[13][14] In February 2008, Optum, then named Ingenix, was the center of an investigation by New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo "into a scheme by health insurers to defraud consumers by manipulating reimbursement rates."

The Obama administration hired UnitedHealth Group's Optum unit, of which Slavitt was an EVP, to lead turnaround efforts for healthcare.gov after a series of technical issues reduced stability and service during the portal's 2013 launch.

[15] In November 2013, Slavitt appeared before Congress to address the healthcare.gov turnaround at a hearing of the United States House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce.

In April 2015, Slavitt told a Brookings Institution panel that his priorities would include increasing the quality and reach of medical services in rural and underserved urban areas.

And, in the end, he helped to rally the tsunami of opposition that would turn repeated attempts to kill the law into a massive debacle for the Republican Party.

"[27] In August 2017, Slavitt told The New York Times Magazine, “If you give me 15 minutes, I can create a common bond around a story of the health care system with almost any American.”[28] His social media activism in support of the ACA has earned praise from former Obama administration officials for its effectiveness.

", it really comes into play now.Two weeks later, on March 7, Slavitt published an open letter to American governors on Medium detailing a potential shortage of hospital beds and ventilators due to COVID-19's rapid spread.

[32]On March 16, Slavitt launched the #StayHome campaign, an online advocacy effort designed to provide resources for American families, healthcare workers, and state and local policymakers combating COVID-19.

[33] Slavitt contributed to the Trump administration's initial phased reopening plan, but criticized the White House for failing to follow its own recommendations.

Slavitt also criticized Trump's proposed decision to disband the White House Coronavirus Task Force while new infections were taking place.

[34] On April 27, 2020, Slavitt, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, and 14 other public healthcare officials and scientists launched an effort to secure $46.5 billion in congressional funding for a comprehensive contact tracing program designed to monitor and control community spread of COVID-19.

[40] Later guests have included Alex Gibney, Chuck Schumer, Tina Fey, Bill Kristol, Mike Birbiglia, Pete Buttigieg, DeRay Mckesson, Gretchen Whitmer, Kumail Nanjiani, Judd Apatow, Larry Brilliant, Susan Rice, Rajiv Shah, Pete Souza, Kara Swisher, Bernie Sanders, Connie Schultz, Sherrod Brown, Steve Kerr, former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts, and international security expert Juliette Kayyem.

[48] Slavitt received media attention for his nonpartisan approach, in particular for comments in March 2021 praising the Trump administration's vaccine development effort Operation Warp Speed.

"[49] At a May 2021 White House briefing, Slavitt revealed that his teenage son Zach continued to suffer serious lingering medical effects from an earlier bout of COVID-19.

[51] Upon news of his departure, prominent public health officials including Director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease Anthony Fauci praised Slavitt as a "class act" and said "we will miss you greatly".

[52] Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb commended Slavitt for "answering the call to service at a critical moment in public health".

[55] According to the publisher, the book offers the "definitive inside account of the United States’ failed response to the coronavirus pandemic", with Slavitt detailing "what he saw and how much could have been prevented".

[56] In a review for The Washington Post, Yasmeen Abutaleb called Slavitt "the outsider’s insider" while praising him for “bring[ing] you into the room as fateful decisions are made" and doing the "important work of addressing the uncomfortable realities that brought America to this place".