Tag: health care

UnitedHealth Shares Drop After Report Alleges Secret Bonus Payments To Nursing Homes For Cutting Hospital Transfers

UnitedHealth Group shares dropped as much as 7.5% in premarket trading Wednesday in New York, following a Guardian investigation that revealed the health insurer shelled out “Premium Dividend” and “Shared Savings” bonuses to nursing homes that reduced hospital transfers for sick residents. 

The Guardian’s investigation is based on thousands of confidential corporate and patient records obtained through sources, public records requests, and court filings, along with interviews with nearly two dozen current and former UnitedHealth and nursing home employees, as well as two whistleblower declarations submitted to Congress.

The report offers a new snapshot into UnitedHealth’s daily operations at nearly 2,000 nursing homes across the country, where it manages Medicare Advantage coverage for more than 55,000 long-term residents. 

Here are some of the key findings from the report:

  • UnitedHealth stationed in-house medical teams at nearly 2,000 nursing homes, incentivizing them to lower hospitalizations through financial rewards like “Premium Dividend” and “Shared Savings” payments tied to hospitalization rates.
  • Internal records show UnitedHealth monitored nursing homes using “admits per thousand (APK)” metrics and set “budgets” for hospitalizations. Facilities with high APKs were denied bonuses.
  • In multiple documented cases, patients were denied urgent hospital care, leading to serious harm, including permanent brain damage. Whistleblowers say these incidents were hidden or minimized.
  • Nurse practitioners were pressured to push “Do Not Resuscitate” (DNR) orders, even when patients had previously expressed the desire for life-saving treatments.
  • UnitedHealth also incentivized increased enrollment in its Institutional Special Needs Plans by offering large payments to nursing homes, which in some cases leaked confidential patient data to help sales teams directly solicit families—often bypassing consent rules.

The Guardian noted: 

In several cases identified by the Guardian, nursing home residents who needed immediate hospital care under the program failed to receive it, after interventions from UnitedHealth staffers. At least one lived with permanent brain damage following his delayed transfer, according to a confidential nursing home incident log, recordings and photo evidence.

A current UnitedHealth nurse practitioner, who recently submitted a congressional complaint regarding the nursing home program, stated:

“No one is truly investigating when a patient suffers harm. Absolutely no one.

“These incidents are hidden, downplayed and minimized. The sense is: ‘Well, they’re medically frail, and no one lives for ever.'”

A former national UnitedHealth executive said:

“APK drove everything. You gain profitability by denying care, and when profitability suffers for the shareholders, that’s when people get crazy and do things that are not appropriate.”

Two current and three former UnitedHealth nurse practitioners said that UnitedHealth managers pressured them to persuade Medicare Advantage members to change their “code status” to DNR, even when patients had clearly expressed a desire to receive all available life-saving treatments.

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Canadian Man Euthanized Because He Had Bedsores

The coroner’s inquest into the euthanasia death of Normand Meunier continued last week in Saint-Jérôme, Québec.

The inquest examined how Meunier acquired the horrific bedsore that resulted in Meunier dying by euthanasia (Medical Assistance In Dying—MAID).

Coroner’s inquest into Québec euthanasia death of man with a bed sore.

On May 13, Leora Schertzer reported for the Montreal Gazette that:

Geneviève Paradis, a nurse who cared for Normand Meunier during his time in the ICU, testified Monday that she did not check Meunier’s bedsores, noting that the hospital was short staffed. Another nurse, Rachel Lanthier, testified she thought one bedsore was significant, but did not see any records of it in Meunier’s hospital file to make a comparison and track the wound’s growth.

Meunier’s decision to seek MAID, she wrote,

was a last resort for a patient who had been systemically neglected by Quebec’s health-care system, Patrick Martin-Ménard, the lawyer representing Meunier’s family, explained in an interview.

“The crumbling health-care system allowed the pressure wounds to reach a point at which there was no possible recovery. And that in itself, I find it to be extremely shocking,” Martin-Ménard said.

Schertzer explained the extent of Meunier’s bed sores.

Meunier, 66, was brought to the ER for a respiratory issue in January 2024 and was left on a stretcher for 96 hours. When he was admitted to the hospital, he had three bedsores that were at risk of worsening without proper care. By the time he chose to end his life two months later with MAID, the wounds spanned nearly the entire width of his buttocks, exposing his internal organs.

