UnitedHealth Sued by US Labor Department Over Claims Denials (2)

A UnitedHealth Group Inc. unit improperly denied payment for emergency room visits and urine drug tests, the US Department of Labor alleged in a lawsuit.

Thousands of people were improperly denied benefits under plans administered by UMR Inc., a UnitedHealth subsidiary that manages health plans for employers, according to the suit filed Monday.

The case represents an unusual step for the department, which oversees health benefit plans that companies fund on their own, rather than through an insurer. About two-thirds of US workers who get health benefits are covered by such plans, according to a survey from health research group ...