...UnitedHealthCare A deep dive into United States’ largest health carrier Report by : Guo F. Deng Jiarui Li Malavika Verma Srikanth S. Perinkulam : December’06, 2013 Published on afafaafa United Health Care Contents Company Profile and History ........................................................................................................................ 3 Financial Statement Analysis ........................................................................................................................ 5 Major Acquisitions ...................................................................................................................................... 11 Major Litigations and Public News.............................................................................................................. 13 The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) .......................................................................... 15 Strategies and Foresight ............................................................................................................................. 18 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................ 20 2 United Health Care Company Profile and History UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest health care companies in the United States. UnitedHealth Group is currently made of three entities which are UnitedHealthcare...
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...MAN 4653- 301 Global Business (Dr.Daaim Shabazz) 9:30-10:45 November 26, 2014 Global Business Journal Khan, Naureen, “Global tobacco marketing campaign accused of targeting minors”, america.aljazeera.com, March 11, 2014 According to a recent report, Marlboro's new ad campaign seemingly targets youth and has appeared in Argentina, China, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, the Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, United Kingdom and many other countries. A group of tobacco activists released a report recognizing how the “Be Marlboro” campaign is designed to appeal to minors. The report estimates that the company spent, at minimum, 62 million dollars on the campaign in 2012 (most recent figures). Be Marlboro targets legal-aged smokers, however campaign advertisements around the world emphasizes on youth-oriented images and themes that appeal to teenagers while featuring young attractive adolescent models partying, falling in love, traveling, and being adventurous and cool. Advertisements appeared in Germany in 2011 but were banned in October 2013 after regional authorities confirmed that that the campaign violated Germany’s tobacco control laws pertaining to marketing to youth. Marlboro claims that the marketing and advertising is aimed toward adult smokers and is in compliance with local regulations and internal marketing policies. Places where marketing and advertising are permitted, campaigns are authorized to inform current consumers of their brands and encourage...
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...Corporate Social Responsibility in the Solar Photovoltaic Industry Corporate Social Responsibility in the Solar Photovoltaic Industry CSR Across Industries CSR Across Industries Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 The Solar Photovoltaic Industry and CSR related issues 3 Introduction 3 CSR Issues 4 Companies 4 The Companies 5 1. British Petroleum – (Philip Leith) 5 2. ENEL – (Santiago Liotta) 7 3. MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. / SunEdison – (Eleonora Ricciardi) 9 4. Sharp Solar – (Aaron Teo) 11 5. Suntech – (Tutram Nguyen) 13 Companies Comparison and Evaluation 16 Conclusions 17 Bibliography 18 Executive Summary In the last decade, the solar industry has seen exponential growth. Government subsidies, climate change debate and need to identify alternative eco-friendly energy sources have fueled this sector. The idea of harnessing renewable energy from the sun is naturally attractive but is it a perfect solution? Do the companies profiting in this business abide to the same United Nations Global Compact principles urged by environmentalist, conservationists, human rights activists, governments and other stakeholders around the world? This paper will provide our findings on our evaluation of five global players against a handful of corporate social responsibility issues in the solar industry. The Solar Photovoltaic Industry and CSR related issues Introduction As traditional hydrocarbon supplies are increasingly difficult and expensive...
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...IN THE UNITED STATES The research will provide useful information that will determine if the fast food industry is responsible for obesity, which is a rapidly growing public health issue in United States. Prepared for Professor Eugene Fregetto, Marketing 452 Research completed by Team 7: Sara Garcia – (708) 770.8682 Garcia.sara59@gmail.com Jessica Gardeck – (847) 363.3389 jgarde4@uic.edu Lisa Elizabeta Komolova – (630) 857.8129 lisakomolova@gmail.com Krunali Sheth – (630) 903.8320 ksheth2@uic.edu February, 2012 The need for the project A large amount of the United State’s population is suffering from obesity. Throughout the years the well-being of the American population has shown a negative movement and a large number of people are experiencing a decline in their health. Obesity being a common health issue in United States is concerning to health care providers because it is progressing into a costly expense for those companies. The amount of fast food restaurants in United States is constantly increasing and to improve the reputation of junk food the restaurants have been trying to introduce reinvented products with a healthier approach. Unfortunately the new products lines and its menu alternatives are still not living up to the standard of a proper diet. The research will provide us with useful information about obesity, people’s attitudes towards fast food and their life-style choices. The information will determine if the fast food industry is responsible...
