Attorney General Andrea Campbell dropped a bombshell lawsuit Friday, accusing UnitedHealthcare of defrauding MassHealth out of at least $100 million by systematically manipulating health assessments of elderly members to inflate what the state paid out. The alleged scheme involves the insurer misclassifying seniors enrolled in the Senior Care Options plan — bumping them into higher-need categories than their actual conditions warranted — to pocket bigger reimbursements from the Medicaid program.

The timing matters enormously. MassHealth is already staring down a budget crisis driven by looming federal Medicaid cuts, and the agency is slated to spend roughly $22 billion in fiscal 2027. Every dollar allegedly skimmed by a major insurer is a dollar that isn't going to actual care — or that becomes a justification for cutting benefits to the state's most vulnerable residents. Campbell is essentially arguing that UnitedHealthcare was gaming a system designed to serve low-income seniors and people with disabilities. UnitedHealthcare calls the suit "meritless" and says it mischaracterizes how managed care works. That defense will be tested in Suffolk Superior Court.

Watch how this intersects with the ongoing Beacon Hill debate over MassHealth spending. If Campbell can demonstrate systemic fraud at scale, it hands the Healey administration a potent argument about where budget problems actually originate — not from overgenerous benefits, but from corporate bad actors.

A 190-page report from Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro found that county sheriffs routed tens of millions of dollars through private bank accounts that were never subject to state oversight. Sheriffs also routinely overspent budgets and shuffled payroll funds to mask deficits. But Shapiro didn't let Beacon Hill off the hook — lawmakers and the executive branch both failed to set clear expectations or provide adequate oversight for years. This one lands on everybody's desk.

Lucas Di Benedetto, a 41-year-old Newburyport man accused of driving the wrong way on Route 1 in Peabody and crashing into a State Police cruiser, was grabbed by ICE agents outside Peabody District Court Tuesday morning before he could be arraigned. Agents told reporters they had been waiting for him to arrive. The state criminal case has now defaulted. It's a vivid illustration of how federal immigration enforcement is intersecting — and colliding — with the state court system.

More than 4,000 graduate student workers at Harvard ended their strike Monday after the university signaled new willingness to engage on key sticking points: pay parity between teaching fellows and research assistants, protections for non-citizen workers, and anti-discrimination provisions. No contract was signed, and the two sides return to the bargaining table June 9. Union leaders are cautiously hopeful. Harvard has been here before, and so have the grad students.

Workers at the beloved Brookline cinema rejected management's "last and final" contract offer — 67 percent voted no — over concerns about wages and scheduling. A strike date hasn't been set yet, but union officials say one is coming. The Coolidge Corner Theatre Union represents floor and projection staff at the nonprofit venue. Management says its offer included guaranteed raises, more paid time off, and better scheduling. Both sides say they don't want a labor dispute. Someone's going to have to blink.

A new Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll of likely GOP primary voters finds Massachusetts Republicans split on Trump's job performance and divided on whether they'd vote for him again. Democratic Governor Maura Healey earns widespread disapproval among this group. In the gubernatorial race, former medical device executive Michael Minogue leads — but 40 percent of respondents are still undecided with the September 1st primary months away. Plenty of runway left.

The T launched a new public service campaign Tuesday highlighting escalator emergency stop buttons — a direct response to the death of Steven McCluskey, a 40-year-old father of two who fell at Davis Square in February, got trapped in the machinery, and lay there for 22 minutes while people walked past. The PSA will run on in-station digital boards. It's a small step after a genuinely horrifying incident, but awareness matters when the alternative is people walking by someone dying.

Rhode Island Senate votes Wednesday on a clergy sex abuse revival window bill that would let survivors bring expired civil claims against institutions like the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence — Senate leadership is all but guaranteeing passage. Boston Globe →

New Hampshire's candidate filing period opens Wednesday, which means Scott Brown officially locks in his long-shot Republican Senate primary challenge against Trump-endorsed John Sununu — the race to replace retiring Senator Jeanne Shaheen gets real. Boston Globe →

The Massachusetts income tax cut ballot question is currently before the Supreme Judicial Court on a technical legal challenge — the SJC's decision on whether the question stays on the November ballot could come any day. CommonWealth Beacon →

Full budget details →

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Big Spending This Week

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

Full hearing schedule →

Recent filings with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance:

Candidates

• Josh Bowdridge (Republican) — House, 4th Worcester — Filed: 5/28/2026

Ballot Question Committees

• Safer Tech at LastTreeLaws.com — N/A, No office — Filed: 6/1/2026

Change of Purposes

• Karen Hayes — City Councilor, Malden → Mayoral, Malden — Filed: 5/28/2026

OCPF →

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