{"id":2435276,"date":"2025-05-15T20:06:01","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T00:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/unitedhealth-under-federal-criminal-investigation-as-ceo-suddenly-departs-report\/"},"modified":"2025-05-15T20:07:46","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T00:07:46","slug":"unitedhealth-under-federal-criminal-investigation-as-ceo-suddenly-departs-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/unitedhealth-under-federal-criminal-investigation-as-ceo-suddenly-departs-report\/","title":{"rendered":"UnitedHealth Under Federal Criminal Investigation as CEO Suddenly Departs: Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Funitedhealth-under-federal-criminal-investigation-as-ceo-suddenly-departs-report%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2435276&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>UnitedHealth Group, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-rubio-introduces-bills-to-thwart-chinas-attempt-to-obtain-us-genomic-data\/\" title=\"Sen. Rubio Introduces Bills to Thwart China&#039;s Attempt to Obtain US Genomic Data\">largest health insurer<\/a> in the U.S., is reportedly under federal examination for potential Medicare fraud related to its Medicare Advantage operations, which serve over 8.2 million members. The investigation, led by the U.S. Department of Justice&#8217;s health-care fraud unit, has been ongoing since the summer of 2024, examining the company&#8217;s business practices without disclosing specific allegations. UnitedHealth has faced previous scrutiny over its Medicare billing practices and antitrust concerns.<\/p>\n<p>The company recently experienced significant turmoil, including the resignation of CEO Andrew Witty for personal reasons. stephen Hemsley, a former CEO, is stepping back into the role to guide the company through this challenging period. On the same day as Witty&#8217;s departure, UnitedHealth announced it was suspending its 2025 financial forecast due to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidenomics-12-of-retired-americans-plan-return-to-work-in-2024-citing-rising-costs-survey-shows\/\" title=\"Survey: 12% of Retired Americans to Rejoin Workforce in 2024 Due to High Costs\">unexpected medical costs<\/a>, leading to a drastic decline in its stock price.<\/p>\n<p>Amid these developments, UnitedHealth issued a statement denying any formal notification from the DOJ regarding the investigation and criticized the Wall Street Journal&#8217;s reporting as &#8220;deeply irresponsible.&#8221; The DOJ has not publicly commented on the investigation, which follows previous allegations of &#8220;upcoding&#8221; in billing practices.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Things continue to spiral for the embattled UnitedHealth.<\/p>\n<p>UnitedHealth Group, the largest health insurer in the United States, is reportedly the subject of a federal criminal investigation for potential Medicare fraud, according to an exclusive report by the Wall Street Journal.<\/p>\n<p>The investigation, led by the U.S. Department of Justice&rsquo;s health-care fraud unit in New York, has been underway since at least the summer of 2024 and centers on the company&rsquo;s Medicare Advantage business practices, according to the report.<\/p>\n<p>Medicare Advantage, a program that provides private insurance alternatives to traditional Medicare, serves over 8.2 million members through UnitedHealth, making it a significant revenue driver.<\/p>\n<p>The Journal, citing sources familiar with the matter, indicated that the DOJ is examining UnitedHealth&rsquo;s business practices, though specific details of the alleged criminal activities remain undisclosed.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>The probe represents a serious escalation in scrutiny for UnitedHealth, which has faced questions about its Medicare Advantage operations in the past, including scrutiny into billing practices and an investigation into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-senators-threaten-action-over-esg-antitrust-violations\/\" title=\"GOP Senators Threaten Action Over ESG Antitrust Violations\">potential antitrust violations<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>UnitedHealth issued a statement denying that it has been formally notified by the DOJ of any criminal investigation into its practices.<\/p>\n<p>The company described the Wall Street Journal&rsquo;s reporting as &ldquo;deeply irresponsible&rdquo; and expressed strong confidence in the compliance and integrity of its Medicare Advantage program, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/unitedhealth-group-medicare-fraud-investigation-doj-wsj-2072533\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to<\/a>&nbsp;Newsweek.<\/p>\n<p>This news comes amid a tumultuous period for UnitedHealth, marked by the sudden resignation of its chief executive officer, Andrew Witty, on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>Reuters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/healthcare-pharmaceuticals\/unitedhealth-ceo-andrew-witty-steps-down-2025-05-13\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a> that Witty, who has led UnitedHealth since 2021, stepped down for personal reasons, with no further explanation provided by the company.<\/p>\n<p>Witty will be succeeded by Stephen Hemsley, a former CEO who guided UnitedHealth from 2006 to 2017 and is now returning to lead the company through this challenging time.<\/p>\n<p>On the same day as Witty&rsquo;s departure, UnitedHealth announced it was suspending its 2025 financial forecast, attributing the decision to higher-than-expected medical costs.