United Healthcare to buy Preferred Care Partners
 

Just noticed this news on Preferred Care's website.

Here's an article about that:

UnitedHealthcare buys Preferred Care, Medica HMOs - Florida - MiamiHerald.com

UHC is HUGE, and just got "huger."

They have a virtual stranglehold on the secondary insurance market.

They are neither easy nor pleasant to deal with.

Amen to that! I just finished a long stint with a chiropractor due to a pinched nerve in my neck and I had to fill out a 3 page form for UHC about every other week. We are currently on COBRA with them (lost my job last July) and on October 1st last year they increased our premiums by 33%. When I questioned why a single only went up by 15% but employee/spouse went up by 33% they gave me some story about how last year they undercharged so they had to make up for it this year. Hubby can't get regular private insurance due to pre-existing condition, so they pretty much have us over a barrel. Not sure what we are going to do when it runs out in January because hubby will only be 61 and me 60.