UnitedHealth asks healthcare providers for hack loan repayments

April 11 (Reuters) - UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N), opens new tab is demanding that healthcare providers repay the loans they received from the company after a cyberattack at its tech unit Change Healthcare last year, according to two providers on Friday.

The largest U.S. health insurance company loaned out $9 billion to providers who had been struggling after the massive ransomware attack in February last year shut down payment and processing systems, some of which took months to resume.

Healthcare providers said they have received emails from UnitedHealth's Optum unit in recent months demanding full repayment and threatening to withhold reimbursement.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the news.

UnitedHealth's Change Healthcare unit said in a statement that it planned to "work with providers" on repayment options.

"Now, more than one year post the event and with services restored, we have begun the process of recouping the interest-free funding we provided to providers," a spokesperson for Change Healthcare said.

The initial agreement stipulated failure to repay could result in payments garnished, the two providers said, but they ...
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