UnitedHealth posted a better-than-expected profit in the final quarter of 2024, but revenue fell short as challenges like Medicare funding cuts and a Medicaid enrollment drop hurt. Shares of the health care giant slid early Thursday after it released its first financial report since the brazen 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.

UnitedHealth Group's (UNH) fourth-quarter results increased on an annual basis but revenue fell short of market expectations, while the health insurer kept its full-year outlook unchanged on Thursday.