UnitedHealth allegedly received $8.7 billion in extra federal payments in 2021 just for diagnoses that were never actually treated.<p>Through their "HouseCalls" unit, each nurse visit triggered an average of $2,735 in additional government payments; just for documenting conditions, not treating them.<p>UnitedHealth trained doctors to document revenue-generating diagnoses<p>Used software to suggest profitable diagnoses<p>Paid bonuses to providers who followed these suggestions<p>Added diagnoses without lab tests or confirmation<p>The same patients suddenly had many more lucrative diagnoses after joining UnitedHealth's Medicare Advantage plans versus before.<p>When confronted, rather than addressing the specific allegations about billing practices, UnitedHealth called the WSJs reporting "outrageous and false" and claimed it was part of a "campaign against Medicare Advantage."<p>The company seemingly built entire systems in a deliberate, systematic effort to maximize government payments rather than isolated incidents or honest mistakes.