UnitedHealth, the largest healthcare insurer in the United States, is facing serious allegations of prioritizing profits over patient care, particularly for seniors. According to a recent report by The Guardian, nurse practitioners have come forward claiming that the company pressured them to change patients’ ‘do not resuscitate’ status against their previously expressed wishes for full medical treatment.
One practitioner revealed that UnitedHealth made decisions that weren’t in the best interest of patients, stating, “They’re pretending to make it look like it’s in the best interest of the member, but it’s really not.” The company allegedly also attempted to prevent patients from transferring hospitals, potentially risking their health further.
Allegations and Controversies
UnitedHealth has denied these allegations, but the reporting highlights a disturbing trend in the US healthcare system where insurance companies are treated like tech firms focused on maximizing profits while cutting costs. This isn’t the first time UnitedHealth has faced controversy. The company has a history of finding ways to deny healthcare coverage, including using AI to automatically deny and override claims for elderly patients.
The situation has drawn significant attention following the murder of UnitedHealth’s CEO in December, an act perceived by some as a violent reaction to the company’s practices. Since then, the company’s shares have dropped nearly 40 percent year-to-date amid a series of damaging reports.
Following The Guardian’s latest reporting, UnitedHealth’s stock price plummeted by over six percent. The company is also under criminal and civil investigations for its practices, including allegations of Medicare fraud. Last week, CEO Andrew Witty resigned abruptly, citing “personal reasons,” which has only added to the scrutiny.
Whistleblower Allegations
A whistleblower lawsuit, as reported by The Guardian, alleged that staff at nursing homes were incentivized to leak sensitive resident records so that UnitedHealth sales teams could solicit their plans. In one documented case, a patient showing stroke symptoms was denied care by an underqualified UnitedHealth employee who suggested a less serious condition, leading to further health deterioration due to delayed treatment.
Former UnitedHealth nurse practitioner Maxwell Ollivant, now a whistleblower, questioned the impact of such practices on patient outcomes, saying, “How many of those people were further harmed because they never received the care that they needed? When you just look at the percentage reductions in hospitalizations, it doesn’t say anything about patient outcomes.”
The pattern of behavior suggests that UnitedHealth is more focused on cost-cutting than ensuring the health and well-being of seniors in their care. The company’s actions have sparked outrage and raised serious questions about the state of healthcare in the US when insurance companies prioritize profits over people.
