UnitedHealthcare, the nation's largest health insurer whose CEO was murdered earlier this month, is accused in a new article of actively working to reduce access to a treatment deemed "critical" for kids with autism.
A report from ProPublica claims UnitedHealthcare is strategically limiting access to applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy for autistic patients as a way to cut costs. The report was based on internal documents the outlet obtained that purportedly show the company's strategy, developed by its mental health benefits division, Optum.
According to the report, UnitedHealthcare acknowledges ABA as the "evidence-based gold standard treatment for those with medically necessary needs," but the company aims to "prevent new providers" of the therapy from joining its network and removing existing ones despite "very long waitlists" for the treatment in some areas.
The report claims Optum's strategy specifically targets kids insured through Medicaid, a federal program administered through states that provides health coverage to people with low incomes.
FOX Business has reached out to UnitedHealthcare and Optum for comment.
UnitedHealthcare has been in the spotlight since chief executive Brian Thompson was fatally shot in New York City on Dec. 4 by a lone gunman.
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The suspect in the murder, Luigi Mangione, reportedly singled out UnitedHealthcare in a handwritten manifesto, noting the size of the company and how much money it makes. However, Mangione was not a UnitedHealthcare member.
Following Thompson's murder, many people on social media expressed indifference to his killing and in some cases even mocked it, venting their frustrations with the U.S. health care system.
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Last week, Andrew Witty, CEO of UnitedHealthcare's parent company, UnitedHealth Group, penned an op-ed in The New York Times, calling for health care reform and greater transparency in the industry.
