Better Health for All

The company's subsidiary, Change Healthcare, experienced a ransomware attack in February 2024, resulting in the loss of sensitive health data for approximately 190 million individuals

and months-long disruptions to care across the U.S. healthcare system. This incident, the largest known theft of medical data in U.S. history, led to $2.2 billion in direct response costs and $640 million in medical costs due to suspended care management activities in 2024. Change Healthcare was criticized for including hidden "noindex" code on its data breach notice and for a four-month delay in notifying affected individuals, which prompted legal action from Nebraska. Despite these significant data security and transparency failures, the company's core mission is to help people live healthier lives, with Optum Health addressing the well-being of 100 million consumers and UnitedHealthcare serving millions more. Its shift to value-based care reduced hospitalizations for chronic patients by 12%, and its HouseCalls program performed 2.9 million clinical preventive home care visits in 2024. The company has no products with significant negative health impacts. UnitedHealth Group has committed over $156 million since 2020 to expand the healthcare workforce, including a $100 million investment over the next decade to support 10,000 clinicians from underrepresented communities. It has engaged over 27,000 students in healthcare career exploration and enabled over 150,000 annual learning engagements. Mental health initiatives include a three-year, $3.1 million program that reduced nurse burnout by 26% and an investment to expand virtual mental health services to 100,000 Iowan K-12 students. The company also pledged $2 million to improve mental health equity for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth in Minnesota. Its healthcare education efforts include issuing 150,000 continuing education credits and 135,000 learner engagements across 47 states, alongside a $10 million investment in data science training at historically Black colleges and universities. For addiction mitigation, the company supports substance misuse treatment and recovery services through a $1.2 million grant for Native Americans and Optum Rx serves pharmacy needs for behavioral health and substance use disorders.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

UnitedHealth Group is a diversified healthcare company and does not offer consumer lending, deposit services, or other direct financial products to consumers. Consequently, KPIs related to APRs, fees, debt products, financial literacy programs, financial data accessibility, and geographic inclusion for financial services are not applicable, resulting in a score of 0 for these metrics. KPIs such as 'underserved_client_share' and 'wealth_building_outcome' are omitted because the company's activities, while beneficial to underserved communities, do not involve direct financial services to its own 'customers' or 'users' that would generate the specific measurable outcomes required by these KPIs. The 'profit_reinvestment' KPI is also omitted due to the absence of reported annual pre-tax profit data, which is necessary to calculate the required percentage. Despite not being a financial services provider, UnitedHealth Group has made significant commitments and investments towards economic opportunity and community development. These include a $4.5 million commitment to Goodwill for workforce development

, a $5 million investment in Enable Ventures to address the disability wealth gap , over $11.1 million in Empowering Health grants to community-based organizations , a $10 million investment in the Invest Appalachia Fund , and a $25 million commitment to the Healthy Neighborhoods Equity Fund II for affordable housing .

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

In 2023, UnitedHealth Group conducted a comprehensive review of its compensation practices, which revealed that females earn $1 for every $1 males earn performing similar work at similar levels.

Similarly, people of color in the U.S. earn $1 for every $1 white employees earn in comparable roles. To prevent pay inequities at hire, the company does not ask U.S. candidates about salary history during the hiring process.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

UnitedHealth Group does not currently hold fair trade certifications for its spend. The company focuses on health benefits and services, and there is no evidence of material sourcing of at-risk inputs like conflict minerals or uncertified palm oil. The company has a Supplier Diversity Program that spent over $5.4 billion with diverse suppliers over a decade

, supporting 9,000 jobs and contributing $665 million in wages in 2023 . Its Supplier Code of Conduct, updated in 2023, mandates compliance with human rights, inclusion, and climate standards . A Human Rights Impact Assessment was conducted in 2022 , emphasizing respect for internationally recognized human rights and prohibiting forced and child labor .

Honest & Fair Business

UnitedHealthcare of New York was fined $1 million in June 2024 for not covering all federally approved birth control methods without restrictions.