The Canadian Press reported on May 15 that Sylvie Brosseau, Meunier’s wife, advocated for his care but was ignored:

Brosseau says Meunier loved the outdoors and had many dreams and plans despite being quadriplegic.

All that changed after he was left on a stretcher at the St-Jérôme hospital for 96 hours and developed a severe pressure sore that never healed.

Brosseau says she repeatedly asked for Meunier to be given a special therapeutic mattress that prevents sores, but she says she felt ignored by hospital staff.

Meunier requested medical assistance in dying two months after developing the sore and died March 29, 2024.

Meunier’s lawyer, Patrick Martin-Ménard, said:

although it’s tragic Meunier had to turn to MAID because of Quebec’s crumbling health-care system, the option at least let him die with dignity.

Martin-Ménard is missing the reality that euthanasia (MAiD) is used to cover up the crumbling health-care system. Th death of Normand Meunier is one of many tragic euthanasia deaths.

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Hospital Retaliates For Home Birth By Calling CPS & Then Forced HIV Medicine For Newborn!!!

I’m writing to you with a story that has shaken me to the core; not just because of what happened to us, but because I now understand just how vulnerable parents are when we choose a path that challenges institutional norms.

My wife and I chose a homebirth for our son because we believe birth is sacred. We wanted to welcome our child into the world in an environment filled with peace, warmth, and autonomy — not fluorescent lights, hospital monitors, or rushed protocols. Our son was born safely and beautifully at home, surrounded by calm, intention, and love.

It was, in every way, the birth we had hoped for.

About 30 minutes after delivery, we noticed the placenta hadn’t yet detached. We weren’t panicked — we were informed and prepared — but we decided to transfer to the hospital out of an abundance of caution. We drove there ourselves. My wife was treated, blood was drawn, and we were discharged shortly afterward. Everything seemed routine.

That illusion shattered just two hours later, when we received a call from Child Protective Services. Then, we called the hospital to get the test results: my wife had tested HIV Reactive on the rapid HIV test.

We returned voluntarily to the hospital under the guise that we were only coming in seeking clarity and confirmatory testing. Instead of support, we were met with force and coercion. We were told the rapid test had a 99.7% accuracy, this is inaccurate and incomplete information. With extremely low risk groups and immune disorders the likelihood of false positives is up to 60%.

We were told our newborn would be given antiretroviral drugs, “by force or by choice.” When we asked for time, information, or to wait for confirmatory testing, we were denied. When we attempted to leave, armed guards met us from two separate hallways blocking us in the NICU unit.

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Doctor: Biden’s Team Was Completely Incompetent Or Covered Up His Cancer

Joe Biden’s office announced Sunday that the former president has metastatic prostate cancer. The diagnosis is tragic and may have been completely avoidable, but the question now is whether Biden’s medical team was negligent or lied about his cancer. Either way, the American people deserve to know.

Prostate cancer is a “gut punch” diagnosis for any man to receive, and unfortunately, it is becoming more prevalent. Except for skin cancer, it is the most common cancer in men in the U.S. and the second-leading cause of cancer mortality. About 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer, with two-thirds of these cases in men aged 65 and older. 

Early detection is the key to survival, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a vital screening test that millions of men have every year during their annual physical exams. A quick needlestick and a tube of blood sent to the lab with same-day results — it’s that simple. Clinical studies have shown that this type of screening may reduce the risk of prostate cancer death.

As for Biden’s diagnosis, it is a sad postscript to a long life in politics and a presidency fraught with other major health concerns. Many unanswered questions remain, specifically, how did he develop such an aggressive cancer just a little over a year since his last physical exam?

Biden underwent detailed examinations in 2021, 2023, and 2024, performed by the physician to the president, Dr. Kevin O’Connor. And there was no mention of any prostate abnormalities, such as enlargement, nodules, or elevated PSA levels. There was no record of a urology consultation, although evaluations by several other specialists were prominently noted. We know more about Biden’s seasonal allergies and his teeth than his prostate health. This is in sharp contrast to President Donald Trump’s physical examination reports from 2018 and 2025, where PSA levels were specifically called out and reported as normal.

What happened? Prostate cancer tumors are typically slow-growing and do not usually present at the most severe stage, as has happened with Biden. While a PSA level can be normal in a person with advanced prostate cancer, it is not a common occurrence. Was the PSA test intentionally omitted by O’Connor?

