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When Insurance Blocks Care, Patients Pay the Price
Big Insurance is delaying and denying care Hoosiers urgently need — and it’s putting lives at risk.
Hoosiers Deserve Better Than Denied Care
Across Indiana, Big Insurance creates barriers that leave patients waiting while conditions worsen. The Big Two — Anthem and UnitedHealthcare — control 86% of Indiana’s commercial market, giving them enormous power over who gets timely care.
Hoosiers know it:
- 80% say insurers are mainly focused on making money.
- 72% say insurers have raised health care costs in the last two years.
- Only 1 in 3 trust insurers to improve care.
How Big Insurance Blocks Care
Prior
Authorization
Delays
Patients are often forced to wait days — sometimes weeks — for insurance approval before they can get tests, treatments, or procedures they need.
Claim
Denials
Even after care is delivered, insurers often refuse to pay for it, leaving patients and providers stuck with bills for medically necessary treatment.
Retroactive
Cuts
Insurance companies sometimes reduce or take back payments after care is provided, creating financial strain for community hospitals and doctors.
More Barriers,
Fewer Choices
Insurance rules and coverage restrictions limit which doctors patients can see, shrinking options for care when people need it most.
Networks Built
on Leverage
Using their market power, large insurers pressure or undercut independent providers, making it harder for them to stay open — and leaving patients with fewer local care options.
A Market Dominated by the Big Two
Anthem controls 68% of Indiana’s commercial insurance market, and UnitedHealthcare controls another 18%. Together, the Big Two dictate how most Hoosiers access care — and they’re thriving financially while patients face delays, denials, and rising costs.
2024 profits of the Big Two:
Anthem (Elevance Health): nearly
$6 billion in profit
$6 billion in profit
UnitedHealth Group: more than
$14 billion in profit
$14 billion in profit
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Hoosiers see the disconnect: Big Insurance is making billions while restricting care, narrowing provider options, and driving up costs.
In the News: Abusive Insurer Practices Uncovered
Indiana Hospitals Fight for Your Care
Hospitals battle insurer denials and delays every day on patients' behalf — but oversight is needed. Stronger tools can ensure insurers aren’t harming patients.
It’s Time for Real Accountability
Indiana needs:
Limits on insurer delays
So patients aren't left waiting for essential care.
Transparency on insurer denials
Clear reporting on when and why care is denied.
Stronger oversight of the Big Two
Ensuring the largest insurers play by fair rules.
Independent review of insurer decisions
Giving patients a real pathway to challenge unfair denials.
Limits on insurer recoupments
Providing stability to community providers and hospitals.
Requirements that insurers pass hospital savings onto patients
When hospitals lower costs, those savings should reduce patient expenses — not inflate insurer profits.
