthcare.

Over the years, it's engaged in

Something called "vertical

Integration."

Basically, instead of acquiring

More and more competitors in the

Insurance field, united's

Focused on acquiring more and

More parts of the healthcare

Industry.

And to be fair, it's not the

Only company doing this.

Cvs health, for instance, has

Built a similar

Vertically-integrated behemoth

As, in addition to its

Drugstores, it also owns a

Massive insurer, aetna, and a

Pharmacy benefit manager, cvs

Caremark, while also having its

Own medical clinics, all of whom

Subtly share the same heart in

Their logo.

And honestly?

I do appreciate that.

When i'm picking up my

Prescriptions at cvs after

Spending 45 minutes asking

Someone to unlock every shelf

For me, it is nice to feel

Loved.

I'm so sorry for wanting to shop

At your store.

But amazingly, united is even

Bigger.

It has about 2700 subsidiaries,

Including "primary care clinics,

Surgical centers, urgent care

Centers, home health agencies,

Hospice agencies, mental health

Agencies, a pharmacy benefit

Manager and plenty more."

To name just a few.

Through its subsidiary optum,

Unitedhealth group directly

Employs about 9,000 physicians,

And has non-exclusive contracts

With some 80,000 more.

Meanwhile, another united

Subsidiary, optumrx, manages 62

Million patients' prescriptions.

The company even has its own

Bank, optum bank, which has

Twenty billion dollars in

Assets.

And the company will claim that

All of its acquisitions have

Helped it "coordinate and align

Incentives" to deliver what

Industry leaders refer to as

"value-based care."

And that notion-- that all its

Subsidiaries really add up to

More than the sum of their parts

-- is something they love to

Hammer home in upbeat ads like

This one, about the company's

Prescription benefits:

>> before mark even picks up his

Prescription, unitedhealth group

Goes into action.

Mark's doctor gets real-time

Information to prescribe the

Most effective, lowest cost

Medication.

Mark's medical and pharmacy

Information are connected,

Allowing clinical experts to

Hone-in on any possible risks

With the prescription.

And mark's about to get a

Discount at the counter.

Working behind the scenes to

Ensure quality and savings.

This is what healthcare can do

When it's caring and smart.

Unitedhealth group.

>> john: well that sounds nice,

Doesn't it!

It almost makes united seem more

Like a farm-to-table restaurant

Instead of a massive

Data-sharing panopticon.

But owning all these companies

Is hugely helpful to united's

Bottom line, and in ways you

Might not expect.

For instance, if you ask united

Healthcare, the insurer, they'll

Insist they barely make money at

All.

They'll claim their insurance

Profits are only around five

Percent.

They'll also point out that

Their insurance profits are

Capped, because under the

Affordable care act, they're

Required to spend 80 to 85% of

The premiums they collect

Directly on patient care, or on

Quality improvements.

What they don't say quite as

Loudly, though, is that that

Only applies to the insurance

Side of the company.

Unitedhealth "group", on the

Other hand, makes a shit-ton of

Money.

And one of the key ways it can

Do that is through its

Vertically integrated model,

Because it's often on both sides

Of billions of dollars in

Transactions.

Very basically, when united's

Insurance arm is paying out that

Mandatory 80 to 85 percent on

Healthcare, the company on the

Other end of that transaction is

Often also united.

And it can use its ownership of

One part of the healthcare

System, very much to its

Advantage in another.

Take "upcoding".

It's the practice of making a

Patient look as sick as possible

On paper, to make more money.

For an example of this concept,

Just watch this scene from the

Fox medical drama "the

Resident", where an outside

Consultant is telling a roomful

Of doctors how she wants them to

Upcode:

>> now, to simplify, doctors and

Nurses at chastain need to

Charge more per procedure.

For example, ear infection.

Typically billed to insurance as

Service code one at about...

Yeah?

>> $200.

>> but what if that ear

Infection took a trip to the

Brain?

That's now a code four.

Serious.

Costly.

We can bill in the thousands.

Illness is unpredictable, so

Billing must be proactive.

Right?

It's called upcoding.

Think... "cute."

Code.

Up.

To.

Excellence.

>> john: yeah, turns out

Upcoding is so common, they're

Making fun of it on network tv.

Which is just wild to me.

It's being explained in the same

Place where people watch

"survivor", "dancing with the

Stars" and "tracker".

Oh, you've never heard of

"tracker"?

Over 16 million people watch it.

More people have watched

"tracker" than have ever watched

A single episode of this show.

What's it about?

I dunno, jeremy tracker tracking

Things?

There's no way to know.

But people fucking love it.

And while it's not strictly

Necessary to understand the rest

Of this story, i'd be remiss if

I didn't tell you that, in that

Same episode, that consultant

Gets in trouble after ordering a

Patient get an expensive mri he

Doesn't need, and then this

Happens:

>> mr. Reynolds, do you know how

An mri works?

