Health care protest targets insurer UnitedHealth

Star Tribune

Last update: October 5, 2009 - 9:11 PM

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Six demonstrators were arrested Monday morning at UnitedHealth Group's corporate headquarters in Minnetonka after they blocked the doors and refused to leave during a protest over health care reform.

About 110 protesters sang and spoke about the need to change the way health care is organized and financed in the United States, and said that insurers such as UnitedHealth are making people sicker because the system doesn't offer proper coverage for many patients.

They cited what they said is UnitedHealth's practice of "denying care and claims in order to generate record profits."

The demonstration was organized by a group called Health Care for America Now in Minnesota, a coalition of labor unions, faith groups and activist organizations, including Education Minnesota, the AFL-CIO and Isaiah, a social justice group that includes more than 60 congregations.

"We agree with them on several things -- the need for universal coverage and ending the limitation of coverage based on preexisting conditions," said Kimberly Olson, UnitedHealth vice president for corporate affairs. "We respect their views. We just don't happen to agree with all of them."

Of the five women and one man arrested -- each without incident -- all but one are staff members of unions or activist groups and one is a small business owner associated with Isaiah.

The demonstrators blocked the front doors of the UnitedHealth's south building. The groups held a similar demonstration two weeks ago at the insurer's north building, but left when police ordered them to go.

UnitedHealth is the nation's largest private health insurer, and Congress is in the midst of drafting legislation to change the nation's health care system.

WARREN WOLFE

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