Insurance CEOs grilled by Congress — $60M equity award, 56% PA denial increase

House committees questioned CEOs of UnitedHealth, CVS/Aetna, Cigna, and Humana on January 22. Rep. Barragan cited UHG CEO Andrew Witty's $60M one-time equity award. Rep. Carter asked CVS CEO David Joyner to justify $41M in 2024 compensation. MA prior authorization denials jumped 56% year-over-year. National Nurses United published research showing higher denial rates correlate with higher CEO pay across all major insurers.