Texas Attorney General Probes UnitedHealth Over Allegations It Paid Nursing Homes to Delay Hospital Care for Patients

Dementia Patients Overweight or Obese at Diagnosis Had Up to 27% Lower Death Risk, Raising Caregiver Nutrition QuestionsA national study of 4,523 U.S. adults with dementia linked higher weight at diagnosis to longer survival. Here is what it means for caregivers. Nonprofit Hospitals Charging $5,500 or More for Longevity Checkups Face Questions Over Tax Breaks and Charity CareTax-exempt hospitals now sell longevity programs from $5,500 to as much as $45,000 a year. Here’s what’s included, what insurance covers, and what critics ask. Sentara Leaves Anthem Medicare Advantage Network January 1, So Hampton Roads Members Should Compare Plans Starting October 15Sentara will be out of network for Anthem Medicare Advantage on Jan. 1. Hampton Roads members can check doctors and switch plans by Dec. 7. UnitedHealthcare Will Leave Georgia’s ACA Marketplace in 2027 After State Regulators Pushed Back on a 54% Rate RequestUnitedHealthcare is leaving Georgia Access for 2027 after the state objected to a 54% rate hike. How enrollees can switch plans starting Nov. 1. Mental Health She Loved the Smell of Bricks So Much She Started Eating Them, and Severe Iron Deficiency May Be WhyA 56-year-old woman in Portugal ground bricks into powder and ate them after their smell became irresistible. Doctors suspect low iron. A Brown Rice Diet and Total Silence Looked Like Catatonia, but She Was Choosing Not to SpeakA 42-year-old woman stopped speaking and ate only brown rice. Doctors feared catatonia, but her silence was a deliberate act of defiance. A Strong Smell Could Set Off His Sneezing Fits, but His Muscles Told a Stranger StoryStrong smells set off a teacher’s sneeze-like fits for nine years. Muscle recordings showed rapid jerks unlike a textbook sneeze reflex. Louisiana Finds New Synthetic Opioid Cychlorphine in at Least Two Deaths, Warns Extra Naloxone Doses May Be NeededLouisiana found cychlorphine in at least two overdose deaths since December 2025. See where the opioid has spread and why naloxone may need repeating. Innovation Tukysa Wins FDA Nod for First-Line HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Maintenance After Trial Showed 8.6-Month Longer Median Disease ControlFDA approves Tukysa with Herceptin and Perjeta as maintenance therapy for metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer. Here is who qualifies and the tradeoffs. A Stroke Left Her Face Too Weak to Move on Command, Yet a Laugh Still Got ThroughAfter a stroke, a 64-year-old woman could barely move her face on command, yet laughing worked. Her rare case shows that the face has two control systems. A Pulse Oximeter Showed a Calm Woman’s Heart Rate Swinging From 40 to Over 100, and White Nail Polish Was the Likely CulpritA fingertip oximeter showed a calm woman’s pulse jumping between 40 and over 100 bpm. Her ECG was normal. White nail polish was the likely culprit. Six Pluvicto Doses Exceed a Draft NRC Radiation Threshold, Raising Travel Worries for Men with Prostate CancerA draft NRC radiation guide could cause community clinics to hold or turn away Pluvicto patients. Here is what prostate cancer families should know. Healthy Living 150 Kids Test Positive for Flu at Seattle Children’s in Two Weeks as West Coast Season Arrives EarlyFlu is hitting West Coast kids early, with 150 positives at Seattle Children’s in two weeks. Here is the vaccine timing parents need to plan for now. Babies’ Magic Tea Gripe Water Lot Recalled After FDA Tests Found Methanol, Isopropanol, and 8.3% EthanolA lot of Babies’ Magic Tea Baby Sleep Gripe Water is being recalled due to unlisted alcohol. How parents can check the lot and which symptoms need care. Findlay Measles Case Puts Urgent Care and Hospital ER Visitors on Symptom Watch Through October 20A Findlay, Ohio, measles case exposed visitors at NWO Urgent Care and Blanchard Valley Hospital’s ER on Sept. 29. Watch symptoms through Oct. 20. Her Intense Urge to Sniff Pine Cleaner Vanished After an Iron InfusionA woman’s strong urge to smell pine-scented cleaners faded once IV iron refilled her depleted stores. The rare symptom has a name: desiderosmia. Covid – 19 FDA Proposes Requiring Companies to Report Food Additives That Now Reach Grocery Shelves Without Federal ReviewFDA has released its proposed GRAS rule requiring companies to notify the agency about food additives. Here is what the proposal does and does not do. Federal Regulators Warn Some Hair Dryer Brushes Lack the Part That Stops ElectrocutionCPSC warns hair dryer brushes sold on Walmart.com and TikTok Shop lack immersion protection. The seller has not agreed to a recall or refund. A Recalled Teething Toy Broke the Pattern Parents Were Told to Look ForA newly recalled pull-string teething toy has a different model number and design from earlier recalls, and one choking incident has been reported. Trying to Lower Blood Sugar, Cholesterol or Blood Pressure? Different Workouts Suited Different MarkersA pooled analysis of 53 trials found that different exercise types helped different metabolic markers. Most of the evidence was low certainty. VICTORIA JONES | POOL | AFP via Getty Images Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Pocket Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened an investigation into UnitedHealth Group, citing reports that the insurer paid nursing homes to delay hospitalizing patients who needed medical care. In a release from the Texas Attorney General’s office dated Oct. 5, 2026, Paxton said he issued Civil Investigative Demands to the company to examine possible violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and other state laws. No charges have been filed, and none of the allegations have been proven.

For families with a parent or grandparent in a nursing home in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, or elsewhere in the state, the question is personal. When a frail resident suddenly runs a fever, becomes confused or struggles to breathe, the decision to call an ambulance can matter within hours. The investigation asks whether financial arrangements may have influenced that decision.

