Senate report alleges UnitedHealth used tactics to inflate Medicare Advantage payments

Independent.co reports a Senate Judiciary Committee staff assessment released Monday alleges UnitedHealth and its UnitedHealthcare unit used "aggressive strategies" to diagnose Medicare patients with as many conditions as possible to increase federal payments. The 105-page report, produced for the Republican majority, says the firm turned federal Medicare subsidies "into a major profit centered strategy" by using advanced AI, data-crunching tools, dedicated contractors and extra screenings to systematically raise diagnoses and therefore boost subsidies.

The probe focuses on the Medicare Advantage program, which pays private insurers more for patients it deems to need greater care. The Department of Justice has opened an investigation after reporting by The Wall Street Journal and Stat revealed evidence of questionable diagnoses, and committee chair Chuck Grassley said: "Bloated federal spending to UnitedHealth Group is not only hurting the Medicare Advantage program, it’s harming the American taxpayer." More than half of eligible Medicare beneficiaries got care through Medicare Advantage in 2025, reportedly contributing about $84bn of extra federal spending.

The report says UnitedHealth used its integrated businesses to "continuously identify...

Key Topics

Politics, Unitedhealth Group, Unitedhealthcare, Medicare Advantage, Risk Adjustment