UnitedHealth CEO cites high cost as root cause of U.S. health care woes

NEW YORK, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The American multinational for-profit company of health insurance and health care services UnitedHealth Group's top executive has said that the U.S. health care system is confusing and must improve, citing high prices of medical services as the "root cause" of the nation's health care woes.

CEO Andrew Witty's remarks came as "the Minnesota-based health insurance and medical services company announced earnings that fell short of analysts projections' for the final three months of 2024," reported USA Today on Thursday.

Witty said that the U.S. health care system needs to function better and "needs to be less confusing, less complex and less costly," adding that "America faces the same fundamental health care dynamic as the rest of the world. The resources available to pay for health care are limited, while demand for healthcare is unlimited."