UnitedHealth has strongly denied similar claims about its nursing home programs in the past. MedicalDaily has reached out to UnitedHealth Group for comment on the Texas investigation. Becker’s Hospital Review also reported that it had contacted the company and had not received a statement as of publication on Oct. 5.

According to the attorney general’s office, the investigation covers several concerns. The release cites reports that United bribed nursing homes to delay necessary hospitalizations. It also describes a case in which United allegedly approved a procedure at RedBud Surgery Center in Austin, then withdrew that approval by letter after the procedure took place, leaving the patient with a large medical bill.

Paxton’s office is also examining whether United’s coverage decisions may amount to the corporate practice of medicine by overriding the medical judgment of treating physicians and directing patient care. “Alarming reports keep piling up about how United treats Texas consumers. I will not tolerate any insurance company putting illegal corporate greed over the people of Texas,” Paxton said in the release.

A Civil Investigative Demand is a legal tool that lets a state attorney general require a company to hand over documents, records or written answers before deciding whether to sue. Receiving one does not mean a company broke the law, and the release does not list which specific records Texas requested.

The probe follows a separate investigation Paxton’s office opened in late September into Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas and its parent company, Health Care Service Corporation, over possible care denials, delays and prior authorization problems, Becker’s reported.

The nursing home allegations trace back to a May 21, 2025, Guardian investigation. That report alleged that UnitedHealth placed staff in about 2,200 nursing homes nationwide and paid facilities bonuses tied to lower hospital admission rates, according to Becker’s coverage of the Guardian report. The Guardian also cited an internal email describing “budgets” for hospital admissions.

UnitedHealth rejected those claims. In a company statement responding to the Guardian, it said: “The U.S. Department of Justice investigated these allegations, interviewed witnesses, and obtained thousands of documents that demonstrated the significant factual inaccuracies in the allegations. After reviewing all the evidence during its multi-year investigation, the Department of Justice declined to pursue the matter.” The company also said its nursing facility payments are structured through contracts, with a portion tied to quality measures, and that UnitedHealthcare or Optum approval is never required to hospitalize a patient.

UnitedHealth sued the Guardian for defamation. In July 2026, a judge in Delaware dismissed that suit, finding the core reporting “substantially true,” Becker’s Payer Issues reported. In January 2026, Sens. Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren pressed the company for more records. A spokesperson responded, “We categorically reject any assertion that UnitedHealth Group or Optum engage in practices that endanger patient safety or violate ethical standards,” Fierce Healthcare reported.

MedicalDaily previously reported on a Senate request for records on post-hospital care denials by Medicare Advantage insurers.

Not every hospital trip helps a nursing home resident. UnitedHealth has argued that avoiding unnecessary hospitalizations protects older adults from complications.

The concern raised by the allegations is different. Residents often live with several chronic conditions, and an infection, a fall, or a heart problem can worsen quickly. The CDC describes sepsis as “a life-threatening medical emergency,” and its warning signs include confusion or disorientation, fever or shivering, a high heart rate or weak pulse, shortness of breath, and clammy or sweaty skin. In those situations, a delay in transfer could limit treatment options.

It remains unconfirmed whether any Texas nursing homes took part in the programs described in the earlier reporting, or whether any Texas resident was harmed. Those are among the questions the state’s demands may help answer. The residents with the most at stake are older adults in UnitedHealth’s Medicare Advantage plans, people with dementia who cannot describe their symptoms, and those without a family member nearby to advocate for them.

Families do not need to move a loved one based on these allegations alone. A practical step is to ask the facility who makes transfer decisions, how quickly a physician is contacted after a change in condition, and whether your relative’s insurance plan has staff working inside the building.

Families can ask for a hospital evaluation when they believe a resident is seriously ill. If a resident shows signs of sepsis, stroke, chest pain, or trouble breathing, call 911 or insist on an emergency transfer. Patients who face a reversed prior authorization or a surprise bill can ask their insurer for the decision in writing, file an appeal, and keep copies of every notice.

Next steps rest with the attorney general’s office, which has not announced a timeline for reviewing UnitedHealth’s response. The state could later sue or close the inquiry. MedicalDaily will update this story if UnitedHealth comments or Texas announces further action. For now, the allegations remain unproven, but families can stay alert and speak up when a loved one’s condition changes.

What is Texas investigating UnitedHealth Group for?

The Texas attorney general’s office is examining reports that UnitedHealth paid nursing homes to delay necessary hospitalizations, withdrew a prior approval after a procedure in Austin, and overrode physicians’ medical decisions. These are allegations, and no court has found wrongdoing.

It is a legal order that requires a company to provide documents or information to a state attorney general during an investigation. It allows officials to gather evidence before deciding whether to take legal action, and it is not a finding that the law was broken.

How has UnitedHealth responded to the nursing home allegations?

UnitedHealth has denied earlier versions of the claims, saying the Justice Department reviewed them and declined to pursue the matter. The company said its payments are contract-based and partly tied to quality and that its approval is not required for hospital transfers. MedicalDaily has reached out to the company for comment on the Texas investigation.

Why can a delayed hospital transfer be dangerous?

Many nursing home residents are frail and have several health conditions, so an infection or other illness can worsen quickly. The CDC calls sepsis a life-threatening medical emergency, which means prompt care can matter.

The investigation is statewide. Families of nursing home residents enrolled in UnitedHealth’s Medicare Advantage plans may want to follow it closely, although officials have not confirmed any Texas facility’s involvement.

Ask the nursing home how it decides on hospital transfers and how quickly it notifies families. Request an emergency evaluation if a loved one shows severe symptoms, and keep written records of any insurance denials or reversed approvals.