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...Quality Oversight in Health Care Organizations HCA 497 Ms. Gloria Wilson September 17, 2012 Introduction A considerable amount of emphasis has been placed on the quality that is provided by the US health care system and substantial investments have been made for research to address the concerns that relate to health care quality. Promoting quality of care is essential for every person within healthcare organizations, from top-level management to non-clinical personal. The quality of care that is provided by every health organizations is not only the core of the whole health care industry, but the reputation of each health care organization (Baily, M., Bottrell, M., Lynn, J. & Jennings, B., 2006). According to the Institute of Medicine quality can be defined as “the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge” (Jost, 2003). The oversight of quality in healthcare is acknowledged as a main obligation to healthcare organizations. The purpose of this paper is to discuss organizations and or agencies that provide quality oversight; in addition to, other stakeholders and the role they play in health care. Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations The Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations is a, not for profit organization that was established in 1951and evaluates and accredits more...
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...history has the call for healthcare reform been so strong. It is the emergence of expensive new technologies with an aging population and a new call for equitable quality access of health services for all citizens that have pushed for the impending change. Successful managers will need to understand the impetus for this change. The challenges will provide many opportunities for a manager that is properly prepared to lead and guide their organization. Model trends in the United States. Historically, the United State’s healthcare system has been provider dominated. Physicians ordered and directed care without concern for cost or resources. While complex and ever-changing, the focus was on treatment of infectious diseases such as polio, influenza, small pox. (Shortell & Kaluzny, 2006) Our current model of healthcare places much of the responsibility and burden of the cost of medical care on the individual. American healthcare spending approaches 17% of our gross domestic product (GDP), the highest of any member of the World Health Organization. Our performance consistently underperforms in comparison to our peer nations in such measures as life expectancy, infant mortality and overall level of health. (World Health Organization [WHO], 2000) Though this has been the historical model in the United States, the model is under scrutiny and is undergoing reassessment and the season is ripe for reform due to changing expectations and demands from multiple sides. The aging population...
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...Business Analysis Part 1 The company chosen for the business analysis is Humana, Inc. Humana, Inc is a health care company offering a wide range of insurance products from long-term care to well-being. Humana, Inc headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Humana defines their corporate social responsibility stating, “We are dedicated to making business decisions that reflect our commitment to improving the health and well-being of our members, our associates, the communities we serve, and our planet” (Humana, 2012) SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis will cover Humana’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, internal factors, and external factors. Humana’s internal factors are the strength and weaknesses of the company. Humana’s external factors are the opportunities and threats of the company. Humana’s strengths are the company has 400,000 -plus physicians on staff and 5,000 -plus hospitals throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. Humana offers a wide range of products to sell to the consumer. For individuals, the products are Humana One medical insurance, Humana dental, and vision insurance, financial protection plans, Rx drug plans, and Medicare plans. On the employer side of Humana’s products, they offer medical plans, spending accounts, dental and vision plans, disability coverage, life insurance plans, employer paid plans, and Rx drug plans. For the military Humana offers Humana Military Tricare programs. The military plans. The Tricare plans offer...
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...of acceptable standards of professional conduct or medically unnecessary.” Health care fraud arises from an individual or group of individuals filing of a dishonest health care claim in order to turn it into a profit. Abuse; however, is harder for the investigator to identify and establish if the act was committed knowingly, willfully, and intentionally. Healthcare industry is one of the fastest growing sectors of the US economy; almost 10% of the US’s national GDP is consumed by the health care industry. According to Forbes’s report, the US National Healthcare expenditure of 2012 was nearly $3 Trillion. According to the National Healthcare Anti-Fraud Association, nearly $60 Billion is lost to healthcare fraud each year. The healthcare industry is an enormous market; therefore, making it easier for healthcare providers to take advantage of the American population. This paper will focus on why fraud and abuse occurs, different types of fraud, example cases of fraud and abuse, impact to present day healthcare industry, and potential solutions to fixing and preventing fraud and abuse from occurring. According to Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA), “Health care fraud occurs when a person or business intentionally misrepresents facts to receive reimbursement for health care services or supplies. It is a criminal offense under state and federal laws and can result in hefty fines, loss of health care coverage, and/or criminal penalties, including jail time.” For an example...
