NEW YORK, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Justice Department is investigating UnitedHealth Group for possible criminal Medicare fraud, reported The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Thursday.
The healthcare-fraud unit of the department's criminal division is overseeing the investigation, and it has been an active probe since at least last summer.
"While the exact nature of the potential criminal allegations against UnitedHealth is unclear," noted the report, "the federal investigation is focusing on the company's Medicare Advantage business practices."
UnitedHealth said in a statement it hadn't been notified by the Justice Department of the criminal investigation. The statement said the company stands "by the integrity of our Medicare Advantage program."
"The criminal probe adds to a list of government inquiries into the company, including investigations of potential antitrust violations and a civil investigation of its Medicare billing practices," added the report. ■
