(Reuters) -The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an antitrust investigation into UnitedHealth Group, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
Investigators have in recent weeks been interviewing healthcare industry representatives in sectors where UnitedHealth competes, including doctor groups, the report said.
During their interviews, investigators have asked about issues including certain relationships between the company’s UnitedHealthcare insurance unit and its Optum health-services-arm, which owns physician groups, among other assets.
Shares of the company closed down 2.3%.
UnitedHealth and the DOJ did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
On Monday, Examiner Media reported that UnitedHealth received notice from the DOJ in October last year, saying it had begun a “non-public antitrust investigation into the company,” citing an internal email.
(Reporting by Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
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