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...Introduction United Healthcare comes under UnitedHealth Group, the largest healthcare industry in United States. It was established in the year 1977. United healthcare’s goal is to provide quality healthcare to all its members and better serve all the users (physicians, members, employers) with better functionality (tools, services, health benefit plans etc). Strategy Information Systems plays an important role in United Healthcare, as a implementer of business strategy and source strategic advantage/resource. The striving effort of United HealthCare is to provide public with better tools, services and products by conducting innovative research that improves the quality of healthcare and admits to user needs. United Healthcare mainly focuses on delivering quality of health care to its customers. UHC came up with a new strategy called Bridge2Health; an integrated approach which helps users to gain better health. This approach allows the physicians to know more about the member’s health information which helps them to take better decision and provides appropriate guidance. UHC started a new program which assists users in searching for physicians and hospitals depending on their specialization and rating; this reduces users time and cost. The program was mainly established to support users from not being wrongly diagnosed with poor quality care. It consists of “712,622 health care professional (physicians), 5,594 hospitals and 64,000 pharmacies [1]”. This large network allows...
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...Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) Analysis CPT Christopher F. Drum, CPT Scott Stokoe, LTJG Ann-Marie Noad U.S. Army-Baylor University Graduate Program In Health Care Administration A paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for HCA 5325 Strategic Management of Health Care Organizations 12 December 2003 Executive Summary Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) is a well-established, international health care industry leader that provides patient services on two continents. Ranked number one in both sales and profit rankings, HCA continues to provide quality health care as it expands into new markets. HCA provides its primary services through a variety of venues. In addition to its patient care mission, HCA has joined with the Federal government to provide education and scholarship programs. A strategic assessment of HCA was conducted to examine its current business strategies. A strengths, weakness, threats, and opportunities (SWOT) analysis indicated that HCA’s internal strengths outweighed its weaknesses and the external threats outweighed the opportunities. HCA’s current mission and values statements are sufficient to support its success, but improvements can be made in each. Primary strategic emphasis is through an application of expansion and maintenance of scope adaptive strategies. Secondary efforts include a limited application of market entry and competitive strategies. Applying a threat, opportunity, weakness, and strength (TOWS)...
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...Abstract This paper is a cumulation of a three part portfolio assignment describing the tobacco tax issue in the United States. The first part of the paper defines the tax issue and gives a brief history of the tobacco excise tax. The second section discusses the stakeholders and an analysis of the issue. And lastly, I describe my policy perspective. The Tobacco Tax Issue Is taxation on tobacco an effective means of decreasing the smoking rate or is it just an elaborate ploy to increase taxes by playing on voter emotions? The message is clear and has been etched in our minds over the years; tobacco kills. Tobacco and secondary tobacco products kill an estimated 440,000 Americans per year. Over the past several decades, state and local governments have passed tobacco excise taxes and other laws regulating the use of tobacco. But who is actually behind the legislature? First Tobacco Tax Tax on tobacco was first implemented by Alexander Hamilton, secretary of the treasury, in 1794 (Altman, 2009). The tax was soon repealed, but excise taxes have been a staple in federal revenues since the American Civil War. In 1921, Iowa successfully passed the first state tax on tobacco, with many states to follow. Not only does the federal government and state governments tax tobacco, but now city municipalities are also imposing a local tax on tobacco (Altman, 2009). But what is the current tobacco tax about? There are several sides to...
