Pro-Trump House Committee Investigates UnitedHealth‘s Irish subsidiary Over โฃOpenness concerns
WASHINGTON – A key House committee led by a staunchโค ally of former President Donald Trump is investigating the international structure of UnitedHealth Group,focusingโ on its Irish-based pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) subsidiary,Emisar Pharma Services,LLC. The inquiry alleges โthe subsidiary โwas established to circumvent U.S. oversight and obscure financial dealings,perhaps harming patients and taxpayers.
The โinvestigation, spearheaded by House Oversight Committee Chairman James โขComer, centers on accusations thatโข emisar Pharma โฃallows UnitedHealth to retain additional revenue and feesโค while avoiding domestic legislative and regulatory reforms.โค comer’s โฃletter to UnitedHealth alleges a purposefulโฃ effort toward “opacity and avoidance of oversight” within the company, pointing to theโข 2021 creation of the Ireland-headquarteredโ entity. This scrutiny arrivesโ as federal regulators increasingly target PBM practices and seek greater transparency in drug pricing.
“Emisar Pharma,which UnitedHealth Group’s Optum Rx createdโฃ in 2021 and โis headquartered in Ireland,appears to be yet another example of the institutional intent at opacity and avoidance of oversight within your company,” Comer wroteโฃ in the letterโฃ to UnitedHealth. He further stated that overseas headquartered GPOsโ “may be used โto retain additional revenue and fees and to sidestepโ US legislative and regulatory reforms.”
The committee’s investigation follows recent federal โฃactions aimed โat increasing PBM accountability.โ In April,then-President Trump signed an executive order requiring PBMs to disclose fees paid to โขbrokers,and the Federal Trade Commission โค(FTC) has resumed lawsuitsโค related to PBM practices. Comer expressed concernโ that UnitedHealth’s “opaque business practices and relationshipsโฆcombined with unchecked integration, is โฃhurting patients and costing taxpayers.”
Comer has formally requested documents and communications pertaining to the creation and function ofโ emisar Pharma.
In response, Optum RX spokeswoman Elizabeth Hoff stated,โค “Emisar is based in the US, and we have employees in both the US and Ireland.” She added thatโ the dublin-based team “is an significant part of Emisar’s ongoing efforts to provide significant value for participating members, health plans, and consumers,” and that the company intends to cooperate with โthe congressional inquiry.