It has incredibly powerful

Magnets.

Magnets that will rip anything

Metal out of your body.

Anything at all.

Do you have anything metal in

Your body, mr. Reynolds?

Mr. Reynolds has a penile

Implant, a metal-based penile

Implant.

How much is your penis worth to

You, mr. Reynolds?

Say, in a lawsuit?

A million dollars?

Five million dollars?

>> stop the machine!

>> john: yes!

More shows should be brave

Enough to have a character ask

The question, "how much is your

Penis worth to you?"

You know how many times "the

Pitt" has asked that?

Fucking zero.

Take back that emmy.

Now, in that clip, doctors were

The ones being encouraged to

Upcode so their hospital could

Charge insurers more.

But as we discussed in our

Episode on medicare advantage,

Insurance companies can also

Benefit from upcoding, to get

More money from the government.

Very basically, under medicare

Advantage, the government will

Pay insurers a higher rate for

Patients with more serious

Conditions.

That was meant to discourage

Them from cherry-picking only

The healthiest people.

But obviously, that also means

That the sicker insurance

Companies can make their

Customers look, the more money

They can then claim.

And it turns out, as

Unitedhealth has gobbled up

Medical practices through its

Optum subsidiary, doctors at

Those clinics have said it's

Placed enormous pressure on them

To code patients intensively.

Although, fun fact, they don't

Use the acronym "cute".

That would obviously be

Ridiculous.

Instead, their coding guidebook

Tells doctors to use the

Mnemonic "treatment, assessment,

Monitor, plan, evaluation, and

Referral", or "tamper."

And i don't know, guys.

Personally, i might've picked an

Acronym with a less negative

Connotation.

Because what kinds of things

Does someone tamper with?

So far i've got evidence, and,

End of list.

And while united will claim they

Have robust safeguards to ensure

Accurate coding, it's reportedly

Pressured its doctors to code as

Many conditions as possible by

Offering bonuses to those who

Coded aggressively, and

Reviewing the performance of

Those who weren't coding as

Much.

In fact, doctors have even

Described being emailed a kind

Of "leaderboard" that compared

Them locally, and nationally, by

The percentage of their medicare

Advantage patients that they'd

Diagnosed with certain chronic

Diseases.

And all this aggressive coding

Has made united a fuckton of

Money.

In fact, one study found it

Receives 12 billion dollars a

Year in additional payments

Because of "higher coding

Intensity" alone.

And that's by no means the only

Way united pressures doctors.

Those in formerly independent

Practices acquired by optum have

Said it's also overhauled their

Schedules, with some required to

See three to four patients an

Hour, and complaining they

Barely found time to eat or pee.

In fact, one doctor in

Massachusetts who retired after

Optum acquired her practice

Said, "i feel just like an

Amazon warehouse worker, where

All i'm doing is 20 minutes, 20

Minutes, 20 minutes, 20

Minutes."

Which obviously isn't great!

Doctors shouldn't feel like

Amazon warehouse workers.

Not even amazon warehouse

Workers should feel like amazon

Warehouse workers, but that's a

Story for another show we've

Already done.

And the thing is, because

United's so massive, even

Doctors who don't work directly

For them can wind up negatively

Impacted by them, and sometimes

In surprising ways.

Take "change healthcare."

It's a united-owned

Clearinghouse that processes

More than a third of all u.s.

Claims between pharmacies,

Doctors, hospitals and insurers.

That's a lot!

But there are real hazards to

Letting one company be that

Dominant.

Something that became painfully

Clear in february 2024, when it

Was subject to a massive russian

Ransomware attack.

>> at this busy new hyde park

Medical practice, claims cannot

Get submitted, doctors aren't

Getting paid, procedures aren't

Getting needed

Pre-authorization.

Change health, owned by

Unitedhealth, which handles much

Of the nation's medical records,

Was hacked three weeks ago.

>> a huge part of that system is

Down, and the people responsible

For making it work aren't

Stepping up to the plate.

>> ronald laszlo went 10 days

Without medicine he needs to

Prevent a transplanted kidney

From being rejected, because the

Pharmacy couldn't get

Authorization.

>> the bottom line is, it could

Kill you.

>> john: that's obviously awful.

But what makes it especially

Infuriating is that apparently,

One reason the system was so

Easy to hack is that the

Company's portal did not have

Multi-factor authentication.

Which is just insane.

As a rule, medical record

Platforms should be required to

Have operational security at

Least as good as the buffalo

Wild wings app.

And notice i didn't even say

Better, there.

I just said at least as good as

The app that lets you order a

Bacon-smashed hatch chili burger

With a whole chocolate fudge

Cake for dessert.

At least meet that fucking bar.

Now, the good news for all those

Doctors' offices whose

Businesses were massively

Disrupted by that hack is that

United-- through its bank

Subsidiary-- quickly offered

Them no-interest bridge loans.

