Revealed: UnitedHealth secretly paid nursing homes to reduce hospital transfers

A Guardian investigation finds insurer quietly paid facilities that helped it gain Medicare enrollees and reduce hospitalizations. Whistleblowers allege harm to residents

• US nursing home employees: do you have information about UnitedHealth's nursing home practices?

UnitedHealth Group, the nation's largest healthcare conglomerate, has secretly paid nursing homes thousands in bonuses to help slash hospital transfers for ailing residents - part of a series of cost-cutting tactics that has saved the company millions, but at times risked residents' health, a Guardian investigation has found.

Those secret bonuses have been paid out as part of a UnitedHealth program that stations the company's own medical teams in nursing homes and pushes them to cut care expenses for residents covered by the insurance giant.