EXCLUSIVE – A new group dedicated to holding “big insurers accountable” launched on Thursday with a campaign highlighting the “monopoly power” of UnitedHealth.
The Insurance Watchdog Coalition unveiled a website and five-minute video comparing the provider to single-payer healthcare systems in Europe due to its size and reach into the sector. Its mission, geared toward legislators, regulators, and the public, will include rapid response efforts to emphasize the impact of large insurers, with plans for paid advertising.
UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest private health insurers in the United States, but it also operates as a pharmacy benefit manager, physician network, and clearinghouse for medical claims through its subsidiary Optum.
The Insurance Watchdog Coalition, as a 501(c)4 nonprofit group, is not required to disclose its founders, but a spokeswoman said the public can “expect to see supporters in the coming weeks and months.”
“Big Insurers have been on a buying spree with the goal of controlling as much of the health system as possible, and it’s resulted in record profits,” spokeswoman Samantha Bullock said in a statement. “But for patients, doctors and pharmacists, it’s been a nightmare. Insurance Watchdog Coalition will shine a bright light on the impacts of these massive insurance conglomerates, and work to hold them accountable.”
The coalition’s launch comes days after the CEO of UnitedHealth testified before Congress on a February cyber breach that compromised patient data and crippled its claims clearinghouse, Change Healthcare, which processes 15 billion healthcare transactions per year.
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The company faces competitors in the healthcare space, among them CVS Health and Elevance Health, but lawmakers used the hearings to raise concerns about the security risks posed by industry consolidation. In 2022, the Justice Department moved to block the acquisition of Change Healthcare on antitrust grounds, but the sale was eventually allowed to proceed.
UnitedHealth Group said the market remains “deeply fragmented” as a whole and defended its business model as reducing waste while improving the patient experience.
“UnitedHealth Group is organized to help reduce that fragmentation by establishing value-based care models that better coordinate and align incentives among caregivers, payer and pharmacy offerings, thereby enabling us focus on the whole patient, connecting them to care throughout their health care journey,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
