UnitedHealth Group to Rebate ACA Plan Profits, CEO Says

MT Newswires Live01-21 23:54

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) will rebate its profits from its Affordable Care Act plans to customers this year, while Congress debates extending enhanced tax credits and improving the program, Chief Executive Stephen Hemsley said Wednesday.

In his prepared testimony to the US House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee, Hemsley said the company is a "relatively small participant in the individual ACA market."

He said rising insurance premiums are driven by higher health care costs, including hospital pricing, specialty services, and prescription drugs, not by insurers' margins. The executive said UnitedHealth "negotiated nearly $300 billion in discounts" last year and invested $5 billion in innovations to improve care and lower costs.

Hemsley urged policymakers to allow premium tax credits for the lowest-cost plans and standardize broker compensation in the ACA market as well as pursue "site neutral payments," patent reforms and other measures to improve affordability.

Shares of UnitedHealth Group were up more than 2% in recent Wednesday trading.

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