by Ben Zeisloft, The Gateway Pundit:
The Justice Department, now headed by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, is reportedly investigating Medicare billing practices from UnitedHealth Group, a move which comes weeks after the assassination of Brian Thompson, the chief executive of subsidiary UnitedHealthcare.
The attorneys are reportedly examining possible civil fraud linked to UnitedHealth Group’s practices for recording diagnoses that allow for extra payments to Medicare Advantage plans, according to a Friday exclusive report from The Wall Street Journal.
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That includes potential fraud at physician groups owned by UnitedHealth Group.
Insurers receive payments under the Medicare Advantage system to oversee benefits for enrollees, but the payments increase when certain diagnoses are discovered.
That creates an incentive to diagnose more ailments and receive more payouts.
The Journal previously reported that Medicare paid UnitedHealth Group billions of dollars for “questionable diagnoses.”
Justice Department attorneys have been interviewing some of the same medical providers mentioned in the outlet’s investigations.
The Justice Department is also pursuing an antitrust probe against UnitedHealth Group, and has filed to prevent the insurance behemoth’s $3.3 billion potential acquisition of home healthcare company Amedisys.
The reported civil fraud investigation is separate from those cases.
UnitedHealth Group accused the Journal in a statement of reporting “misinformation.”
“The government regularly reviews all MA plans to ensure compliance and we consistently perform at the industry’s highest levels on those reviews,” the company said. “We are not aware of the ‘launch’ of any ‘new’ activity as reported by the Journal.”
“We are aware, however, that the Journal has engaged in a year-long campaign to defend a legacy system that rewards volume over keeping patients healthy and addressing their underlying conditions,” the company claimed.
“Any suggestion that our practices are fraudulent is outrageous and false.”
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