Do we like them?

Do we like UnitedHealth Group?

Health insurer (UnitedHealthcare) and Optum care, pharmacy and data services; based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, USA.

Our score: 2 out of 10. No, we wouldn't back them. A federal Medicare probe, the biggest health data breach on record and a pile of lawsuits outweigh the care it provides.

UnitedHealth is America's biggest health insurer, and it also runs Optum, a huge arm covering doctors, pharmacies and data. It's listed on the stock exchange. Stephen Hemsley, CEO from 2006 to 2017, came back in 2025 to replace Andrew Witty.

The big drama is Medicare Advantage. The Wall Street Journal reported in May 2025 that the Justice Department was looking at possible criminal fraud over how the company records diagnoses that raise payments. UnitedHealth later confirmed in an SEC filing that it was complying with criminal and civil requests, and it says its practices are among the industry's most accurate.

Then there's the Change Healthcare hack. Becker's reported that the breach affected 100 million Americans, and that Nebraska's attorney general sued over it. Dozens of providers sued too. UnitedHealth called one suit, from Fairview, baseless and said it will defend itself.

Our searches didn't show how the probe ended, so this is a snapshot. With a criminal investigation, a record breach and a lot of litigation, we land low.