UnitedHealth Group is paying many of its own physician practices significantly more than it pays other doctor groups in the same markets for similar services, undermining competition and driving up costs for consumers and businesses, a STAT investigation reveals.
The findings, drawn from a sample of practices across the country, expose the effects of a deepening conflict of interest: Rather than use its size and market power to drive down the cost of care, UnitedHealth, as the corporate parent of both a dominant insurance company and health care provider, can capture larger profits by paying itself higher prices for basic checkups, surgeries, and procedures.
STAT uncovered the above-market payments in a first-of-its-kind analysis conducted in partnership with health analytics company Tribunus Health. The analysis examined UnitedHealth’s own data, which must be reported to the federal government, showing what its commercial insurance unit pays 16 of its Optum-branded doctor groups for common or expensive services that account for the most spending.
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