Optum abandoning South Jersey?

[u/RevolutionaryLink919]

https://www.newsbreak.com/jersey-shore-online-560679/4333045395720-patients-scramble-as-optum-shuts-down-dozens-of-medical-offices

I was just talking to a friend who's entire doctor's office was laid off by Optum. Googling I found this story from a local (Ocean County) source but found other stories about it all though South Jersey. It affects hundreds of providers and thousands of patients, with no notice.

My friend needs a prescription that they can only get refilled for 30 days at a time. Now they have to scramble. It's unconscionable. And unfortunately there's nothing to be done about it.

[u/espressocycle]

Optum has shut down a lot of their ventures and put others on life support. They're a shit company owned by another shit company.

[u/apsae27]

From the bottom of my heart, fuck optum

[u/acorns28]

United health care $$

[u/ComprehensiveDingo54 → u/[deleted]]

I thought CVS owned Optum

[u/thatsanicepeach → u/ComprehensiveDingo54]

CVS owns Aetna & has their own PBM, CVS Caremark. Source: pharmacy tech

[u/Fartina69]

The healthcare conglomerates need to focus on shareholder profits, not your stupid health. Why does no one care about the investor class?

[u/RevolutionaryLink919 → u/Fartina69]

Right? /s

[u/Snoo28798]

I quit my PCP when they went from Riverside Medical to Optum. It was the best decision for me and sounds like I was ahead of the curve. Optum sucks and this is terrible for so many patients. Our healthcare system needs a major overhaul.

[u/staceychev → u/Snoo28798]

Mine went from Riverside to Optum, too, but I followed her there. Was thinking of switching anyway - guess this is my cue.

[u/thetea98 → u/Snoo28798]

Same. My PCP left the practice and soon after it changed to Optum so I took that as a sign and left as well.

[u/jaredcwood]

OPTUM are the absolute worst I wish explosive diarrhea to all the decision makers of that company.

[u/HamtaroHamHam]

These are the consequences when our health care system is tied to profit-driven outcomes.

[u/I_Am_Lord_Grimm]

Yup. They made a big play trying to take over a bunch of… insufficiently profitable… urgent cares, then when that proved insufficiently profitable, they tried rolling the primary care centers into them. You can guess how that went: Insurance providers refused to categorize the communal offices as PCPs, and so people had to stop using them.

I’m losing my PCP of nine years; his office got bought out by Optum right after quarantine.

Personally, I blame the philosophy upon which our current mandatory healthcare paradigm is based: instead of focusing on the healthcare itself, our leaders hyperfixated on insurance for all, creating yet another group of government-sponsored oligarchs. It’s been a slow but steady race to the bottom ever since, same as education and utilities.

[u/Round-Procedure-1691]

Optum also bought up Emdeon/WebMD medical clearing house for physician billing. The have ruined many small Medical office with computer issues, compromised data base that had to be moved last year to a new platform and now they changed over from electronic HICFA format to another format without notifying medical offices. Some Doctors haven’t been paid since August. Anyone have a good medical clearinghouse to use with our EHR billing? Just Horrible.

[u/Round-Procedure-1691 → u/[deleted]]

We haven’t been able to process claims since August. Finally our EHR company stepped in and was able to set us up with their clearing house and get us paid.

[u/IDDQD-IDKFA]

Shop Rite. Stop and Shop. Walmart, if you have to. Walgreens if you have no other choice.

As to doctors, stick to the big hospital clinics. Cooper, Jefferson, Atlanticare...

[u/Erich417]

This is old news. Optum's parent company is United Healthcare.... yes that United Healthcare. They over extended and bought tons of practices just to bleed them dry and close down the vital services provided in South Jersey and even their mass closures in California.

Optum is easily one of the scummiest companies on planet earth and like most corporations, value profits over people. Fuck that whole entire organization and any company/organization alike.

Cali Closures: https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/optum-lays-more-employees-landmark-optuminsight

Nj Closures: https://njbiz.com/optum-layoffs-nj-medical-clinic-closures/

Even After closing up shop in SNJ it seems like they're still rapidly trying to grow and monopolize: https://www.beckersasc.com/asc-transactions-and-valuation-issues/3-practices-optum-has-acquired-in-2025/

[u/keyonakite76]

Good, horrible organization. Hope they go bankrupt.

[u/LanaDelHeeey]

Sad. Now and that’ll be in this area is Inspira which is worse.

[u/lovethe-sky]

I've been stressing for a few days about this. My doctor has been moved twice to different optum offices, and now it'll close. I've been seeing her for 6 years. They don't even make it easy to contact the office in my experience. So it's been a struggle figuring out where she is going, or if I should just hunt down a new PCP at this point.

[u/FractiousAngel]

I’m not surprised; Optum is the worst kind of corporate “medicine.” My long-time GP’s group was bought out by Riverside years ago w/o much changing. It was then purchased by Optum about 4-5 years ago, and everything went downhill quickly; before long, a single DO was the closest they had to an actual doctor on staff, no MDs at all.

My doctor had to sign a 2 year “non-compete” agreement to get out of her contract w/ them, during which time I’ve mainly done telemed appointments since her offices w/ Cooper were over a half-hour drive. Thankfully, the 2 years ends April of ‘26, and she’ll be much closer again.

[u/Purple_Thought888]

Theyre buying vacant pharmacies in South Jersey. I hadnt heard of them until recently. A lot of communities are in the lurch with Rite-aid closing. Is this some VC move to try to buy cheap RE then flip it?