(Reuters) – The United States Ministry has launched an investigation into the billing practices of United Medicare in recent months, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the issue.
The company’s shares have dropped almost 10% in the market prior to the market. The actions of other health insurers also dropped in front of the bell.
At the end: February 20 at 4:00 p.m.
The new survey on civil fraud examines United’s practices to record diagnostics that trigger additional payments to its Medicare Advantage plans, including in groups of doctors that the insurance giant has, added the report.
The Doj and Unitedhealth did not immediately respond to requests for comments from Reuters.
The Advantage Medicare Plans are offered by private insurers who are paid by the US government to manage health care for the elderly looking for additional benefits not covered in ordinary health insurance coverage. The DoJ has a long -standing trial ongoing against unitedhealth against Medicare Advantage.
The Department had also continued to block the acquisition of 3.3 billion Dollars of United Audisys Inc, citing concerns that the agreement would reduce competition in the home health services market.
Unitedhealth manages the country’s largest health insurer, Unitedhealthcare, as well as the pharmacy OPTUM services manager and medical practices.
The company and its peers, which provide Medicare and Medicaid insurance schemes supported by the government for low -income people, have increased medical costs in the last quarters.
The company also met with other challenges last year, including a cyber attack on its technological division changes Healthcare and a reaction on the refusal of insurance complaints after the murder of the CEO of Unitedhealthcare, Brian Thompson.
(Report by Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; edition by Shailesh Kuber)
