New York, Jan 18, 2026, 14:27 (ET) — Market closed.
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated shares fell 2.3% to $331.02 on Friday, marking one of the more significant declines in the Dow ahead of the long weekend. Salesforce also weighed on the index as markets closed for the final U.S. session of the week. 1
The timing is crucial. With Wall Street closed Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the S&P 500 healthcare sector took the brunt of Friday’s sell-off as investors dialed back risk heading into the long weekend. 2
UnitedHealth is approaching a key milestone: it will release full-year 2025 results and provide 2026 guidance on Tuesday, Jan. 27, ahead of the market open. A conference call is set for 8:00 a.m. ET. 3
Washington policy is again grabbing insurers’ attention. The White House’s “Great Healthcare Plan” proposes shifting federal support from subsidy payments to direct payments for eligible Americans. It also aims to enforce a “Plain English Insurance” rule, demanding insurers disclose rate and coverage comparisons upfront. 4
Unveiled on Jan. 15, the plan offered few specifics on how it would be carried out. Cynthia Cox, senior VP at health policy group KFF, doubted it would win over Democrats, labeling it “dead on arrival” as it stands. 5
UnitedHealth is also under fire for its role in Medicare Advantage, the private alternative to traditional Medicare. A Senate committee report accused the company of using aggressive “risk adjustment” coding — a diagnosis-driven method that can boost government payments by classifying patients as sicker than they are. UnitedHealth pushed back, with a spokesperson saying, “Our programs comply” with all regulations and have cleared government audits. 6
Senator Chuck Grassley’s office, which released a majority staff report on Jan. 12, said its review of more than 50,000 pages of company documents showed UnitedHealth appeared to be “gaming the system” to boost risk-adjustment payments. Grassley emphasized that lawmakers must carry out “aggressive oversight” as the program expands. 7
UnitedHealth’s insurance arm is pushing the narrative on access and provider cash flow. On Jan. 14, UnitedHealthcare rolled out a six-month pilot aimed at accelerating Medicare Advantage payments by roughly 50% for select independent rural hospitals, targeting collection times under 15 days. 8
Investors are keeping an eye on Optum for potential portfolio shifts. On Jan. 6, Reuters reported that private equity firm TPG is nearing a deal to buy UnitedHealth’s Optum UK unit. Sky News values the deal between 1.2 billion and 1.4 billion pounds, but it’s not sealed and could still collapse. 9
Still, the stock’s next move will probably hinge on guidance and cost trends, not headlines. UnitedHealth has flagged persistently high medical costs to investors in recent quarters. Analysts are quick to adjust earnings forecasts based on any shifts in utilization, particularly within Medicare Advantage. 10
U.S. markets reopen Tuesday, spotlight on UnitedHealth’s earnings report due Jan. 27. Investors will zero in on 2026 margin guidance, Medicare Advantage reimbursement details, and any news on regulatory pressures. 11
