Optum Layoffs Affect Teams in Medicare Advantage I-SNP, IE-SNP Business

Optum is paring back its workforce, including in the parts of the business related to Medicare Advantage plans for nursing home and assisted living residents. This is according to multiple industry sources who communicated with Skilled Nursing News, as well as anonymous posts on an online message board related to the layoffs at Optum, which is the health care services arm of insurance giant UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UHG).Optum provides technology services, pharmacy care services, including a pharmacy benefit manager, and various direct healthcare services. The company also has been the dominant player in providing care delivery and coordination for Medicare Advantage Institutional Special Needs Plans (I-SNPs), which are MA plans tailored to the needs of nursing home residents. Optum serves more than 1,800 SNFs and – as of 2019 – more than 70,000 plan members nationwide, according to the company’s website.AdvertisementThe recent layoffs at Optum number hundreds of people across various...