UnitedHealthcare sues The Guardian for defamation on nursing home program claims

UnitedHealthcare is suing British newspaper The Guardian for defamation, alleging that the outlet falsely accused them of enticing nursing homes to enroll in a special program that works to restrict medical expenses for elderly patients.

“The Guardian knowingly published false and misleading claims about our Institutional Special Needs Program, forcing us to take action to protect the clinician-patient relationship that is crucial for delivering high-quality care. The Guardian refused to engage with the truth and chose instead to print its predetermined narrative,” UnitedHealthcare told Fox News Digital in a statement.

The Guardian article, published May 21, claimed that UnitedHealthcare is pursuing cost-cutting tactics that jeopardize the health of nursing home patients. The article claims that the health insurance giant provides what amounts to secret bonuses to enroll in a program that stations medical staff that reports directly to UnitedHealthcare, and in practice works to reduce hospitalizations for patients, some of whom allegedly may urgently need the care. 

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The article also claims UnitedHealthcare financially entices nursing homes to join their “Institutional Special Needs” program, and allegedly illegally had nursing homes share confidential patient data with the insurer so that it could skirt federal law and market programs to patients – some of whom lack the capacity to make financial decisions on their own – and families. The Guardian also alleged that UnitedHealthcare leaned on nursing home staff to convince patients to sign DNR’s, even if they had expressed a desire for all medical options to be used to save their life.

“A recent article published by The Guardian presents a narrative built largely on anecdotes rather than facts. It is unfortunate that the article misrepresents a program that, in reality, improves health outcomes for seniors through on-site clinical care, personalized treatment plans, and enhanced coordination among caregivers. We stand firmly behind the integrity of our programs, which consistently receive high satisfaction ratings from our members,” UnitedHealthcare said in a statement in response to the article in May.

The lawsuit alleged that The Guardian used a “heavily cropped screenshot” of an internal UnitedHealthcare email which they claim, when seen in full, contradicts their reporting. The suit also accuses The Guardian of “gratuitously” linking its report to the assassination of their former CEO Brian Thompson. 

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“The Guardian knew these accusations were false, but published them anyway,” the lawsuit stated. 

The Guardian told Fox News Digital it stood by its reporting.

“The Guardian stands by its deeply-sourced, independent reporting, which is based on thousands of corporate and patient records, publicly filed lawsuits, declarations submitted to federal and state agencies, and interviews with more than 20 current and former UnitedHealth employees – as well as statements and information provided by UnitedHealth itself over several weeks. It’s outrageous that in response to factual reporting on the practice of secretly paying nursing homes to reduce hospitalizations for vulnerable patients, UnitedHealth is resorting to wildly misleading claims and intimidation tactics via the courts,” a representative from The Guardian said. 

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When asked by Fox News Digital for clarification regarding the “heavily cropped screenshot,” a representative for The Guardian said the image was in fact a “visual illustration” and the so-called missing information was provided “in an on-record comment and a denial from UnitedHealth” in the proceeding paragraph. The Guardian rep also claimed that UnitedHealthcare never asked the press outlet to alter the image.