I know someone who works inside Optum. Most of us do. They employ a lot of people. Or at least they used to. I made a TikTok video after talking to someone in my life who told me she had been laid off.
Then looking at “the layoff,” and getting 400k+ views on that video, I started getting a bunch of inbound emails. Some journalists did investigate. What is one of the most grimly satisfying moments for a know-it-all?
I was right
(as reported In Endpoint News).
This newsletter has been—much to my surprise—an ongoing source of breaking news about things happening in the world. On the issue of these Optum layoffs, This article was published on 4/20. Oh, and this one on the 19th. I also broke the news about Sauron, taking a break from UHC’s woes, on the 16th.
My reporting on the Change Healthcare cyber attack has been pretty up to date too.
Here is what UHC reps had to say, to Endpoint:
“We are committed to providing patients with a robust network of providers for virtual urgent, primary and specialty care options,” a spokesperson for UnitedHealth told Endpoints in a statement. “We continually review the capabilities and services we offer to meet the growing and evolving needs of our businesses and the people we serve.”
Except, in this case, that means…just closing those things as they currently stand:
Employees in the virtual care unit were notified about the plan to shut down the business during an April 18 conference call with Optum Everycare CEO Jennifer Phalen, according to three people with direct knowledge of the call. Some employees were told that their last date will be in July, the people said.
Oh my. They can always acquire more.
Thanks for reading— I’m as surprised as you are.