UnitedHealth Group (UNH) Stock: Surprise CEO Exit Rocks Health Insurance Giant

TLDR

UnitedHealth Group suspended its 2025 forecast and CEO Andrew Witty stepped down “for personal reasons” Former CEO Stephen Hemsley (2006-2017) will return as chief executive Shares fell 8% in premarket trading, also affecting other health insurers Rising medical costs and Medicare issues continue to pressure the company UnitedHealth expects to return to growth in 2026

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UnitedHealth Group has suspended its 2025 profit outlook and announced the unexpected departure of CEO Andrew Witty, sending shares tumbling 8% in premarket trading on Tuesday. The health insurance giant, which posted its first earnings miss since 2008 last month, cited continuing challenges with rising medical costs and Medicare reimbursement issues.

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH)

Stephen Hemsley, who previously led the company from 2006 to 2017, will return as CEO effective immediately. The leadership change comes at a difficult time for UnitedHealth, which has faced multiple challenges over the past year.

“We are grateful for Andrew’s stewardship of UnitedHealth Group, especially during some of the most challenging times any company has ever faced,” Hemsley said in a statement. “The Board and I have greatly valued his leadership and compassion as chief executive and as a director and wish him and his family the best.”

The company said Witty was leaving for “personal reasons” but did not provide further details about the surprise exit.

This announcement follows closely behind UnitedHealth’s April earnings report, where the company lowered its annual outlook due to higher-than-expected medical costs and “unanticipated changes” in its Optum business affecting planned 2025 reimbursements.

BREAKING 🚨: UnitedHealth

The Great Collapse of $UNH continues as share price plunges to its lowest level since April 2021 📉 Shares have now plummeted 37.5% over the last month 👀 pic.twitter.com/G4mdLReJZ5

— Barchart (@Barchart) May 13, 2025

In its Tuesday statement, UnitedHealth reported that “care activity continued to accelerate while also broadening to more types of benefit offerings than seen in the first quarter.”

Rising Costs and Industry Challenges

The health insurance sector has been struggling with increased costs since mid-2023. A surge in demand for healthcare services under government-backed Medicare plans for older adults and disabled individuals has put pressure on insurers’ bottom lines.

UnitedHealth’s medical-cost ratio, which measures the gap between collected premiums and medical payouts, rose to 84.8% in the first quarter of 2025. This key metric indicates the company is spending more on medical costs relative to the premiums it collects.

Overall premiums increased 11% to nearly $78 billion in Q1. However, medical costs rose even faster at 11.7%, reaching $65.75 billion during the same period.

The company also noted that “the medical costs of many Medicare Advantage beneficiaries new to UnitedHealthcare remained higher than expected,” contributing to the decision to suspend its outlook.

Other health insurers felt the impact of UnitedHealth’s announcement. Shares of competitors including Humana, CVS, and Elevance fell between 1% and 3% in premarket trading.

Recent Challenges

The industry has faced a difficult environment since 2024, hurt by lower government payments and elevated medical costs. UnitedHealth specifically has dealt with additional issues, including public backlash following the murder of its insurance unit head Brian Thompson late last year.

Thompson’s fatal shooting triggered widespread social media criticism regarding health insurance industry practices, adding to the company’s troubles.

Earlier this month, UnitedHealth was sued for allegedly concealing how backlash from Thompson’s killing was damaging its business.

Despite the current challenges, UnitedHealth expressed optimism about its future growth prospects. The company stated it expects to return to growth in 2026, with a long-term growth objective of 13% to 16%.

“UnitedHealth Group has tremendous opportunities to grow as we continue to help improve health care and to perform to our potential,” Hemsley noted in the company statement.

The stock was indicated to open at approximately $350 per share following the announcement.

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