Getty Images for People's Action
EDEN PRAIRIE, MINNESOTA - APRIL 16: Protesters with People's Action target health insurance giant UnitedHealth Group due to exorbitant health insurance costs and insurance claims denials on April 16, 2024 in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images for People's Action Institute)
UnitedHealth Group, the largest healthcare company in the U.S., operates over 2,300 businesses, including health insurance, pharmacies, clinics, and hospice care. Despite its size, the company has faced criticism for denying necessary treatments, driving out independent providers, and manipulating data for profit.
Before Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed outside the New York Hilton in Manhattan on December 4, Thompson’s wife, now widow, Paulette, informed NBC News that “there had been some threats” against her husband as a result of lack of insurance coverage. While some on social media celebrated his death as symbolic of a broken healthcare system, others condemned the violence but recognized the underlying anger it exposed.
This anger stems from the struggles many Americans face in accessing and affording healthcare. With increasing costs and the constant fear of medical bankruptcy patients are left with inaccessible primary care, delays from preauthorization, and unaffordable prescriptions. Health policy expert Fisher notes that patients often face barriers such as inaccessible primary care, preauthorization hassles, and unaffordable prescriptions.
Like much of the U.S. economy, healthcare has become profit-driven. For-profit insurers, such as UnitedHealth, and a large share of hospitals focus on financial gains, often at the expense of patient care. To rebuild trust and address public frustration, healthcare needs to become both affordable and accessible, creating a balance between financial sustainability and the well-being of the people it serves.