FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 12, 2025 

CONTACT: Jack Cardinal, jcardinal@communitycatalyst.org  

BOSTON, MA — A new lawsuit by UnitedHealth Group investors has revealed just how deeply Wall Street greed is driving health care decisions and putting profits over people. Rather than criticizing the insurer for denying too much care, the investors are suing because UnitedHealth approved more care — a shift they cite as the reason for declining stock value. The case exposes the fundamental conflict between shareholder profits and patients’ needs and underscores the urgent need for reforms that put people, not Wall Street, at the center of our health care system.

Statement from Mona Shah, Senior Director of Policy and Strategy, Community Catalyst:

“Wall Street investors just said the quiet part out loud: they want UnitedHealth to deny more care to keep their profits high. This lawsuit exposes the brutal reality of our corporate-driven health care system — and why voters across the political spectrum are demanding change. Patients should never have to fight for care because investors want to maximize returns. 

“Congress and state leaders must act now — by cracking down on denial abuses, protecting people from AI-driven decisions, and ensuring corporate greed no longer determines who gets care. We cannot let insurers profit from a strategy of delay, deny, and defend.” 

What’s Wrong with the Status Quo: 

UnitedHealth’s lawsuit shows exactly why we need reforms to put people, not Wall Street, first in our health care system. According to recent research from Community Catalyst and HIT Strategies, 71% of voters say the health care system needs major change or a complete rebuild — including 74% of Democrats, 75% of Independents, and 66% of Republicans. Voters want bipartisan action to stop profiteering and make health care more affordable and fairer. There is also overwhelming support for policies that rein in corporate abuses and protect patients — from eliminating medical debt from credit scores to ensuring dental care is covered. These are solutions voters across party lines support because they address health care as the cost-of-living issue it is. Meanwhile, nearly half of voters (43%) report having some form of medical debt, and 55% struggle to afford their health care and/or insurance costs — even while 91% are insured.

Through our People Over Profit initiative, we are working to ensure that health care dollars are invested in improving care and outcomes — not enriching shareholders. Voters across the political spectrum agree: it’s time to put people first and restore trust in our health care system. And as we push for broader reforms, we also help equip people with tools to navigate today’s system — including our Know Your Rights resource on medical billing.  

Together, we can shine a light on the corporate strategies — including insurers’ tactics to delay, deny, and defend — that put profits before people and undermine the health and well-being of families and communities. By following the money and building power with communities, we can demand transparency, fair policies, and equitable access to the care people need. 

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About Community Catalyst:

Community Catalyst is a national organization dedicated to building the power of people to create a health system rooted in race equity and health justice, and a society where health is a right for all. We’re an experienced, trusted partner to organizations across the country, a change agent to policymakers at the local, state, and national level, and both an adversary and a collaborator to health systems in our efforts to advance health justice. We partner with local, state and national organizations and leaders to leverage and build power so that people are at the center of important decisions about health and health care, whether they are made by health care executives, in state houses, or on Capitol Hill. Together with partners, we’re building a powerful, united movement with a shared vision of and strategy for a health system accountable to all people. Learn more at www.communitycatalyst.org.