UnitedHealth Is Strategically Limiting Access to Critical Treatment for Kids With Autism

UnitedHealth Strategically Limits Access to Critical Treatment for Kids With Autism

(MedPage Today) -- This story was originally published by ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. There was a time when Sharelle...

Leaked Documents Reveal UnitedHealth Strategy to Cut Critical Therapy for Kids With Autism

Leaked documents show UnitedHealth is working to reduce the number of children with autism who receive important therapy, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), in an effort to save money. ABA is a proven treatment that helps children with autism develop basic skills. Many children, like Benji, are covered under Medicaid, a government program for low-income patients. ProPublica obtained internal reports from Optum, the mental health arm of UnitedHealt…

The Topline: UnitedHealth's commitment to investors • Minnesota Reformer

Welcome to The Topline, a weekly roundup of the big numbers driving the Minnesota news cycle, as well as the smaller ones that you might have missed. This week: UnitedHealth stock sheds value; the geography of home heating; special education spending increases significantly; and a pretty good deer hunt. A weird thing happened in the […]

Leak reveals UnitedHealth strategy to cut critical treatment for kids

Reporting Highlights Secret Playbook: Leaked documents show that UnitedHealth is aggressively targeting the treatment of thousands of children with autism across the country in an effort to cut costs. Critical Therapy: Applied behavior analysis has been shown to help kids with autism; many are covered by Medicaid, federal insurance for poor and vulnerable patients. Legal Questions: Advocates told ProPublica the insurer’s strategy may be viola…

UnitedHealth Profiteering Off Limiting Care for Children with Autism

Private healthcare companies are facing increased scrutiny following the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson over what appears to be dissatisfaction with the company’s exploitative policies and frequent denials of care. Recent investigations from ProPublica and reporter Annie Waldman find that UnitedHealthcare is aggressively trying to limit mental health coverage and treatment for thousands of children with autism in its latest effor…

Before shooting, CEO Brian Thompson worried about UnitedHealth’s negative image

UnitedHealthcare and its parent, UnitedHealth Group, faced investigations, a congressional probe and simmering consumer anger over charges it was making billions by denying health care to the ill and elderly.