DOJ investigating UnitedHealth Medicare billing practices, WSJ reports

The Justice Department launched a new civil fraud investigation into UnitedHealth (UNH) Group’s Medicare billing practices in recent months, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal’s Christopher Weaver and Anna Wilde Mathews. The DOJ is examining the company’s practices for recording diagnoses that trigger extra payments to its Medicare Advantage plans, including at physician groups the insurance giant owns, the report noted. In pre-market trading, shares of UnitedHealth have fallen 11% to $446.50.