The revelation that UnitedHealth collected billions of dollars in questionable federal payments could lead to further investigations and new restrictions.
For the behemoth UnitedHealth, a new threat to Medicare profits
By Tara Bannow and Casey Ross
Patrick Sison/AP
UnitedHealth Group reaped billions from the federal Medicare program by diagnosing patients with serious chronic illnesses, and then delivering no follow-up care.
The result? $3.7 billion in dubious payments last year alone, according to a federal report.
The revelations contradict a core claim of UnitedHealth's public messaging about its principal Medicare business strategy — that it's focused on identifying conditions early and keeping patients healthy — and could usher in further investigations and new restrictions that clamp down on its primary ways of making money.
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