New York, Jan 9, 2026, 12:57 EST — Regular session
- UnitedHealth shares slid about 0.7% after lawmakers scheduled a run of hearings with major insurer chiefs over affordability
- Senate Democrats revived a probe into Optum’s nursing-home programs, giving the company until Jan. 28 to respond
- Investors are watching UnitedHealth’s Jan. 27 results for 2026 guidance on costs and growth
UnitedHealth Group shares edged lower Friday after leaders of a U.S. House committee set a Jan. 22 hearing that will summon CEO Stephen Hemsley to Capitol Hill. The stock fell 0.7% to $344.30 by midday, and CVS Health, Cigna and Elevance were also down.
The timing matters. Washington is turning the spotlight back on health insurers right as investors gear up for a busy stretch of earnings and guidance, when companies usually put numbers around medical costs and pricing.
UnitedHealth has its own deadline coming up. The company is set to report full-year results and provide 2026 guidance on Jan. 27 ahead of the opening bell. (UnitedHealth Group)
House Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means leaders said the Jan. 22 session will include executives from five big insurers, including Hemsley, as lawmakers seek answers on affordability. The executives are slated to testify before Energy and Commerce in the morning and Ways and Means later that day, the committees said. (House Committee on Energy and Commerce)
Separately, Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden and Senator Elizabeth Warren restarted their probe into UnitedHealth’s business practices involving nursing homes that work with Optum, the company’s health-services arm. In a follow-up letter to Hemsley dated Jan. 7, the senators asked for answers by Jan. 28 and said they were renewing the inquiry “with heightened alarm.” (Senate Finance Committee)
The senators’ letter flags allegations involving Institutional Special Needs Plans, or I‑SNPs — Medicare Advantage plans designed for people living in institutions such as nursing homes. Medicare Advantage, meanwhile, is the privately run form of government Medicare benefits.
UnitedHealth didn’t let it slide. A spokesperson said the company would “continue to engage” with the senators and “categorically reject” claims that UnitedHealth or Optum put patient safety at risk or breach ethical standards. (Fierce Healthcare)
UnitedHealth is still reckoning with fallout from the 2024 killing of UnitedHealth’s UnitedHealthcare unit chief Brian Thompson. Reuters reported on Friday that the suspect appeared in federal court, pushing back on prosecutors’ attempt to seek the death penalty, among other matters. (Reuters)
Even so, Capitol Hill hearings often amount to noise, not new rules. Investors will be watching to see if the scrutiny turns into concrete policy moves that squeeze insurer margins — or if it fizzles as attention shifts back to earnings and guidance.
On deck are the Jan. 22 House hearings, UnitedHealth’s Jan. 27 results and outlook, and the senators’ Jan. 28 deadline for more answers.
