
US senators Wyden and Warren launch investigation into UnitedHealth over alleged nursing home payments
In a letter dated August 6 to UnitedHealth CEO Stephen Hemsley, the senators called on the company to provide detailed information about its reported incentive programming and its impact on residents.
The senators have sought responses by September 8.
In May, the UK's Guardian newspaper reported the company made secret payments to nursing homes, as part of a series of cost-cutting tactics, that saved the company millions, but at times risked residents' health, citing an investigation carried out by the newspaper.
At that time, UnitedHealth had said the U.S. Department of Justice had investigated those allegations, interviewed witnesses, and obtained thousands of documents that demonstrated the significant factual inaccuracies in the allegations.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Guardian
20 minutes ago
- The Guardian
I'm 15 and in love, but I have to walk on eggshells with my boyfriend
I'm 15, and in a six-month relationship with my boyfriend who has a very toxic home life. This has given him significant mental health issues. He gets upset by little things, and struggles to move on, catastrophising small disagreements, thinking I hate him and saying he'll self-harm. He has a really strong sense of self: he hates people being better than him at anything he cares about, and is obsessed with looks. The real issue for me is that I often feel I'm walking on eggshells: I can't tell him about achievements or he'll get upset; I soften any viewpoint I'm worried he won't like; I can't tell him he upset me without him getting extremely defensive. I do not want to lose him. He's really thoughtful, caring, beautiful and profound. He always checks for consent before doing anything sexual (nothing much as we're both underage); he cares for me if I'm upset, gives me advice, makes me feel confident in myself and happy. But I'm worried about the coming weeks, as I'm going on holiday and I know I'll have to reassure him I love him every two days, feeling guilty for just having a nice time. I feel so strongly in love, and don't want to break up with him. I'd really like some strategies to help him feel better, be less sensitive, and avoid triggers without it being exhausting. It's never too early or late in life to start asking the right questions and here, as my specialist this week, the UKCP-registered child and adolescent psychotherapist Sara Anton says, the questions you might want to ask are: 'What does a healthy relationship looks like? Is this a healthy relationship, and if not why not? If you are looking after your boyfriend's needs all the time, how can you take care of your needs? And how does it feel to do so much caretaking at this point in your life?' You sound incredibly mature, astute and sensitive, but the flipside is that you will attract people who look to you to fulfil things lacking in themselves. It's also never too early or late to learn about boundaries. I hear that you are really in love; as Anton points out: 'At 15 it's really usual – and developmentally appropriate [as we have to learn to separate from our parents] – to have these intense relationships.' But, and it is a significant but, this relationship raises concerns for us. No relationship should mean you are radically changing your behaviour – as you are – to appease someone else. I'm sorry for your boyfriend's home life, the details of which you asked me to withhold, but you are not responsible for his happiness or anyone else's. 'At this age,' says Anton, 'you are starting to find out who you are, what you like and don't like, how to be with others, what your boundaries are, and how to take care of your own emotions. From what you say, this relationship is more intense than is healthy and it's taking a toll on you. It will be hard to build a sense of who you are as a young person when you are so entwined.' Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion Aspects of your relationship sound coercive. I'm sure you've covered this in PSHE lessons, but it can be hard to see when this is happening to us. Not being able to share or having to water down good news for fear of him not liking it, him threatening to self-harm, feeling like you're constantly treading on eggshells: these are not what a healthy relationship is based on. Your boyfriend doesn't sound like he has a strong sense of self, quite the opposite; it sounds like he's outsourcing his self-esteem to you. This is not something you can delegate. I would really urge you to talk to an adult you trust. You've taken a really big step towards this by writing to me. If you are constantly keeping the peace with your boyfriend, you will get no peace yourself. You can't fix him, or anyone else. That's not your job. Your job is to look after yourself first and foremost. That's not selfish but self-aware and self-protective, and that lesson can never be learned too young. Every week, Annalisa Barbieri addresses a personal problem sent in by a reader. If you would like advice from Annalisa, please send your problem to Annalisa regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence. Submissions are subject to our terms and conditions. The latest series of Annalisa's podcast is available here. Comments on this piece are pre-moderated to ensure the discussion remains on the topics raised by the article. Please be aware that there may be a short delay in comments appearing on the site.


