UnitedHealth books better-than-expected fourth-quarter profit

UnitedHealth posted a better-than-expected profit in the final quarter of 2024 (Patrick Sison/AP)

US health care giant UnitedHealth posted a better-than-expected profit in the final quarter of 2024, but revenue fell short as challenges such as Medicare funding cuts and a Medicaid enrolment drop hurt.

Shares in the company slid early on Thursday after it released its first financial report since the fatal shooting of one of its executives outside a New York City hotel touched a national nerve and brought to the surface American frustration over health care access.