From a judge denying a bid to limit discovery in an AI denial case to boosting lobbying efforts, here are 10 headlines about UnitedHealth Group and its subsidiaries that Becker’s has reported on since Sept. 5:
1. Senate and House lawmakers introduced a bill that would bar health insurers from buying independently owned clinics and require existing conglomerates to divest their provider businesses. The lawmakers cited the example of UnitedHealth Group and its Optum subsidiary, noting that the company acquired full or partial ownership of more than 100 surgery centers in 2024.
2. Pharmacy benefit manager Optum Rx raised reimbursement minimums for brand-name drugs at about 2,300 independent pharmacies nationwide.
3. UnitedHealthcare of Texas CEO Scott Flannery is retiring after 26 years with the company.
4. A New York judge dismissed state terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione over the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in late 2024.
5. Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Medicine ended contract negotiations with UnitedHealthcare without a new deal.
6. UnitedHealth Group has boosted lobbying efforts and executives have met with several Trump administration officials this year amid ongoing federal investigations and reimbursement changes that have negatively impacted profits, The Wall Street Journal reported.
7. A federal judge in Minnesota denied UnitedHealth Group’s request to narrow the scope of discovery in an ongoing lawsuit that accuses the insurer of using artificial intelligence to wrongfully deny Medicare Advantage members post-acute care.
8. UnitedHealth’s Rocky Mountain HMO and Elevance Health’s Anthem HMO Colorado withdrew their plans to end coverage for multiple health plans in the state’s individual market following legislative action in the Colorado General Assembly.
9. UnitedHealthcare expects 78% of its Medicare Advantage membership to be enrolled in plans rated 4 stars or above in 2026.
10. The Change Healthcare cyberattack delayed testing for a new Oracle Health EHR at an Illinois hospital jointly operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense, the VA’s Office of Inspector General found.
