<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is initiating an investigation into UnitedHealth Group following reports of "deceptive and unlawful practices" and allegations that the company denied Texans access to healthcare.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Paxton is seeking pre-litigation subpoenas, or Civil Investigative Demands, from the healthcare company to examine whether it violated Texas’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act or other regulations. His office references a report alleging that UnitedHealth Group paid nursing homes to reduce hospitalizations of patients needing care.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">"Alarming reports keep piling up about how United treats Texas consumers," Paxton stated. "I will not tolerate any insurance company putting illegal corporate greed over the people of Texas. No Texan should be denied medically necessary care, dragged through endless appeals, or stuck with devastating bills after trusting their insurer’s word."</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">According to Paxton’s office, in one reported case, a Texan was initially granted approval for a procedure at an Austin hospital by UnitedHealth Group, but the insurer later withdrew the approval, resulting in a significant hospital bill for the patient.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">"My office will gather the evidence, stand up to this multinational conglomerate, and make sure Texans get the coverage they pay for," Paxton added.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In a 2025 article by the Guardian discussing the reported reduction in hospitalizations, UnitedHealth described the report as "verifiably false."</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Paxton previously opened an investigation into Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas at the end of September over allegations of denying and delaying urgent and medically necessary care.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">UnitedHealth Group has faced scrutiny in the U.S. health insurance sector since late 2024, following the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson by 26-year-old Luigi Mangione. Mangione pleaded guilty to the shooting and stated in court, "I understood that my actions would place him in fear of death or bodily injury."</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Mangione allegedly wrote the words "deny," "defend," and "depose" on bullet casings, which some pundits interpret as references to the healthcare industry's practices of delaying and denying care.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Washington Examiner has contacted UnitedHealth Group for comment regarding Paxton’s investigation.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Paxton is running for Senate against Democratic Texas state Rep. James Talarico while serving his final year as the state’s attorney general.</p>