UnitedHealth Buys AARP’s Soul for 12 More Years, Actuaries Develop Convenient Amnesia, and Robots Learn to Say ‘No’ Faster Than Humans

Hey all,

Happy Thursday! The healthcare industry has perfected the art of looking busy while avoiding actual change. Whether it’s actuarial firms suddenly unable to model savings they’ve calculated for other clients, or advocacy groups collecting billions from the insurers they’re meant to watch, everyone seems remarkably committed to working within the system’s dysfunction rather than fixing it.  My visit to the HLTH conference in Vegas this week only confirmed the preference for talk and not actual action. 

Enjoy the rundown! 

Jacob Brody (Co-Founder & CEO, ZorroRX)

(Health Care Un-covered) UnitedHealth–AARP $9 Billion Partnership

UnitedHealth Group paid AARP an unprecedented $9 billion in 2024 for the rights to use its trusted brand in marketing Medicare Advantage and supplement plans, extending their partnership for another 12 years and creating a deep financial dependency between the insurer and the seniors’ organization. The deal raises ethical concerns as AARP, long seen as an advocate for older Americans, increasingly profits from products that many health policy experts warn can restrict care, drive up taxpayer costs, and confuse consumers about coverage. Critics argue that this arrangement compromises AARP’s independence while bolstering UnitedHealth’s power in the $500 billion Medicare Advantage market — because if you really want to protect seniors, who better to partner with than UnitedHealthcare, the company famous for always putting its members first? Full Article

(LinkedIn – Chris Deacon) New Jersey SHBP Reform and Aon’s Actuarial Refusal 

Labor unions in New Jersey proposed a series of data-driven reforms to the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) for FY2026—including reference-based pricing, site-neutral payments, and clinical-effectiveness formularies—to combat rising healthcare costs, but Aon, the state’s actuarial consultant, declined to verify projected savings, citing time constraints. Deacon argues this refusal is politically motivated rather than technical, noting Aon has modeled similar reforms and verified significant savings for other clients, suggesting the state may be avoiding acknowledgment of potential hundreds of millions in recoverable costs. Hard to believe Aon can brag in marketing materials about modeling massive savings with these same actuarial tools—then suddenly develop a case of selective amnesia when asked to run the exact same numbers for New Jersey. Full Article

(Healthcare Huddle) AI in Prior Authorization 

A medical resident shares a firsthand look at how artificial intelligence is reshaping prior authorization, turning it into an algorithmic arms race between insurers and providers while patients continue to face delays. The reflection argues that AI is being used to automate denials and appeals rather than address the root misalignment between cost control and patient care, warning that faster automation of a broken process won’t deliver better outcomes. True progress, the author contends, would mean using AI to eliminate unnecessary barriers and restore time for patient care instead of fueling software skirmishes. Full Article