In December 2024, the internet basically lost its mind over a guy in a flannel shirt sitting in the Ozark woods with a guitar. That guy was Jesse Welles. The song was called "United Health."
It wasn't your typical radio hit. Honestly, it was a biting, gravelly, and deeply cynical folk song that dropped right in the middle of a national firestorm. If you were online that week, you probably saw it. It was the moment a "modern Woody Guthrie" finally said what millions of people were feeling about the American medical system.
The Viral Moment: Why United Health Went Nuclear
Jesse Welles didn't just write a song about insurance. He wrote a song about a specific, dark moment in American corporate history. On December 4, 2024, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot outside a hotel in Midtown Manhattan. It was a shocking event that immediately polarized the country.
While news outlets were debating corporate security and the ethics of public reaction, Welles did what folk singers have done for centuries. He "sang the news."
Released on December 11, just a week after the shooting, United Health by Jesse Welles wasn't a celebration of violence. It was a dissection of a "nightmare" system. The song resonated because it touched on the "denial, delay, and defend" tactics that patients deal with every single day.
You've probably felt that frustration. You pay your premiums, you go to the doctor, and then you spend three hours on hold trying to find out why a life-saving procedure was rejected by an algorithm. Welles tapped into that specific vein of rage.
Breaking Down the Lyrics
The song is short—barely over two minutes. But the lyrics are sharp enough to draw blood. He sings:
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"There ain't no you in United Health, there ain't no me in the company, there ain't no us in the private trust."
It’s a catchy line, but it’s also a heavy critique of how healthcare has been turned into a commodity. He mentions the "AARP buy gold, geriatric superbowl," painting a picture of an industry that treats aging and illness like a profit center.
Critics from Rolling Stone and Vulture immediately compared the melody to John Prine’s "Fish and Whistle." It has that same jaunty, almost cheerful acoustic bounce that makes the devastating lyrics even harder to ignore.
Who Is Jesse Welles? (And No, He’s Not a Newcomer)
If you think Jesse Welles is just some "TikTok singer" who got lucky, you're actually pretty far off.
Jesse Allen Breckenridge Wells has been grinding in the music industry for well over a decade. Born in Ozark, Arkansas, in 1992, he grew up as a "wordsmith" kid. He was influenced by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Nirvana. He even has a degree in music theory from John Brown University.
Before he was the guy singing about microplastics and fentanyl on your FYP, he was:
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- The frontman for a garage-psych band called Dead Indian.
- A solo artist under the name Jeh Sea Wells.
- A signed artist on 300 Entertainment under the mononym Welles, where he released the 2018 grunge-inspired album Red Trees and White Trashes.
He’s lived in abandoned buildings turned art communes. He’s worked at a vegan meat factory. He’s opened for Greta Van Fleet and Royal Blood. Basically, he’s lived the life of a real-deal traveling musician before he ever went viral.
The Turning Point
In early 2024, Jesse's father had a heart attack.
Sitting in that hospital room with a Woody Guthrie biography in his lap, something clicked. He realized he was tired of the "rock band" machine. He decided to go back to the basics: a phone, a tripod, the woods, and the truth.
He started "singing the news," tackling topics like the Gaza war in "War Isn't Murder," the opioid crisis in "Fentanyl," and eventually, the corporate greed in United Health.
The 2026 Grammy Nominations and Beyond
Fast forward to where we are now. By late 2025 and heading into 2026, Jesse Welles isn't just a viral sensation; he's a legitimate force in the Americana and Folk scene.
After playing Farm Aid—where Dave Matthews introduced him as "one of the best songwriters I've ever heard"—the industry had to take notice. His 2025 album Middle proved he wasn't a one-trick pony. While "United Health" got people in the door, his more abstract and personal songwriting kept them there.
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As of early 2026, he’s sitting on four Grammy nominations. It’s a wild trajectory for a guy who, just a couple of years ago, was almost ready to quit music entirely.
What This Means for the Healthcare Conversation
It’s easy to dismiss a song as "just entertainment." But Jesse Welles’ United Health did something specific: it gave a soundtrack to a policy debate.
When people search for "United Health Jesse Welles," they aren't just looking for chords or tabs. They are looking for a community of people who are equally exhausted by the American insurance complex.
The song doesn't offer a 10-point plan for universal healthcare. It doesn't have the answers. What it does have is a mirror. It shows the " Billionaire freaks" (his words, not mine) and the "sick lines" that the industry refuses to cover.
Why It Still Matters Today
In 2026, the conversation hasn't changed much, but the music has. Welles proved that there is a massive hunger for "protest music" that feels authentic rather than corporate-sponsored.
He isn't trying to be a "content creator." He's a songwriter. There’s a difference. One follows the algorithm; the other follows the gut.
Moving Forward: Actionable Insights for Fans and Listeners
If you’re just discovering Jesse Welles through the United Health song, there’s a lot more to explore than just the viral clips. Here is how to actually engage with his work and the message behind it:
- Listen to the full catalog: Don’t stop at the protest songs. Check out his 2025 album Middle. It shows a much more vulnerable, abstract side of his writing that explains why he cares about the world so much.
- Support independent journalism: The stories Jesse sings about—like the "War on Health"—are often broken by independent investigative journalists. If the lyrics move you, look into the actual data behind insurance claim denial rates.
- Catch a live show: Welles is currently touring with a full band (including Adam Meisterhans and Joel Parks). The energy of "United Health" in a room full of people who have all been "denied" by their insurance is a completely different experience than watching it on a 6-inch screen.
- Follow the "Singing the News" tradition: Jesse isn't the first, and he won't be the last. If you like this style, go back to the roots. Listen to Phil Ochs, Pete Seeger, and early Joni Mitchell. It helps put his work into a much larger historical context.
The story of Jesse Welles and United Health is about more than just a catchy folk tune. It’s about what happens when the "undercurrents" of human frustration finally meet a guy with a guitar who isn't afraid to say the quiet part out loud.