Written by Amina Niasse and Ross Kerber
NEW YORK/BOSTON (Reuters) – UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:) shareholders said on Wednesday they had asked the company to prepare a report on the costs and impact on public health related to its “practices that limit or delay access to health care.”
If the proposal is put to a vote at the company’s annual meeting, it will raise a charged topic after the shooting death of a senior executive in Manhattan last month.
A UnitedHealth spokesman said the company will respond to shareholder proposals for a 2025 proxy statement once it submits the document that serves as an agenda for its annual meeting, which has not yet been scheduled. In recent years, the company has released its proxy in April before its annual meeting in June.
Among those who submitted the resolution were religious groups led by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary of Quebec, and Trillium Asset Management.
The group proposed an analysis of how prior authorization, or approval, is required by an insurance company before a patient can receive medical care, and how refusals of medical services lead patients to forego treatment.
“The pattern of delaying and denying needed medical care by UnitedHealth and other insurers harms more than just the patient themselves,” Wendell Potter, president of the Center for Health and Democracy and former Cigna (NYSE:) CEO, said in a statement. Statement sent in support of the Interfaith Center’s resolution on corporate responsibility.
UnitedHealth operates the nation’s largest health insurer, UnitedHealthcare, as well as pharmacy benefits manager Optum and physician practices.
The killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December sparked criticism of US health insurers, with large numbers of patients describing care being delayed or denied and accusing the companies of using deceptive practices.
Luigi Mangione, 26, accused of killing Thompson, pleaded not guilty in a New York court in December after receiving thousands of dollars in public donations shortly after his arrest.
In a statement in December, UnitedHealth said it approves and pays an average of 90% of medical claims submitted.
“Very inaccurate and misleading information has been circulating about our company’s handling of insurance claims,” UnitedHealth said.
Andrew Witty, CEO of UnitedHealth, in a letter to employees called Thompson “one of the good guys,” adding that the company will continue to serve the most vulnerable Americans.
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