Trending News Today: UnitedHealth Group Sued for Alleged Inflated Drug Copays

Customers have begun suing UnitedHealth Group Inc, alleging that the insurer was charging prescription drug copays that were higher than the actual cost of the drugs. The lawsuit was started by 3 customers, but may expand to include tens of thousands of people insured by UnitedHealth, according to The New York Times. The lawsuit alleges that a customer paid $50 for a drug that UnitedHealth only paid the pharmacy $11.65 for, and pocketed the extra money.

Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes announced the company plans to close all of its labs and Walgreens testing centers, and will lay off 340 employees. This announcement comes after legal troubles and backlash from Walgreens and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services about the accuracy of their blood tests and technology. Holmes has said the company will not focus on the company’s miniLab platform that will conduct blood tests for vulnerable patient populations such as oncology, pediatrics, and intensive care, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The tragedy of the opioid epidemic and related deaths may be saving individuals who are waiting for organ transplants that would have likely died without the transplant. In the New England region, 69 individuals who died from an overdose donated their organ, which made up 27% of all donations, The New York Times reported. There were 202 individuals who were able to receive needed transplants from 69 individuals who died.