United, Humana Get Surprise Medicare Revenue Boost From U.S.
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Health insurers such as UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Humana Inc. will see revenue for commercial Medicare policies increase 1.25 percent next year, reversing an earlier U.S. government proposal that would have cut payments.
The announcement was a surprise, since the U.S. has been reducing payments to insurers as it seeks to bring the cost of privately managed Medicare coverage in line with the government-run version of the program for the elderly and disabled. Payments are already falling 4 percent this year, and in February the U.S. proposed an 0.9 percent reduction for 2016.