Protesters say 11 arrested outside UnitedHealthcare HQ in Minnetonka

Christopher Snowbeck, Star TribuneStar Tribune

Protest organizers say 11 people were arrested Monday outside UnitedHealthcare's headquarters in Minnetonka during an event spotlighting what critics say is a pattern of improper coverage denials by the nation's largest health insurer.

Protestors blocking a road were arrested by the Minnetonka Police Department, according to a news release from People's Action Institute, a consumer group that protested at UnitedHealth Group's Optum headquarters in Eden Prairie in April.

Minnetonka police said the protestors were cited with misdemeanors and released from the scene. Three of those arrested were from Minnesota, according to police, while others came from Illinois, Maine, New York, Texas and West Virginia.

"UnitedHealthcare policyholders and medical professionals have petitioned, protested and spoken directly to the chief medical officer of UnitedHealth Group about our concerns, but their leadership has refused to acknowledge that prior authorizations and claim denials are a widespread problem," Aija Nemer-Aanerud, a director with Chicago-based People's Action Institute, said in a news release Monday.

In a statement, UnitedHealthcare said: "The safety and security of our employees is a top priority. 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."

UnitedHealthcare is the health insurance business at Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group, the largest company in Minnesota by revenue. Its Optum division runs clinics, manages pharmacy benefits and consults with health care providers on data and information technology needs.

Health policy experts say there's been a lack of comprehensive data on the frequency of and causes for insurance coverage denials.

Critics in recent years have focused on prior authorization rules that patients and health care providers say have wrongly led to coverage denials, blocking needed care in the process. Insurers contend the rules help control costs and can improve quality.

UnitedHealthcare announced in March 2023 that it was dialing back some requirements for prior authorizations. The subject, however, has been a source of controversy for decades, including a pledge by UnitedHealthcare in 1999 to move away from "restrictive 'mother-may-I-medicine,'" the Wall Street Journal reported at the time.

People's Action Institute says it launched a campaign in 2022 to fight back against coverage denials by health insurers. After the protest at Optum headquarters in April, critics met with UnitedHealthcare executives, pushing to help individual patients and for broader reforms at the company.

"Health insurance coverage has expanded in America," Nemer-Aanerud said, "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."

In Monday's incident, Minnetonka police said, public nuisance citations were issued for interfering/obstructing/rendering dangerous for passage any public highway or right-of-way.