Former employees with UnitedHealth Group's Optum and its subsidiaries took to social media beginning April 18 regarding a reduction in force they say occurred across the company.
Optum declined to provide more information April 19. Becker's has not confirmed an exact number or range of employees who may have been terminated or when layoffs would be effective.
Across LinkedIn, former employees with Optum and affiliated providers have detailed layoffs enacted at their organizations. A range of roles appear to have been affected, from RN case managers to senior director and management positions.
In 2023, many large insurers conducted large workforce reductions due to financial or operational challenges in certain segments, along with restructuring strategies.
Optum also laid off an unknown number of employees in August. Affected facilities included the Everett (Wash.) Clinic and the Polyclinic in Seattle; Morgantown, W.Va.-based MedExpress Urgent Care; and San Antonio-based WellMed.
UnitedHealth is still recovering from the cyberattack on Change Healthcare in February — the company had reinstated 80% of the functionality for its claims, payment and pharmacy services as of April 16.
UnitedHealth Group posted a $1.4 billion net loss in the first quarter of 2024, primarily due to the sale of its Brazil operations, along with the cyberattack. Despite the losses, the company beat investor expectations.