UnitedHealth Health Insurance Insurer Refuses Obamacare

The American Health Care Reform Act was signed by Barack Obama in March 2010. Photo: depositphotos.com

UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurance company in the United States, has announced plans to give up 2017 for most insurance benefits under the health care reform and patient protection program, known as Obamacare.

If the insurer previously reported about leaving Obamacare in the states of Arkansas, Georgia and Michigan, then on Tuesday the head UNH Stephen Hemsley said that “by next year, insurance payments will remain only in a few states.”

As reasons, Hemsley cited the small size of the market according to Obamacare plans and the big risks for the company in the short term, which does not allow UNH serve these programs in an “effective and sustainable manner.”

The company's decision did not come as a surprise to the experts, since previously UnitedHealthcare claimed a loss of $ 475 million from Obamacare over the past year and a projected loss of $ 500 million in 2016.

It is reported that by the end of the first quarter, the company had served 795 thousands of people.

Solution UNH can deal a serious blow to the outgoing president at the end of the year, Barack Obama, and the health care reform he initiated.

The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that insurance premiums may therefore increase in a number of states, including Alabama, Arizona, Iowa, Nebraska, and North Carolina.

But HHS spokesman Ben Wacana said the Obama administration expected certain "changes and adjustments" but that it was a "growing market for insurers" and it was too early to draw conclusions based on one's decision.

Meanwhile, as noted, UnitedHealth's competitors are merging - Aetna and Humana on the one hand, and Cigna and Anthem on the other. Thus, instead of five major players in the health insurance market, there will now be three.

The stock market, in turn, reacted positively to UnitedHealthcare's decision - the company's shares rose almost 1,5%.

ForumDaily wrote earlierthat in 2016, government spending on Obamacare will increase markedly, as more and more people submit applications on the affordable health insurance program.

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