UnitedHealth 3Q Profit rises 13 Percent

[Joanne98]

Source: AP


UnitedHealth 3rd-qtr profit, revenue surpass estimates as government and service businesses up

NEW YORK (AP) -- Health insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc. said Tuesday results at its government and services businesses were strong in the third quarter, and its profit rose 13 percent to top Wall Street estimates.

The Minnetonka, Minn., company, said it earned $1.04 billion, or 89 cents per share, compared with $920 million, or 75 cents per share, a year ago. Analysts expected 76 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters.

Revenue rose 8 percent to $21.7 billion, ahead of Wall Street's estimate of $21.56 billion. The company said it lost about 1.7 million commercial members from last year due to high unemployment, but health and wellness programs like Ovations and OptumHealth posted strong growth, as did the AmeriChoice business.

UnitedHealth is seen by many analysts as a bellwether for the managed care sector. It is the largest U.S. health insurer by revenue, and the first to report earnings each quarter.

Revenue for Ovations, which provides health and wellness services to people over 50, rose 19 percent to $7.9 billion, and AmeriChoice revenue rose 29 percent to $2.1 billion. Total public and senior enrollment rose to 7.2 million from 6.3 million.


Read more: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/UnitedHealth-3Q-profit-ri...

[hobbit709]

1. So how many people were denied coverage for their profits to increase?

How many had to die because they denied claims?

[Captain Hilts]

2. Healthcare stock values went up after the Prez's prime time speech. nt

[robo50]

3. Obscene! n/t

[gtar100]

4. Gee, my daughter's denied claim helped someone at least.

Makes me feel so good ( ) to contribute so much to the welfare of "United Healthcare" (an oxymoron if there ever was one). I didn't really need that money anyway and my daughter's condition wasn't important enough - for some asshole in that company.

Time to sharpen the guillotines. We've got another royalty class who feels they have a right to live like parasites on our backs.

[question everything]

5. This is what is really wrong with our country

paper shufflers making millions, while the rest of us cannot even get unemployment payment extended by few more months.

[trof]

6. I just dumped United Healthcare.

Went with Mutual of Omaha for my Medicare supplemental because of United's obscene profits AND CEO pay.

[No Elephants]

7. With talk of renewed hope for a "robust" public option and eliminating the anti-trust exemption,

you'd expect the stock to go down or remain flat.

Does the market know something we don't?

[KamaAina]

8. See? This is why we must fight Obama's socialist takeover of our American health care system!

It's the finest in the world*! (*-except for a few dozen little countries nobody cares about anyway) Why mess with success?

Think of the poor United Health executives if their quarterly profite increase were reduced a a platry 9 or -- dare I even say it?? -- 8 percent?! Their CEO is already struggling to make ends meet on his $57,000** salary!! (**-per hour, not per year) How will they buy those yachts and private jets they've got their eyes on?!