UnitedHealth pledged a hands-off approach after buying a Connecticut medical group. Then it upended how doctors practice

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — UnitedHealth Group told the Connecticut primary care doctors everything they wanted to hear.

Take our money, the company said, and together we can bring about a future where primary care leads. A future where doctors can take better care of their patients, and reap the financial rewards of improved health. We’ll handle the business side while you look after your patients.

Instead, almost 10 years after UnitedHealth bought ProHealth Physicians, the primary care network is a shell of its former self. Doctors are retiring earlier than they planned, or leaving for competing practices. Patients with serious medical conditions struggle to make appointments, while others complain of mysterious diagnoses popping up in their charts. Disillusioned, many patients are leaving.

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