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Baby Given World-First CRISPR Gene-Editing Treatment

In a global first, doctors in Philadelphia have used personalized CRISPR gene-editing to treat a baby with a life-threatening genetic disorder—marking a major milestone in the future of individualized medicine.

The patient is KJ Muldoon, a 9-month-old boy diagnosed shortly after birth with CPS1 deficiency, a rare and often fatal genetic condition that disrupts the body’s ability to eliminate toxic metabolic waste. “You Google ‘CPS1 deficiency,’ and it’s either fatality rate or liver transplant,” said his mother, Nicole Muldoon, in a video released by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where KJ received his treatment.

Instead of undergoing a liver transplant, KJ became the first person in the world to be treated with a version of CRISPR designed specifically for him. The therapy, developed by CHOP and Penn Medicine, used gene-editing technology to directly target and repair his unique genetic mutation—something that had never been done before.

“Our child is sick,” said his father, Kyle Muldoon. “We either have to get a liver transplant or give him this medicine that’s never been given to anybody before, right?”

The treatment consisted of three infusions delivered to KJ’s liver, where the CRISPR system—essentially a set of molecular scissors—sought out and edited the faulty gene. “The drug is really designed only for KJ,” said Dr. Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas, director of CHOP’s Gene Therapy for Inherited Metabolic Disorders program. “The genetic variants that he has are specific to him. It’s personalized medicine.”

According to the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, KJ has responded well to the therapy. He’s now able to eat a higher-protein diet—something that was previously dangerous due to his condition—and he requires fewer medications. He’ll still need long-term monitoring, but doctors say early results are promising.

“While KJ will need to be monitored carefully for the rest of his life, our initial findings are quite encouraging,” Ahrens-Nicklas said in a statement. “We hope he is the first of many to benefit from a methodology that can be scaled to fit an individual patient’s needs.”

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Family says woman declared brain dead but her pregnancy continues under state law

The family of a 30-year-old metro Atlanta mother and nurse said she was declared brain dead more than 90 days ago — but is still being kept alive because she’s pregnant.

Adriana Smith, a registered nurse at Emory University Hospital, was nearly nine weeks pregnant in early February when she started experiencing intense headaches. According to her mother, April Newkirk, Smith sought treatment at Northside Hospital but was released after being given medication.

“They gave her some medication, but they didn’t do any tests. No CT scan,” Newkirk said. “If they had done that or kept her overnight, they would have caught it. It could have been prevented.”

The next morning, Newkirk said Smith’s boyfriend woke to her gasping for air in her sleep—gargling sounds he believes were caused by internal bleeding. 

He called 911. Smith was taken to Emory Decatur and later transferred to Emory University Hospital where she worked. A CT scan revealed multiple blood clots in her brain.

“They asked me if I would agree to a procedure to relieve the pressure, and I said yes,” Newkirk said. “Then they called me back and said they couldn’t do it.”

Smith was declared brain dead. Her family has been by her side every day since, including her young son, who they said still believes his mother is just sleeping.

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HHS chief RFK Jr. says Americans should not take his medical advice 

Take two of whatever you like and don’t call him in the morning.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s top public health official, argued Wednesday that Americans shouldn’t be taking medical cues from him. 

The Health and Human Services secretary made the stunning statement during a House Appropriations Committee hearing, after Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) asked, “If you had a child, would you vaccinate that child for measles?”

Kennedy Jr., who has previously expressed regret that he vaccinated his children, was hesitant to respond. 

“For measles? Um … probably for measles,” the HHS chief reluctantly answered, before claiming that his opinions about vaccines are “irrelevant.”

“I don’t want to seem like I’m being evasive,” RFK Jr., continued, as he tried to side-step the question, “but I don’t think people should be taking advice, medical advice, from me.” 

Pocan noted that he wasn’t asking the former environmental lawyer – who has no medical training – to dispense medical advice. 

“For me to answer that question directly, it will seem like I’m giving advice to other people, and I don’t want to be doing that,” the “Make America Healthy Again” proponent argued. 

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Gavin Newsom Scales Back Plan to Provide Illegal Aliens With Free Healthcare as California’s Financial Crisis Deepens

California Governor Gavin Newsom is scaling back his ludicrous pledge to offer free healthcare to all illegal aliens in the state.

