How health insurer profits changed in a year: 3 things to know

After a banner second quarter in 2020, for-profit health insurers are seeing their profits fall back to numbers that are closer in line with pre-COVID-19 levels.

Three things to know:

1. In the second quarter of 2020, UnitedHealth Group's profit doubled from the previous year's to $6.6 billion, largely because of deferred and delayed care during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the second quarter of this year, the company saw its profits decline 36 percent to $4.3 billion. 

2. Humana also saw its profits fall substantially in the second quarter of this year. The health insurer's second quarter profit decreased from $1.83 billion last year to $588 million this year as care resumed.

3. This year will continue to be an unsteady one for health insurers' margins, Fitch Ratings said in May. The uncertainty comes from variables like virus variants and vaccine effectiveness, the agency said.

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.

 

Top 40 articles from the past 6 months