Sarah James

UnitedHealth Spurns Obama Exchanges as Rules Stall Profit

UnitedHealth Group Inc. will offer coverage in just a dozen of the U.S. health-care law’s new insurance exchanges, in the latest sign big insurers see little gain from quickly plunging into the new markets.

UnitedHealth Spurns Obama Exchanges as Rules Stall Profit

UnitedHealth Group Inc. will offer coverage in just a dozen of the U.S. health-care law’s new insurance exchanges, in the latest sign big insurers see little gain from quickly plunging into the new markets.

Catamaran Slides as Analyst Suggests Cigna May Keep Unit

Catamaran Corp., the fourth-biggest drug-benefits manager, fell the most in three months after a Wedbush Securities report suggested the company may not have a chance to buy Cigna Corp.’s pharmacy plans.

UnitedHealth Agrees to Acquire Medicare Managed-Care Insurer XLHealth

UnitedHealth Group Inc., the largest U.S. health insurer by sales, said it will buy XLHealth Corp., a provider of managed care for chronically ill Medicare members, to strengthen a growth area likely to gain increasing support from the U.S. government as it trims costs.

WellCare Joining Universal as Bait With Aging Boomers: Real M&A

Aetna Inc.’s dearth of Medicare customers as baby boomers reach retirement age is transforming WellCare Health Plans Inc. and Universal American Corp. into takeover targets.

Cigna Raises Forecast as Acquisition Expands Medicare

Cigna Corp., the third-biggest health insurer by market value, raised its forecast for 2013 profit and said fourth-quarter earnings swelled 49 percent, boosted by higher enrollment in its Medicare plans for seniors.

Insurers Threaten 1,100 Jobs in Push for Health-Law Relief

Four health insurers led by Cigna Corp. have asked the Obama administration to exempt medical plans they sell to Americans overseas from the 2010 health law, saying a denial may imperil about 1,100 U.S. jobs.

WellCare Director Resigns, Says Board Needs Greater Accounting Oversight

Harvard Business School professor Regina Herzlinger said she was forced off the board of WellCare Health Plans Inc., an insurer specializing in Medicare and Medicaid benefits, by directors acting against shareholders’ interests.

UnitedHealth Says Profit May Decline in 2011 as Costs Increase

UnitedHealth Group Inc ., the biggest U.S. insurer by sales, said 2011 profit may decline because of rising medical costs and the U.S. health-care overhaul. The forecast sent the company’s shares down the most in two months.

Cigna Sees Choice on Drug-Benefits Unit by First Half ’13

Cigna Corp., the third-biggest U.S. health insurer, expects to decide the future of its pharmacy- benefits unit by the first half of 2013, Chief Executive Officer David Cordani said.

"The industry is backing off."

- Sarah James on May 30, 2013

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Gay Jibe Sparks Gillard Worry Women Will Shy From Politics

Obama Said to Order Arming Syrian Rebels Amid Setbacks

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China Debt Sale Fails for First Time in 23 Months on Cash Crunch