UnitedHealthcare Profits Less About Denials, More About The Pandemic

Forbes December 7, 2024
Bruce Japsen

The profits of UnitedHealth Group’s health insurance business UnitedHealthcare that soared during the pandemic have tempered as medical costs rise from Americans getting more care now that the Covid-19 pandemic has passed.

In the wake of the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson, a focus on health insurer denials of medical care emerged from social media trolls and industry critics. Health insurers slow-walking approvals of medical treatment and outright denials of procedures, hospital stays or other care led these companies to greater profits, critics of UnitedHealthcare and other health insurers say.

But health insurance company profits began to soar not long after the coronavirus hit the U.S. in 2020 because people weren’t seeking care amid lockdowns, office closures...

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