Protesters report eleven arrests outside UnitedHealthcare headquarters in Minnetonka

Protest organizers said 11 people were arrested outside UnitedHealthcare’s headquarters in Minnetonka on Monday, a incident that came amid criticism and highlighted a pattern of unfair denials by the nation’s largest health insurer.

Protesters blocking a road were arrested by Minnetonka police, according to a news release from the People’s Action Institute, a consumer group that protested outside UnitedHealth Group’s Optum headquarters in Eden Prairie in April.

While police did not immediately provide information, the incident was described on an online dashboard as a civil matter or arrest.

“UnitedHealthcare policyholders and medical staff have filed petitions, filed protests and spoken directly with UnitedHealth Group’s chief medical officer about our concerns, but their leadership refuses to acknowledge that prior authorizations and claim denials are a widespread problem,” Aija Nemer-Aanerud, director of the Chicago-based People’s Action Institute, said in a news release Monday.

In a statement, UnitedHealthcare said: “The safety of our employees is our highest priority. We have addressed the member-specific concerns raised by this group and remain open to constructive dialogue about ensuring access to high-quality, affordable health care.”

UnitedHealthcare is the health insurance business of Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group, the largest company in Minnesota by revenue. The Optum division operates clinics, manages pharmacy benefits and advises health care providers on data and information technology needs.

Health experts point out that there is a lack of comprehensive data on the frequency and causes of insurance denials.

Critics in recent years have focused on prior authorization rules that patients and health care providers say have unfairly led to denials of coverage, blocking necessary treatments. Insurers claim the rules help control costs and improve quality.

UnitedHealthcare announced in March 2023 that it would roll back some prior authorization requirements. But the issue has been a contentious topic for decades, in part because of UnitedHealthcare’s 1999 promise to move away from “restrictive ‘mother-can-do medicine,'” the Wall Street Journal reported at the time.

The People’s Action Institute says it has launched a campaign in 2022 to fight back against health insurance denial. After the protest outside Optum headquarters in April, critics met with UnitedHealthcare executives and pushed for help for individual patients and broader reforms at the company.

“Health insurance coverage has increased in America,” Nemer-Aanerud said, “but we find that it is often the private health insurance companies themselves that prevent people from getting the care they and their doctor believe they need.”