BOSTON — The executive in the middle of an intense legal fight between UnitedHealth Group and the new health venture helmed by Dr. Atul Gawande testified Wednesday that he did not attempt to steal trade secrets from the United subsidiary, Optum, and was taken aback by the ferocity of the legal allegations against him.
“I was fairly surprised by, frankly, all of this,” David Smith said in U.S. District Court in Boston, where Optum was seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent him from starting work for Gawande’s company, which was formed by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase.
This is another competitive business venture and what Optum may be doing now Amazon will do in the future.
All this has nothing to do with the reform of health care in America.
Bohdan A Oryshkevich
I hope that this Lawsuit will expose the underhanded activities of Optum. They have taken over most state benefit programs and used the data to misinform and manipuate the public. They alseo merged that data with other sources in order to manipualte federal health policy, and obscure the number of American who died due to lack of health insurance. Optum is a criminal conspiracy!
Why is Optum so worried about this document ? Gee, maybe something that
they want to keep opaque will become transparent ! Good for you Mr. Smith
and ABC !!!! Let’s expose all the secrets the PBM’s are trying to hide ! Once we do that watch how drug prices go down and every american spends less on drugs !!
Be careful Mr. Smith , there’s billions of dollars at stake here. After all the PBM’s
have been called the Mafia of the pharma industry !!!!!
This Amazon supported plutocratic attempt at self proclaimed reform is likely to collapse because of its confused strategy and its pecuniary interests.
This trial is the beginning of the end.
In effect, the American health care industry has occupied what would normally be the public civic space and will now fight an internecine war over its control.
Bohdan A. Oryshkevich, MD, MPH (HSPH health policy and management)