The U.S. Department of Justice initiated an investigation into UnitedHealth's Medicare billing practices in May 2025, alleging improper diagnosis recording for extra payments. In December 2024, the Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against the company's $3.3 billion acquisition of Amedisys, citing concerns about reduced competition. The company also faced multiple class action lawsuits in March 2024 following a data breach that compromised personal data.

Kind to Animals

The provided articles detail UnitedHealth Group's environmental sustainability efforts, including goals for operational net-zero emissions by 2035

, 100% renewable electricity by 2030 , and investments in renewable energy projects . The company also introduced sustainable medication packaging . These initiatives are noted to potentially or indirectly benefit wildlife and ecosystems by mitigating climate change and contributing to ecosystem health. However, the articles do not provide specific, measurable data points related to animal testing, cruelty-free certifications, humane certifications for animal operations, direct wildlife conservation impact with species recovery metrics, ethical sourcing of animal-derived inputs, supplier welfare audits, cage-free sourcing, R&D investment in animal-free alternatives, animal agriculture ethics, or animal welfare policy engagement. Therefore, no KPIs can be scored based on the evidence provided.

Planet-Friendly Business

UnitedHealth Group has set a target to achieve operational net-zero emissions by 2035

, supported by an interim goal for a 60% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2030 . While these targets are stated, the provided articles do not explicitly confirm that they are SBTi-validated science-based targets. The company aims to source 100% of its global electricity demand from renewable sources by 2030 and has committed to a 15-year, 250-megawatt virtual power purchase agreement . Additionally, UnitedHealth Group has achieved a 24% reduction in inbound paper usage and has a goal to eliminate single-use plastics from 25 sites, removing approximately 225,000 bottles .

Respect for Cultures & Communities

UnitedHealth Group has established three formal partnerships with Native American community groups through grants from the United Health Foundation. These include a three-year, $2 million grant in April 2024 to Native American Connections for a Mobile Health Initiative

, and a three-year, $1.2 million grant in August 2019 for the Tiospaye Okciyapi Tipi treatment center, developed in collaboration with the Spirit Lake Recovery & Wellness Program and Cankdeska Cikana Community College . These initiatives provide culturally competent health services and integrate traditional healing practices. The company has also created specific roles, such as Tribal Liaison and Executive Director of Tribal Health Programs, to build relationships and and ensure culturally responsive services for Native American populations . There are no reported cultural appropriation incidents. The Native Voices United Employee Resource Group promotes awareness and appreciation of Native American heritage among employees .

Safe & Smart Tech

In February 2024, a cyberattack on UnitedHealth's subsidiary, Change Healthcare, impacted approximately 190-193 million individuals

, incurring $2.2 billion in direct response costs. This breach highlighted negligent security practices, specifically the absence of multi-factor authentication. The company's nH Predict AI system faces legal challenges for an alleged 90% error rate in denying patient coverage , leading to premature treatment termination and employees allegedly pressured to override clinical judgment. This indicates documented bias incidents without systematic remediation and a lack of algorithmic transparency, as plaintiffs are demanding access to the algorithm's source code and data. Investigations also revealed UnitedHealth's websites transmit sensitive user information to third-party tech companies via trackers without explicit user consent , demonstrating a lack of user data control and unauthorized data use. UnitedHealthcare was fined $450,000 by the Minnesota Department of Commerce for violating state law regarding mental health care reimbursements and other compliance failures , requiring a corrective action plan. The company's cybersecurity practices are also under federal investigation. While UnitedHealth states it has an AI Governance Committee and performs regular security testing , these measures have not prevented significant security and ethical AI failures.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

UnitedHealth Group has implemented several waste reduction initiatives. Its Optum Rx division introduced sustainable medication packaging in 2018, replacing polystyrene foam with 100% renewable cotton, which avoided 24.3 million pounds of plastic waste by 2022.

The company also achieved a 24% reduction in inbound paper usage, saving 1 billion pieces of paper, and a 90% reduction in envelope use. Furthermore, UnitedHealth Group eliminated single-use plastic bottle sales, removing approximately 225,000 plastic bottles across 25 sites.