Eleven protesters were arrested Monday outside the UnitedHealthcare headquarters in Minnesota.
They were holding a protest along with around 140 others outside the building in Minnetonka over the company’s allegedly refusing to approve care, according to the protest’s organizer, People’s Action Institute.
“Our members are currently risking arrest to show @UHC we mean business when we demand they put #PeopleOverProfit and stop denying care!” the group said in a post on X before the arrests were made.
The 11 protesters were cited with misdemeanors after blocking a road, according to Minnetonka police, and released from the scene.
The demonstration was part of the People’s Action Institute’s Care Over Cost campaign, which aims to highlight what they say is the health insurance company’s “systemic practice of refusing to approve care through prior authorization denials or pay for care through claim denials.”
The People’s Action Institute also protested at UnitedHealth Group’s Optum headquarters in Eden Prairie in April.
“Health insurance coverage has expanded in America, but we are finding it is private health insurance corporations themselves that are often the largest barrier for people to receive the care they and their doctor agree they need,” Aija Nemer-Aanerud, campaign director with the People’s Action Institute, said in a statement to NTD.
UnitedHealth Group, which provides health insurance for more than 47 million people across the country, stated that it has addressed the protesters’ issues and will continue to work with them.
“The safety and security of our employees is a top priority,” UnitedHealth said in a statement to local media outlets. “We have resolved the member-specific concerns raised by this group and remain open to a constructive dialogue about ensuring access to high-quality, affordable care.”
A request for comment from NTD was not returned by the time of publication.
The People’s Action Institute earlier this year targeted the company after it made $7.9 billion in profit in the first three months of 2024, which they say is because it was denying care.
In March, UnitedHealth Group suffered a major cyberattack on its Change Healthcare unit. The attack could cost the company as much as $1.6 billion this year. It already spent about $872 million during the first quarter responding to the cyberattack, according to its financial report released in April.
“Our mission is to help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone,” UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty testified during a Senate Finance Committee hearing in May regarding the cyberattack.
“Together, we are working to help enable our health system’s transition to value-based care and are empowering physicians and their care teams to deliver more personalized, high-quality care that delivers better outcomes at a lower cost,” the chief executive stated.
But the People’s Action Institute claims that the company blocks doctors from providing the care patients need while making billions in profit.
“UnitedHealth profits billions, denies care to millions, and gets hacked,” the organization stated on X. “The incident exposed credit card info, medical records, and Social Security numbers. This breach isn’t just a violation of trust, it’s a nightmare for every affected individual.”