Revealed: UnitedHealth secretly paid nursing homes to reduce hospital transfers

The Guardian ^ | 21st may 2025 | George Joseph

[Cronos]

UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest healthcare conglomerate, has secretly paid nursing homes thousands in bonuses to help slash hospital transfers for ailing residents – part of a series of cost-cutting tactics that has saved the company millions, but at times risked residents’ health, a Guardian investigation has found.

Those secret bonuses have been paid out as part of a UnitedHealth program that stations the company’s own medical teams in nursing homes and pushes them to cut care expenses for residents covered by the insurance giant.

In several cases identified by the Guardian, nursing home residents who needed immediate hospital care under the program failed to receive it, after interventions from UnitedHealth staffers. At least one lived with permanent brain damage following his delayed transfer, according to a confidential nursing home incident log, recordings and photo evidence.

...Under Medicare Advantage, insurers collect lump sums from the federal government to cover seniors’ care. But the less insurers spend on care, the more they have for potential profit – an opportunity that UnitedHealth higher-ups have systematically sought to exploit when it comes to long-term nursing home residents.

...

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption
KEYWORDS: aarp; corruption; nursinghomes; unitedhealth

[Ikeon]

Hmmmm. Every UHC story that comes out the more mangioni seems to become more sane. UHC is not innocent. NoT at all.

[ryderann]

Killing the guy becomes more and more understandable, but back-shooting is a huge no-no.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

You can condemn the murder committed by Luigi Mangione, while also acknowledging the evils of UHS and American insurance companies in general. Not mutually exclusive.

May God be the judge and enact His own vengeance as HE sees fit. Healthcare industry is a cesspool sadly…

[Tell It Right]

Isn't United Health Care the insurance arm that leftist AARP used to lobby for Obamacare? And isn't UHC the insurer they push for Medicare coverage as an AARP member?

That part isn't trumpeted out by the leftists who today make Luigi a hero.

[George from New England]

Time, overdue time, to limit TV ads these outfits shell their monies into

[Leaning Right]

Once you hit 65, you’ve got a choice to make: Go on traditional Medicare, or get a Medicare Advantage plan.

The Advantage plans usually come with extra goodies. For example, some give you money each month to spend on groceries.

But there’s always a hook. This article shows one. As for me, I choose traditional Medicare and bought a supplement.

[Red6]

Insurance companies inherently want to cut costs by denying, substituting cheaper alternatives, rationing care over time or delaying care onset.

The US has a very weird situation post Obama's health care reforms.

We basically have socialized health care through what is defined as a “standard of care.” People just do not realize this. But insurance will not cover what is outside this standard of care, nor will doctors and hospitals expose themselves to the risk by stepping outside these limits. Who defines the standard of care: CDC/NIH, FDA, DEA.

But at the same time, the US still has private insurance companies, hospitals, doctors, pharma, and medical device manufacturers trying to maximize their profits.

You end up with socialized health care, at the maximum cost the market can bear.

[Ikeon]

God killed the philistiens, the israelites didn't stand around to " let God pass judgement". mangioni may have been sent by God. Christians aren't supposed to stand around and let evil continue.

If you see a man snatch a child at walmart, are you going to stand around and let God judge this man?

The UHC president was an evil person. Mangioni may be an evil person, But God sent him to kill the guy.

God can use anyone for hos purpose.

[TheDon]

Share price should not be involved with medical care.

[bak3r]

Look I don’t work my butt off from 9:30 to 4:00 M-F providing value as a shareholder for nothing. UNH has a fiduciary obligation to me, not these suckers. /s

[DEPcom]

“As for me, I choose traditional Medicare and bought a supplement.”

These plans often include perks like a food allowance, gym membership, vision and dental coverage, over-the-counter benefits, and reduced copays—while behind the scenes, they work to limit your access to care. All in the name of profit.

I think much of the marketing for those plans targets lower-income individuals and those who may not be fully informed.

I’m sticking with traditional Medicare too since I travel and want the freedom to see any doctor I choose. I’ve already set aside funds for dental, vision, and other extras.

[reed13k]

Health insurance became a racket in the 70s and it’s only gotten worse since then - all the insurance groups are in on it.

But that being said what Mangioni did was a crime and he needs taken to the cleaners.

[wardaddy]

One can make an argument deregulation led to not great outcomes
The way it turned airlines into sky greyhound

I’m appalled at the tacit approval of murder here frankly

This forum has always had a chip on the shoulder against the rich and big companies and external forces that make them unhappy and resentful

That last psychological reflex is ubiquitous in libs I know plus they usually hate daddy

[Jane Long]

A family member recently experienced one of these MediScare Advantage ‘hooks’.

There’s something called MSSP, that basically turns the plan into (more of) an HMO ... whereby they had to await an injected level of ‘approval’ to see a particular (physical therapy) specialist once they were released from the hospital.

And...the hospital held them an extra couple of days....pending said “approval”.

This MSSP is supposed to be a cost savings ‘gate keeper’ program .... yet, the hospital made thousands more, by prolonging the approval (they happen to be in charge of this program, at the same time) and the extended (unnecessary days) stay.

[antidemoncrat]

I wonder if it coming to a point that when old folks that are retired and have used up what the government deems up to be their fair share of Medicare benefits the only treatment allowed will be assisted suicide? Of course Medicaid members are excluded from that if they are illegals or chronically unemployed.

[HamiltonJay]

Hyperbole? Or fact? I don’t know..

I can tell you that about 70-80% of reasons patients are admitted to the hospital from a nursing home are due to things that can easily be handled by nursing home staff. The problem is that to perform the treatment they need a formal diagnosis and treatment plan from a doctor. Most nursing homes don’t have a doctor on site 24/7.

So while the person may just be dehydrated without a formal diagnosis and treatment plan by a physician they will be readmitted.

Typical scenario

Patient showing signs of dehydration… Doctor isn’t on duty so they call a doctor and the doctor won’t make a formal
Diagnosis without physically seeing the patient so doc playing defensive medicine tells them to send them to the ER.

I know this because I worked on a product to allow doctors to perform virtual examination of nursing home patients so they would be able to make formal diagnosis remotely and offer a treatment plan to cut down on the number of re admissions.

We put a computer on wheels in the facility. It had ekg, stethoscope, BP monitor etc all as part of thr cart so nurse could physically run the test, doctor could interact with patients in real time and review results and make diagnosis and treatment plan

This cut readmissiona down significantly. I suspect highly these “bribes” were more subsidizing of having doctors on sites 24/7 or close to it than actual bribes.if you keep a dr at the home available 24/7 you will cut re admissions significantly. Far more than the dr’s salary for a decent sized facility.

So would be interested in what really was going on here

[Leaning Right]

A guy on YouTube gave a balanced overview of traditional Medicare vs. a Medicare Advantage plan.

Bottom line: Pick a Medicare Advantage plan if you’re on a very tight budget AND you are healthy.

It’s that second condition that should concern people. For older folks, you could be healthy one moment, and be in real trouble the next.

[itsahoot]

Eventually everyone figures it out, the cheapest health care is none.

[itsahoot]

I’m appalled at the tacit approval of murder here frankly

I think 18 states now have legalized assisted suicide, soon it won't be voluntary.