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...governs health care. Particular agency governs health care. The following agency has a place in governing the health care industry and the people of the world. The paper shall begin with the agency role and structure and follow with the impact it effects within the health care industry. The agency that will be discussed in the paper is center for disease control. (CDC). After the completion of the effect the discussion will transfer into what the duties are of this agency along with the regulations that are governed by the other agencies involved with the CDC. Along with the final part which, will be the accreditation of the agency and how they affect the public. To begin first point or item expressed her is the agency’s role. Level one - the agency’s role or structure. The agencies’ role or information given by The Cdc - Laws and Regulations (2012) It is your single source for accurate, timely, consistent, and science-based information on a wide variety of disease prevention and health promotion topics. The subsidiary to this agency is the department of health and human services when asked or told by the CDC has the responsibility for preventing the introduction, transmission, and spread of communicable diseases in the United States along with other countries and allies. This agency has many other agencies’ attached or associated to them and what they do with the main agency which is to help in the operation of quarantine service to the health and well...
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...MICHAEL E. PORTER The State of Connecticut: Strategy for Economic Development Introduction Connecticut had long been one of the most prosperous U.S. states. With a per capita income of $39,300 in 19991 compared with the U.S. average of $28,542,2 it had the highest standard of living of any state. However, Connecticut had been hit especially hard by the recession of the early 1990s, the worst since the 1930s. During the recession, Connecticut lost one out of every 10 jobs.3 Although the recession ended in 1992, the recovery in the early 1990s was anything but robust. High unemployment rates persisted in some urban areas, and the state’s poverty rate almost doubled, from a 1987–1989 average of 4.5% to 8.4% for the 1997–1999 period.4 Worried leaders initiated the state’s first serious effort to foster economic development in living memory. After several years of little progress, Governor John Rowland (elected in 1994) initiated a cluster-based economic development strategy in late 1995. By 1999, state government had been reorganized, new institutions created, and unprecedented public-private collaboration around competitiveness was taking place. In 2000, Governor Rowland was evaluating the state’s progress thus far and considering how to carry the strategy forward. Connecticut Profile Do No Connecticut, one of the 13 original U.S. colonies, adopted in 1639 the first constitution establishing representative government. Connecticut was the fifth state to approve...
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...INTRODUCTION The health care industry in the United States was troubled. Most of the world’s state-of-the-art health care research occurred in U.S. university and corporate laboratories. Similarly, most of the best centers in the world for delivery of health care were located in the U.S. However, the costs of health care in the United States were exploding and overall quality, along many dimensions, was not increasing. For U.S. consumers it was the best of times and the worst of times—health care services were often terrific if judged by the ability of individual physicians to do more for patients and yet, as judged on almost any broad parameter such as life expectancy or infant mortality, the United States was at best average compared to other developed countries. In most developed countries, spending on health care grew dramatically over the past several years. This increase in spending, combined with lower overall economic growth, pushed up the share of health care expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) of OECD countries from an average 7.8 percent in 1997 to 8.5 percent in 2002. By comparison, the share of GDP spent on health care remained almost unchanged from 1992 to 1997 (Exhibit 1). In the United States, health care expenditure grew 2.3 times faster than GDP, rising from 13 percent in 1997 to 14.6 percent in 2002. Spending was $5,267 per capita in 2002, almost 140 percent above the OECD average of $2,144.1 The cost of health care in the United States was...
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...Five Competitive Forces Analysis in the Insurance Industry RichardSmith Managerial Economics December 6, 2013 Industry Insurance is something that is needed by everyone today. It is used by individuals, business, corporations, etc. to help mitigate or minimize their financial risk. Various types of insurance exist today, from home, health, life, auto, travelers, indemnity, boat, renters, and even pet. Competition between insurance carriers is very stiff. In fact, in the United Kingdom (UK), the competition is so stringent, they have created a Competition Commission (CC), which is designed to ensure healthy competition between insurance companies in the UK for the ultimate benefit of the consumers and the economy ("Competition Commission GOV.UK."01). Many insurance companies have gotten caught up in having an unbalanced pool of insurers because they were not prepared and did not do their homework. The have to be very careful in their underwriting process to ensure they insure the most desirable individuals. Many insurance companies have learned quickly the value in the knowledge and power of information obtained from doing research and the huge financial risk associated with getting stuck with a poor unbalanced pool of insured. Therefore, many insurance companies today are utilizing various tools and setting themselves apart from the competition via the competitive forces in an effort to avoid the financial repercussions associated with not being prepared. That way...
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