The Attorney General sues UnitedHealthcare over alleged fraud, the saga of Diana DiZoglio's attempt to audit the state legislature continues and the Massachusetts House weighs in on data privacy.
That's all according to statehouse reporter Katie Lannan.
CAI's Gilda Geist spoke to Katie to learn more.
Gilda Geist Attorney General Andrea Campbell is suing UnitedHealthcare over alleged fraud involving a healthcare program for seniors. Can you tell us more about the AG's allegations?
Katie Lannan Sure. The attorney general is charging that UnitedHealthcare essentially took at least $100 million from the state's MassHealth program over a 10-year period, essentially by portraying the members who are enrolled in their Senior Care Options plans as sicker or in need of more care than they were in reality, and doing that to get higher payments from the state. So, according to the lawsuit, allegedly the insurance company told MassHealth that some members needed daily skilled nursing services and that others had behavioral health conditions like depression or anxiety that they didn't have diagnoses or related treatments for in reality.
GG How has UnitedHealthcare responded so far?
KL Interestingly, the AG told us when she announced the suit that her office hadn't been able to settle with UnitedHealthcare. So, it looks like this could really be a court battle coming. United has called the suit meritless and says it doesn't accurately describe the Senior Care Program. They say AG Campbell is just wrong that these seniors shouldn't be getting this care. So, it looks like we could be gearing up for quite a court fight here.
GG On this segment we have been following the saga of State Auditor Diana DiZoglio's attempts to audit the state legislature. What's the latest development?
KL Yeah, and it has been quite a saga in the 18 months since this ballot question passed. We've seen some really big steps taken just in the past week, though. The House of Representatives, which has refused so far to comply with the audit request from Diana DiZoglio, passed new legislation this week that would essentially set limits around what kind of documents DiZoglio could access in her review. It's a limited set of financial papers that lines up with the same type of records the Massachusetts Senate has already agreed to provide her. But in taking this move, the House is seeking to change state law to write these new rules for the audit into state law. DiZoglio, you might be able to guess, is not pleased with this. She says that their move is akin to taking the 2024 ballot law, throwing it in the dumpster and lighting that dumpster on fire. We still need to see if the Massachusetts Senate goes along with the House's legislation. They both have to pass it to become law, and ultimately what the governor thinks [will determine what happens with the bill]. At least one Republican, Brian Shortsleeve, who's running against her, has called for her to veto that bill if it reaches her desk.
GG The Massachusetts House could vote soon on a data privacy bill. How does that bill seek to protect user privacy, and how likely do you think it is to pass?
KL Yeah, this has to do with the way big tech companies collect and sell or transfer your personal data. This legislation would create a requirement that you be able to opt out clearly from your data being sold. It's based on legislation that the Massachusetts Senate has already passed. So even though there's differences between the two bills, there's a big interest in getting this done. The House's point person on technology, Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, says that data privacy underpins all the other tech legislation they might consider in the future, and that needs to be done first. Of course, it's worth noting this is separate from the school cell phone ban and youth social media restrictions the legislature is also considering. So, there's a lot of technology issues at play all at once.
Since this interview was recorded, the House passed the Massachusetts Consumer Data Privacy Act.
Listen to this segment live Thursdays at 4:44 on All Things Considered.
