From its founder retiring from the board of directors, to it quietly acquiring two independent primary care groups in Oregon, here are five recent headlines involving UnitedHealth:
1. UnitedHealth Group founder Richard Burke is retirking from the board of directors in June. He was first named to the board in 1977.
2. UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty earned more $18.4 million in fiscal year 2021, according to a proxy statement filed April 22.
3. UnitedHealth Group's Optum subsidiary will be responsible for a quarter of all health tech startup acquisitions this year, according to Venrock's "2022 Healthcare Prognosis" survey.
4. Optum quietly acquired at least two independent primary care groups in Oregon. It purchased Eugene-based Oregon Medical Group and Portland-based GreenField Health. Combined, the two systems have about 120 doctors and clinicians at 11 facilities.
5. Louisiana's attorney general filed a lawsuit April 13 alleging UnitedHealth inflates prescription drug charges in the state’s Medicaid program. The attorney general alleges UnitedHealth's pharmacy benefits manager, Optum Rx, used secret prices and the complexity of the supply chain to cause the Medicaid program to needlessly pay billions of dollars more per year for prescription drug benefits. UnitedHealth said the lawsuit is without merit and it will defend itself against the allegations.