The company’s CEO, Stephen Hemsley, has met senior White House and Medicare officials while also hiring Trump-linked lobbyists to navigate regulatory scrutiny.
Retail chatter around UnitedHealth Group picked up late Sunday after a report said the insurer had sought meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump as it faces criminal and civil probes into its Medicare Advantage business and federal payment changes that have cut into results.
The Wall Street Journal noted that no meeting with Trump has been secured, but UnitedHealth has already spoken with senior Justice Department officials, including Attorney General Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle, in a rare early-stage discussion about government investigations.
CEO Stephen Hemsley, who returned to the top role in May, has also reportedly met White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and separately dined with Medicare chief Chris Klomp, where billing policies and supplemental benefits were discussed, the report said.
UnitedHealth has lost about 40% of its market value since April and posted a 30% drop in June-quarter profit, its first decline in more than three years, amid new Medicare billing rules and regulatory scrutiny.
The company has doubled lobbying outlays to $7.7 million in the first half of 2025, disclosure filings show, making it a record spending by the insurer.
It has apparently turned to Trump-linked allies, including fundraiser Brian Ballard, former Justice Department official Jesse Panuccio, and Trump’s personal lawyer Robert Giuffra, who replaced a prior team of attorneys at WilmerHale. Ballard’s firm has become UnitedHealth’s highest-paid outside lobbyist.
UnitedHealth, which generated more than $100 billion from Medicare Advantage last year, has said it is cooperating with federal requests and remains confident in its practices. The regulatory overhang comes as Medicare chief Mehmet Oz has vowed to crack down on billing tactics across the industry, intensifying investor concern about the company’s most profitable business line.
UnitedHealth won some relief in August when the Justice Department cleared its long-delayed $3.3 billion acquisition of home-health provider Amedisys after divestitures.
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment was ‘bullish’ amid ‘high’ message volume.
One user said they expect UnitedHealth shares to test $380 this week, pointing to Trump and his allies as a major factor, adding that the stock is “not just recovering but entering the game all over again big time.”
Another user noted that CEO Stephen Hemsley is “doing what he does best” by getting the company back on track after meeting with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Medicare official Chris Klomp.
They described the outlook as “very bullish,” citing recent investor meetings and the appointment of new CFO Wayne DeVeydt, and suggested the stock could push above $400.
UnitedHealth’s stock has declined 29.5% so far in 2025.
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