Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
UnitedHealth, Largest U.S. Health Insurer, Beats Expectations For Fourth-Quarter Profits
Reuters: UnitedHealth Profit Beats Expectations, Shares Rise
UnitedHealth Group Inc, the largest U.S. health insurer, beat Wall Street estimates for fourth-quarter profit on Tuesday, driven largely by growth in its Optum services business, including its pharmacy benefits unit. UnitedHealth maintained its previous profit forecast for 2019 adjusted earnings of $14.40 to $14.70 per share, and said higher than expected medical costs in the fourth quarter were limited to states for which it manages their Medicaid benefits, the government program for low income Americans. (Mathias and Humer, 1/15)
The Wall Street Journal: UnitedHealth Sales Rise Across Segments
Revenue increased 12% from a year earlier to $58.42 billion. Analysts polled by Refinitiv were expecting sales of $58.01 billion. Revenue at the UnitedHealthcare segment rose 11% to $46.2 billion, while sales at the Optum segment increased 13% to 27.6 billion. The parent of the nation’s largest health insurer said net earnings fell 16% to $3.04 billion, or $3.10 a share. Analysts had expected the company to earn $3.05 a share. (Chin and Mathews, 1/15)
The Star Tribune: UnitedHealth Grows Medicare Business By 400,000
Following a Medicare open-enrollment period that included the company’s debut in Minnesota, UnitedHealthcare officials said Tuesday that the health insurer expects in 2019 to add more than 400,000 Medicare Advantage enrollees across the country. UnitedHealthcare was already the nation’s largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, a newer form of coverage where enrollees opt to receive their government benefits through a private health insurance company. (Snowbeck, 1/15)
