Christopher Weaver

Yeah, there's more than 60 million people in Medicare, and more than half of those are in Medicare Advantage at this point.

Yeah, there's more than 60 million people in Medicare, and more than half of those are in Medicare Advantage at this point.

Yeah, there's more than 60 million people in Medicare, and more than half of those are in Medicare Advantage at this point.

Medicare Advantage is sort of dominated by these huge insurance companies like United Health Group, Humana, Aetna, and Elevens.

Medicare Advantage is sort of dominated by these huge insurance companies like United Health Group, Humana, Aetna, and Elevens.

Medicare Advantage is sort of dominated by these huge insurance companies like United Health Group, Humana, Aetna, and Elevens.

I'm Chris Weaver.

I'm Chris Weaver.

I'm Chris Weaver.

I'm an investigative reporter at The Wall Street Journal.

I'm an investigative reporter at The Wall Street Journal.

I'm an investigative reporter at The Wall Street Journal.

What we found was that Medicare Advantage insurers were basically gaming the system to get paid billions of dollars more and at the same time creating barriers to accessing care.

What we found was that Medicare Advantage insurers were basically gaming the system to get paid billions of dollars more and at the same time creating barriers to accessing care.

What we found was that Medicare Advantage insurers were basically gaming the system to get paid billions of dollars more and at the same time creating barriers to accessing care.

In total, what we determined was that Medicare Advantage insurers over a three-year period had got paid $50 billion for diagnoses that they alone added to patients' records. And what astounded me was basically the magnitude and just the total amount of dollars that they were getting from sort of chasing that incentive to make people be sicker on paper.

In total, what we determined was that Medicare Advantage insurers over a three-year period had got paid $50 billion for diagnoses that they alone added to patients' records. And what astounded me was basically the magnitude and just the total amount of dollars that they were getting from sort of chasing that incentive to make people be sicker on paper.

In total, what we determined was that Medicare Advantage insurers over a three-year period had got paid $50 billion for diagnoses that they alone added to patients' records. And what astounded me was basically the magnitude and just the total amount of dollars that they were getting from sort of chasing that incentive to make people be sicker on paper.

Yeah, that's right. So we decided to dip into this area, which is just a huge portion of the federal budget, so we could see how these giant insurers were operating, what kind of care they were providing, and how much they were getting paid.

Yeah, that's right. So we decided to dip into this area, which is just a huge portion of the federal budget, so we could see how these giant insurers were operating, what kind of care they were providing, and how much they were getting paid.