New York is investigating UnitedHealth's use of a medical algorithm that steered black patients away from getting higher-quality care

UnitedHealth Group used technology that may have kept sick black patients from receiving high-quality care. New York's state departments of financial services and health sent a letter to UnitedHealth Group over its use of an algorithm that researchers found to be racially biased. Per the Wall Street Journal, the missive is an initial step into a larger investigation. The algorithm in question, Impact Pro, identifies which patients would benefit from complex health procedures favored treating white patients than sicker black ones between 2013 and 2015, according to a study published in the prestigious journal Science. New York lawmakers deemed the use of this discriminatory technology "unlawful," and asked to either demonstrate the algorithm is not biased or to stop using Impact Pro immediately.