<\/p>\n<p>The combination of the CEO&rsquo;s exit and the halted forecast sent UnitedHealth&rsquo;s stock plummeting. The company&rsquo;s stock &ldquo;has declined by more than 50 percent over the past month,&rdquo; the Wall Street Journal reported. &ldquo;Thursday, it fell 16 percent and was poised for its lowest closing price since 2020.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>UnitedHealth has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/bondis-doj-launches-fraud-investigation-unitedhealth-insurer-whose-ceo-assassinated\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">faced prior scrutiny<\/a> over its Medicare billing practices, with the Journal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/health\/healthcare\/unitedhealth-medicare-doj-diagnosis-investigation-66b9f1db?mod=article_inline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reporting<\/a> in February about a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >civil fraud investigation involving similar concerns<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>That civil probe focused on whether UnitedHealth engaged in <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC8649706\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">upcoding<\/a>, a practice where patient diagnoses are exaggerated to secure higher payments from the Medicare program.<\/p>\n<p>And that doesn&rsquo;t even begin to delve into the horrific murder of former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ceo-unitedhealthcare-murdered-apparent-targeted-attack-nyc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brian Thompson<\/a>,&nbsp; CEO of UnitedHealth&rsquo;s insurance division, allegedly by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/pam-bondi-drops-death-penalty-bomb-luigi-mangione-careful-consideration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Luigi Mangione<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The DOJ has not publicly commented on the latest reported investigation.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The situation for UnitedHealth is worsening. The largest health insurer in the U.S., UnitedHealth Group, is reportedly under federal criminal investigation for possible Medicare fraud, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. This inquiry, conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice&#8217;s healthcare fraud unit in New York, has been ongoing since at least summer 2024 and focuses on the company&#8217;s Medicare Advantage practices. With over 8.2 million members relying on its Medicare Advantage program-an alternative to traditional Medicare-this segment is crucial for UnitedHealth&#8217;s revenue. Although specific allegations remain undisclosed, sources indicate that the DOJ is scrutinizing UnitedHealth&#8217;s business operations.<\/p>\n<p>This investigation marks a significant increase in oversight for UnitedHealth, which has previously faced questions regarding its Medicare Advantage operations and billing practices as well as an antitrust investigation. In response to these developments, UnitedHealth denied having received formal notification from the DOJ about any criminal probe and criticized the Wall Street Journal&#8217;s reporting as &#8220;deeply irresponsible,&#8221; expressing confidence in its compliance with regulations.<\/p>\n<p>These events unfold during a turbulent time for UnitedHealth following CEO Andrew Witty&#8217;s unexpected resignation on Tuesday due to personal reasons; he had led the company since 2021 without further explanation provided by officials. Stephen Hemsley, who previously served as CEO from 2006 to 2017, will take over leadership during this challenging period.<\/p>\n<p>On Witty&#8217;s departure day, UnitedHealth also announced it was suspending its financial forecast for 2025 due to unexpectedly high medical costs-a move that contributed to a significant drop in stock value of more than 50% over the past month; it fell by 16% on Thursday alone and was set for its lowest closing price since 2020.<\/p>\n<p>Previously reported scrutiny into UnitedHealth included investigations into potential upcoding practices aimed at inflating patient diagnoses to secure higher payments from Medicare. Additionally, there are troubling details surrounding former insurance division CEO Brian Thompson&#8217;s murder allegedly committed by Luigi Mangione.<\/p>\n<p>The DOJ has not publicly commented on this latest investigation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2435277,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Medical-billing.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[55336,51066,45746,43284,50894],"class_list":["post-2435276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-ceo-departure","tag-corporate-governance","tag-criminal-investigation","tag-healthcare-news","tag-unitedhealth"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Medical-billing.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2435276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2435276"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2435276\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2435280,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2435276\/revisions\/2435280"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2435277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2435276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2435276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2435276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}