Nearly a dozen people were arrested in July outside UnitedHealthcare headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota, while “protesting the company’s systemic practice of refusing to authorize and pay for care,” according to THE Popular Action Institute. The organization offered its condolences on the death of Thompson in a statement.
Claim denials or delays are two strategies health insurance companies employ to limit the amount they pay in medical claims due to pressure from Wall Street, Potter said.
When UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group, reported quarterly results in November, the insurer paid higher claims than Wall Street had expected and warned of government payment cuts for plans private Medicare and low reimbursement from the public Medicaid program. After the insurer lowered its financial performance forecast for next year, the company’s stock price fell 8%.
