The lawmakers raised concerns over reports that UnitedHealth used aggressive tactics to recover funds, including threats to withhold insurance payments and garnish remittances.
U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden have demanded information from UnitedHealth Group about emergency loans it issued to healthcare providers after the February 2024 ransomware attack that crippled its Change Healthcare unit, the nation’s largest health insurance claims processor.
In a letter dated Wednesday to UnitedHealth CEO Stephen Hemsley and Optum Financial Chief Dhivya Suryadevara, the senators raised concerns over reports that the company used aggressive tactics to collect debts, including threats to withhold insurance payments or garnish remittances, sometimes demanding repayment of hundreds of thousands of dollars within days, Reuters reported.
Warren called the repayment demands “deeply troubling,” while Wyden said it was “unacceptable for UnitedHealth Group to use hardball tactics to recoup loans to doctors left in financial bedlam through no fault of their own,” according to a Wall Street Journal report.
UnitedHealth said it lent more than $9 billion under its Temporary Funding Assistance Program to providers struggling during the cyberattack.
Change Healthcare said that 15 months after systems were restored and 14 months after the federal government ended its aid program, it has “worked collaboratively with thousands of providers … to help them satisfy the repayment responsibilities they agreed to when accepting funds,” adding it remains open to “reasonable repayment arrangements.”
The senators requested data on the total number of loans, the criteria for issuance, repayment plans, options offered to struggling providers, and notice procedures, with a deadline of Sept. 12 for response.
The Change Healthcare breach, the largest U.S. healthcare data hack to date, disrupted claims processing nationwide, forced many providers into financial distress, and exposed personal data on 192.7 million people. UnitedHealth paid a $22 million ransom.
At a May 2024 Senate Finance Committee hearing, then-CEO Andrew Witty, who resigned that month, testified that the loans were interest-free, tied to expected reimbursements, and structured so repayment would begin only once providers’ cash flows normalized.
UnitedHealth has since faced additional scrutiny, confirming in July that it is under investigation by the Justice Department for criminal and civil matters related to Medicare billing practices. In December, Brian Thompson, then-head of its insurance arm, was shot and killed in New York City.
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for UnitedHealth was ‘bearish’ amid ‘extremely low’ message volume.
UnitedHealth’s stock has declined 39.6% so far in 2025.
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