November 3, 2025
Healthcare Hunger Games
UnitedHealth pays its own physician groups 17% more than outside ones
Patients call it ‘rigged’ as bills rise and trust falls
TLDR: Study says UnitedHealthcare pays its own Optum clinics 17% more on average, and up to 61% more where it dominates. Commenters unload: horror stories, profit-versus-patients outrage, and even talk of leaving the U.S., while almost no one can name a positive experience — raising big questions about trust and costs.
The internet did a double take: a new study in Health Affairs — echoing last year’s STAT analysis — says UnitedHealthcare pays its own Optum clinics 17% more than other local doctors, and where the insurer is king, it’s a jaw‑dropping 61% more. STAT even spotted some common services paid at nearly 2x the going rate. In plain English: the company may be paying itself more, raising alarms about a rule meant to limit insurer profits.
Commenters didn’t hold back. “My experience … has been terrible,” sighed broswell, while daft_pink piled on with dental horror stories: “they negotiate terrible rates so you end up paying a lot more.” The vibe? Pure “UnitedHate,” with vjvjvjvjghv saying the chaos makes them want to leave the country. When cebert asked, “Does anyone have something positive to share?” the thread answered with digital crickets.
The spiciest rallying cry came from bronco21016: decouple healthcare from profit or watch outcomes sink. That take soaked up the upvotes as users traded memes — the Spider‑Man pointing meme for “insurer paying its own clinics,” and “Healthcare Hunger Games” for everyday billing battles. Even people who don’t know Optum from Optimus Prime got the message: if the house sets the rules and pays the house, patients worry they’ll always lose.
Key Points
- •Health Affairs study finds UnitedHealthcare pays Optum-owned practices 17% more on average than non-Optum practices for common services.
- •In markets where UnitedHealthcare has a large share, Optum practices receive 61% higher payments than non-Optum peers.
- •Lead author Daniel Arnold said the study was partly inspired by STAT’s prior reporting.
- •STAT’s analysis found UnitedHealthcare paid 13 of 16 Optum practices above market rates, ranging from 3% to 111%, and roughly twice the market average for some services.
- •Findings suggest UnitedHealth may be skirting a rule designed to curb health insurer profits.