From releasing a companywide policy audit report to seeking the dismissal of a Medicare Advantage lawsuit filed by Ballad Health, here are 11 updates on UnitedHealth Group and its subsidiaries that Becker’s has reported since Dec. 4:
1. A federal judge granted UnitedHealthcare a preliminary injunction that blocks Idaho from taking action against the insurer over its Medicare Advantage broker compensation practices.
2. The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, a coalition of faith- and values-based investors, filed a shareholder resolution requesting UnitedHealth Group publish a report “describing the healthcare consequences of its acquisitions over the past 10 years.”
3. A federal judge ruled that some complaints against Change Healthcare over the 2024 cyberattack can move forward.
4. UnitedHealth Group released findings from multiple independent reviews of its business practices following a June pledge from CEO Stephen Hemsley to conduct a transparent and comprehensive examination of company processes.
5. The Louisiana Department of Health is extending UnitedHealthcare’s Medicaid contract through March 31. The state previously decided to cut the contract, which would have expired Dec. 31. The new agreement “is for the sole purpose of allowing for a more orderly and seamless transition for our members to other managed care organizations to help prevent gaps in care and give healthcare providers a chance to enter into new contracts with these organizations,” a UnitedHealthcare spokesperson said.
6. Optum is shuttering three community centers in the Kansas City area.
7. UnitedHealthcare continues to be the largest health insurer in the U.S., with nearly 45 million members in 2025, according to the Peterson-KFF health system tracker.
8. West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey filed a lawsuit against UnitedHealth and Optum over their alleged role in the state’s opioid crisis.
9. UnitedHealth is seeking to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad Health over alleged “Medicare Advantage manipulation,” arguing the health system is bound by arbitration agreements and filed the case to generate publicity.
10. Two New York state lawmakers are pressing the state’s health department to investigate Optum over alleged network adequacy issues.
11. CMS relief funding for healthcare providers affected by the Change Healthcare ransomware attack was inconsistently distributed, a new study found.