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
'Why was nobody watching her? 15 nurses fired as family ask how death-plunge girl left room undetected
Fifteen nurses have been fired after a suicidal 12-year-old girl plunged to her death after being left alone in her hospital room. Sarah Niyimbona died on April 13 after leaving her room at a children's hospital in Spokane, Washington, and jumping from the fourth floor of its parking garage. Now 15 staffers have been dismissed amid questions over how the girl - who had been admitted several times last year for attempting to kill herself - was allowed to leave her room undetected. Administrators at Providence Sacred Heart Children's Hospital said the dismissals came after the nurses improperly accessed Niyimbona's private medical files following her death. The nurses were accused of accessing the records for no legitimate medical purposes, the Spokesman-Review reported. 'Providence takes violations of our code of conduct and federal privacy laws that govern private health information very seriously,' hospital spokesperson Jen York told the outlet. 'We review employee conduct and take appropriate action, including termination of employment, where warranted. Patient privacy is one of our top priorities.' Bobbi Nodell, a spokesperson for the Washington State Nurse Association union, said the violations could have been as simple as 'hovering' over the girl's chart from 'concerned nurses who worked with that patient.' The girl's mother, Nasra Gertrude, recalled rushing to the hospital after her daughter jumped from the garage. 'I ask what happened,' she told Investigate West. 'How come she left the room without anybody seeing her? How come she walked all the way to the elevator without anybody seeing her? 'They haven't given me any answer at all. I trusted this hospital to take care of my daughter. 'My heart got a little peace. At least I can go to work without receiving a 911 call that Sarah had attempted or was taken to the hospital. At least I can sleep. 'At least I don't have to worry about Sarah much because I know she's in safe hands. I trusted this hospital.' Gertrude said that her daughter had been a happy child, but began to experience bullying in middle school and was suspended several times for fighting. The young girl's sister, Asha Joseph, told PBS: 'We're confused how this could happen. We also want to know why there wasn't anyone there at the moment, why there was nobody watching her and how she was able to leave. 'We don't really know anything. We don't have any of the answers.' A GoFundMe account launched by the girl's her family states: 'It's tragic that her potential was cut short due to lack of care. An act of negligence led to her passing and we're left with so many questions.' It added that Niyimbona was a 'shining light, a bright angel who lit up our lives with her presence.' 'Sarah was intelligent, independent and outspoken, with a unique perspective on life that was truly magical,' her sister, Joseph, added. 'Her selflessness and compassion touched the hearts of everyone she met, from family and friends to peers and teachers. 'It's heartbreaking that the one place that was supposed to keep her safe failed to do so.' The hospital said in a statement to the Spokesman-Review: 'We are heartbroken about the tragedy that occurred at Sacred Heart Medical Center. Safe, compassionate care is always our top priority. 'We believe that Sacred Heart Medical Center provides compassionate and thoughtful care to our patients in alignment with our mission and values. We extend our deepest sympathy to the patient's loved ones.' Niyimbona's family filed a lawsuit against the hospital over accusations of neglect and medical malpractice. Preventive and safety measures to help protect and monitor the girl were reportedly removed from her room before her death, including round-the-clock video and a health care worker, or 'sitter,' assigned to her room, Investigate West reported. There was also an alarm on her door to notify hospital staff if she opened her hospital room door. According to the lawsuit reviewed by the outlet, the hospital 'failed to properly utilize and monitor alarms in Sarah's room allowing her to escape.' 'I feel like they neglect my daughter and they neglect me. I feel like they were tired [of] seeing Sarah there, so they didn't care about looking after her all the time,' Gertrude told the Spokesman-Review. The nurses are fighting their terminations over looking at Niyimbona's medical records, claiming the firings happened only after they spoke with media following the girl's death. 'The union was contacted by these nurses and has field grievances over the terminations and disciplinary actions, arguing that any information accessed pertained directly to the nurses' duties responding to this crisis,' Washington State Nurse Association Director David Keepnews said in a statement to the Spokesman-Review. A hospital-wide email on the night of Niyimbona's death told staff to refrain from posting about the incident or making any comments on social media, and many staff members said they felt pressured to stay quiet, according to Cascade PBS. The nurses had reportedly expressed concern to hospital management for the young girl's safety but had been ignored. 'That's where this frustration and feeling of helplessness is really coming from,' one of Niyimbona's nurses told the outlet. 'We did try to speak up. We did try to say, "This isn't safe. We cannot take away the security because she's going to hurt herself."' A former nurse of the children's psychiatric unit, Kaili Timperley, added to the outlet: 'We said this is what was going to happen. We said their plan was not an adequate plan. 'You can't just put these kids in a medical room and expect everything to be okay. It's why we tried to fight against it and get the word out.' Niyimbona had been moved to the hospital's general pediatrics unit from the ER, where two rooms had been converted into new psychiatric beds. The rooms reportedly lacked proper safety measures that the shuttered unit had, including locked doors that make it harder for patients to leave without alerting staff.


Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Police officer killed in firefight with CDC gunman was dad of two with a third on the way
A police officer slain by a gunman targeting the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta Friday was expecting his third child. David Rose, 33, leaves behind two children and a pregnant wife and had only joined the Dekalb County Police Department in September. Rose succumbed to his injuries in hospital after being shot during a firefight with the gunman, who was firing wildly at CDC buildings near Emory University. Heavy police response: Officers set up a blockade of a road near the CDC, where several buildings took fire 'This evening, there is a wife without a husband. There are three children, one unborn, without a father,' DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said during a press conference. 'There is a mother and a father, as well as siblings who also share in this traumatic loss. Let's join together to give this family the support it needs.' The officer was suffering from critical injuries when he was located at the scene as gunfire erupted from the CVS located at Emory Point, a mixed-used development across the street from the CDC headquarters. The shooter was located on the floor above the CVS and died during a firefight with police. It wasn't immediately clear if his injuries were from officers or if they were self-inflicted. He was identified Saturday by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) as 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White from Kennesaw, Georgia. 'There is extensive evidence to collect due to the complex scene,' a statement from the bureau noted. 'Numerous interviews are being conducted. This investigation will take an extended period of time.' CNN reported that the shooter's family members spoke to law enforcement and told them that he blamed his recent illness on the Covid-19 vaccine, which was pushed by the CDC. CDC Director Susan Monarez, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp recognized Rose's death as a brave sacrifice. In a statement, Dekalb County said that Rose was a former Marine who served in Afghanistan. Police said he graduated from the police academy in March and 'quickly earned the respect of his colleagues for his dedication, courage and professionalism.' 'This evening, there is a wife without a husband. There are three children, one unborn, without a father,' DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said. The shooter is believed to have been targeting the CDC, not nearby Emory University. Emory University students began hearing gunshots late Friday afternoon. Eventually, the university sent out a desperate alert at around 4:50pm pleading with students to 'RUN. HIDE. FIGHT.' A little over two hours after the alert was sent out, Atlanta Police confirmed the shooter was dead. 'There is no ongoing threat to the Emory Campus or the surrounding neighborhood. The incident involved a single shooter, who is now deceased,' Atlanta Police said in a statement. No civilians were shot throughout the course of the attack, said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. The shooting ended at the CVS, but bullets from the shooter's gun hit at least four buildings that are part of the CDC's headquarters. A photo shared to social media showed at least two bullet holes in two separate windows. A CDC employee told CNN that he saw a man approach the steps in front of the building, pull out a rifle and open fire. Law enforcement officials said the shooter had four different weapons — two hand guns, one rifle and one shotgun — and was wearing what looked to be a surgical mask. The CDC ultimately wasn't breached. At around 10pm ET, the CDC gave its employees the all-clear order via text message. 'Local law enforcement continues to clear Roybal Campus buildings but has determined that there is no longer a threat to CDC staff,' the text message read. Roughly 92 children were at the employee daycare at the CDC campus, which had parents panicking since they weren't allowed to immediately go pick them up because of shelter-in-place orders. When the all-clear order was given roughly five hours after the shooting began, that's when the children were finally reunited with their parents.