His 2025–26 budget proposal, released Wednesday, includes a freeze on new Medi-Cal enrollments for adults without legal immigration status and imposes a $100 monthly premium for those already enrolled.

The freeze would begin in 2026, affecting new applicants over the age of 19.

According to Newsom’s office, the change will not impact those currently enrolled or those receiving limited emergency or maternity coverage.

The new premium would apply starting in 2027 to all adults with what the administration calls “unsatisfactory immigration status,” a term that includes both illegal aliens and certain legal residents ineligible for federal Medicaid.

Newsom’s office says the revised policy is necessary due to a $16 billion shortfall in state revenue, driven in part by ballooning Medi-Cal costs linked to his earlier expansions.

Rather than his own failings and the mismanagement of Democratic authorities, Newsom cited Trump’s decision to impose tariffs as justification for the shortfall.

“California is under assault,” Newsom said. “The United States of America, in many respects, is under assault because we have a president that’s been reckless in terms of assaulting growth engines.”

However, Newsom insisted that he was not cancelling the program altogether.

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Congress advances $3.5 billion cut for CA for covering illegal immigrant health care

A new Congressional budget proposal would cut federal payments to California by $3.5 billion for allowing illegal immigrants to enroll in the state’s taxpayer-funded health care program.

California largely does not get federal reimbursements for illegal immigrant health care, though it is reimbursed for emergency care under a federal law requiring hospitals receiving federal funding to treat anyone in need of emergency medical attention.

The budget proposal would cut the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage to states that “use their Medicaid infrastructure to provide health care coverage for illegal immigrants under Medicaid or another state-based program.” The cuts would not impact emergency care reimbursements.

California has spent $9.5 billion this year on illegal immigrant health care and is reportedly set to face a $10 billion budget deficit the coming fiscal year.

According to an analysis Monday morning from California Policy Center Visiting Fellow Marc Joffe, cutting the federal reimbursement share from 90% to 80% would reduce California’s federal funding by $3.5 billion.

While the federal government does not reimburse the state for non-emergency care for illegal immigrants, other federal health care reimbursements enhance the state’s available resources for fully state-funded health care programs, such as coverage for illegal immigrants.

Joffee also noted the $3.5 billion cut equates to roughly the cost of coverage of five million beneficiaries at $7,000 per year.

In March, California Gov. Gavin Newsom requested a $6.4 billion emergency bailout for Medi-Cal. He said that while benefits for illegal immigrants had a “partial” impact, ending benefits for such individuals was not on his “docket” and that he believes in “universal healthcare.”

With an estimated 1.9 million illegal immigrants and $9.5 billion spent by Medi-Cal on their health care, the state is spending approximately $5,000 per illegal immigrant on health care this year.

Working illegal immigrants in California earn a median wage of $13 per hour — well below the state’s $18 per hour minimum wage — and thus pay up to $1,846 per year in state taxes, assuming all income is property reported and taxed, and all non-rent, post-tax funds are spent at businesses collecting sales tax.

That’s well short of the average of $5,000 spent on each illegal immigrant’s health care — not including other state programs — leaving the program highly reliant on other state revenue, including indirectly via federal funding, for support.

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CT Scans May Account for 5 Percent of US Cancers—Doctors Say the Story Is More Complex

CT scans are essential to modern medicine, quickly diagnosing conditions from strokes to cancer. However, new research suggests that the very tool used to save lives could, in some cases, contribute to future cancer cases.

A University of California–San Francisco study estimates that CT scans performed in 2023 could lead to more than 100,000 future cancer cases—about 5 percent of annual U.S. diagnoses. That level of risk is comparable with other known factors such as alcohol and obesity.

Published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the study concludes that while CT scans remain essential, they should be used more cautiously, especially for children and patients who undergo repeated imaging.

“CT can save lives, but its potential harms are often overlooked,” Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman, lead author of the study and UC–San Francisco radiologist, said in a statement. “Reducing the number of scans and reducing doses per scan would save lives.”

Some experts worry that the message lacks balance and may scare patients from necessary care by emphasizing long-term cancer risks without proper context.

“It is frightening to see these numbers,” Dr. Donald Frush, pediatric radiologist at Duke University, told The Epoch Times. “But without putting them in the context of how valuable CT can be, we risk eroding public trust in a tool that saves lives every day.”

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