Investor jitters resurfaced around UnitedHealth as political pressure on insurance pricing intensified and visibility on policy outcomes remained limited.
- Trump said he will meet insurers soon to push for voluntary price cuts.
- Lawmakers remain stuck on ACA subsidy extensions, with no near-term fix expected.
- UnitedHealth released early audit results and laid out a timeline for implementing changes.
Shares of UnitedHealth Group (UNH) fell after hours on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump said he plans to summon insurance companies to push them to lower prices for Americans.
Trump Targets Insurance Pricing
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he would convene a meeting with insurance executives in the coming weeks to pressure them to reduce costs, particularly as millions of Americans face higher premiums following the scheduled expiration of enhanced Obamacare subsidies at the end of the year.
“I’m going to call a meeting of the insurance companies,” Trump said. “I’m going to see if they get their price down, to put it very bluntly.”
Trump said the meeting could be held next week at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida or in the first week of January after he returns to Washington. He added the idea came up organically after he attended an event where pharmaceutical executives agreed to donate drugs in a deal to avoid tariffs.
Political Fight Over ACA Subsidies
Trump’s comments come as Congress remains deadlocked over whether to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits. Earlier this week, four moderate Republicans joined Democrats to advance a discharge petition that could force a House vote on extending the subsidies, which were expanded during the pandemic and are set to expire at year-end, according to CNBC.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has pushed back on the effort, saying bypassing party leadership is not the right way to make law. GOP leaders are instead advancing a different plan that would help insurers cover lower deductibles and copays for ACA enrollees and expand association health plans, without continuing enhanced subsidies.
Senate leaders have also made clear there will be no last-minute deal. Any plan to move forward, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said, will likely be delayed until January, potentially leaving insurers and consumers in the lurch as the prospect of higher premiums remains.
UnitedHealth Releases Early Audit Findings
Separately, UnitedHealth said it has released initial findings from an independent review of its business practices, with CEO Steve Hemsley saying two outside consultancies found the company’s policies to be “robust, rigorous, and generally sound.”
The reviews were conducted by FTI Consulting, which examined UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage risk assessment approach, and The Analytics Group, which reviewed Optum Rx’s policies and processes. UnitedHealth said it has adopted 23 ongoing action plans based on the reviews and aims to complete about 65% of them by the end of 2025, with all recommendations implemented by March 2026.
How Did Stocktwits Users React?
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for UnitedHealth was ‘bearish’ amid ‘high’ message volume.
One user expects a “10% drop in insurance companies across the board next week!!”
Another user said insurers have already warned profits are under pressure and unlikely to recover before 2027, making Trump’s call for lower earnings feel disconnected from current realities.
UnitedHealth’s stock has declined 34% so far in 2025.
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