Basically, it was using one part

Of its company to clean up a

Mess that another part had just

Made.

Unfortunately, the bank then

Caused a different problem by

Demanding full repayment of

Those loans little more than a

Year later, even threatening to

Withhold insurance payments from

If providers

Didns

Doctor, to get him a

Prescription for a more

Affordable alternative.

Which they apparently didn't.

But the thing is, even if they

Had, as anyone who's ever dealt

With an overworked doctor's

Office can tell you, getting a

New prescription isn't a quick

Process.

It takes time.

And unfortunately, cole needed

Those meds immediately.

Because i'll let his father pick

Up the story from there.

>> he says cole called him

Minutes after leaving the

Walgreens.

>> i could sense that, you know,

He was having an asthma attack.

His purpose of the call was

Simply to ask about his

Insurance.

And i said, don't worry about

That, just get to the hospital.

>> a roommate drove cole to the

Hospital, but cole was

Unconscious by the time they got

There.

He died days later.

>> he couldn't get his advair

That night and we were told by

His roommate that it was over

$500, and, you know, cole had to

Make a decision that night of

Paying that exorbitant price for

His medicine or other bills, and

Apparently he-- well, not

Apparently, he walked out

Without it.

>> john: that's an absolute

Tragedy.

And it was completely

Preventable.

This is the richest country in

The history of the world, and

Yet, for some reason, our

Current health system still

Forces people to walk away from

Medicine that will literally

Keep them alive, because they

Can't afford it.

So what can we do about all

This?

Well, i'd argue the broadest

Solution is to find a way to

Transition to a single payer

Healthcare system.

That would solve many of the

Problems you've seen tonight.

[cheering and applause]

And though getting anywhere

Close to that feels a

Ridiculously long way off, i

Don't think it's unreasonable to

Say that at the very least,

Unitedhealth group should not be

Allowed to exist in the form it

Currently does.

[cheering and applause]

There's actually a bipartisan

Bill right now, sponsored by

Elizabeth warren and josh

Hawley, that'd separate the

Payer and provider roles in

Healthcare, so that united

Couldn't be in the situation

Where it can just pay itself.

And while that's clearly not

Going nearly far enough, it's at

Least a start.

And i know united may well

Continue to try to "tune out the

Critical noise", or argue that

"nobody designed this system, it

Just evolved."

But what's clear is that

Everyone but them wants it to

Work very differently.

Because right now, the way

Companies like united exist,

They're at best pointless,

Time-wasting middlemen, and at

Worst, algorithmically driven,

Ruthless arbiters of who lives

And who dies.

And until such time as they've

Made significant changes-- or,

Much more likely, had those

Changes forced upon them--

Then, in the words of my new

Favorite health care provider:

>> may they have explosive

Diarrhea, not just tonight, but

Every night.

[cheering and applause]

>> john: exactly.

And now, this.

>> announcer: and now, behold

The symphony of chaos that is

Postgame interviews at women's

College softball.

>> i knew i had to come through

With my team.

I feel like this year more than

Ever, i have kind of been

-- i. Have taken on kind of a

Leadership role.

I know i had to get it done.

And i was just thinking about

Megan and this team, and how

Much they have had my back this

Whole year.

I just wanted to make something

Happen.

>> no, i think it's just

Trusting my preparation and the

Coaches.

Just having a plan for us and

Getting us ready to compete, you

Know?

>> caroline, you had great

Speed, you had great movement,

Just hitting some key spots.

Tell me about the sort of

Scouting report.

>> whoever we have to play next

Week, we will prepare.

Cages, everything we need to do

For whoever we play.

>> did you know coming up to the

Plate in your final at bat, you

Were only a double play away?

I don't think you heard that,

Did you come xp when i heard a

Little bit.

>> you had to battle through a

Lot.

What is a game like this evening

Mean for you to come out and be

So dominating?

>> i'm just so blessed.

I want to give all the credit to

My lord and savior.

>> we try every day to be there

For each other and have each

Other's backs.

>> coming into it, we knew that

They would be a great team, they

Would attack.

>> we are going to come back and

Get this run right here, but we

Never have doubt in our dugout.

>> i think it was just our

Preparation before.

We watched a lot of film before

The game, we were super excited

To get to it.

We couldn't wait to start

Playing this week.

So we were just super excited

And focused on that.

All of us were excited for each

Other's success and we thought

Yesterday we were ready to see

It.

We saw a lot of it at the mound,

They all came through.

[cheering and applause]

>> john: that's our show,

Thanks so much for watching,

We'll see you next week.

Good night!

Thanks, that was obviously a

Tough show to put together.

Unitedhealthcare is a difficult

Opponent.

But we just tried to be there

For each other.

I really want to thank megan and

The whole team, all of us were

Really excited for each other's

Success.

We never have doubt in our

Dugout.

That's something i always say.

We never have doubt in our

Dugout, that's my classic