It's one of the few
states where UnitedHealthcare isn't already a large operator of Medicare
Advantage plans.
By Christopher Snowbeck Star Tribune
JUNE 8, 2018 — 10:24PM
Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group
is acquiring a large Medicare Advantage health plan in Louisiana, a state
that’s one of the few where the company’s UnitedHealthcare insurance business
in 2017 wasn’t already one of the largest in the Medicare market.
UnitedHealthcare, which is the
nation’s largest health insurer, said Friday that it’s acquiring Peoples
Health, an HMO with about 63,000 enrollees in Medicare health plans that posted
$768.3 million in revenue last year, according to a regulatory filing.
Financial terms of the deal were not
disclosed.
“Our joining together will lead to
an expanded choice of affordable plan options for Louisiana seniors,”
UnitedHealth Group said in a statement.
Medicare Advantage health plans are
an increasingly popular option for seniors who elect to have their health
insurance benefits provided through a private managed-care company.
About one-third of the 61 million
people eligible for Medicare select a Medicare Advantage plan, according to a
report in March from Mark Farrah Associates, a Pennsylvania-based supplier of
market data.
The consulting firm’s report found
that UnitedHealth Group in February was the nation’s largest Medicare Advantage
company with 5.25 million enrollees, an increase of 13 percent compared with
the year-ago period.
Last year, a report from the
California-based Kaiser Family Foundation found that UnitedHealth Group was one
of the three largest sellers of Medicare Advantage plans in 42 states plus the
District of Columbia.
UnitedHealth wasn’t in the top three
in terms of market share in Louisiana, where Peoples Health ranked No. 2 last
year, according to Kaiser.
Minnesota is another state where
UnitedHealth Group isn’t a top seller of Medicare Advantage plans, although the
insurer has said it hopes to start selling the coverage here in 2019.
Peoples Health employs 850 people.
The company said nothing will change
for current subscribers this year. A UnitedHealth Group spokeswoman said
coverage will continue to sell under the Peoples Health brand in 2019.
“Joining with UnitedHealthcare
preserves our foundation as a local company with deep ties to Louisiana,”
Peoples Health said in a statement.
People who opt for Medicare coverage
of both hospital and physician care typically receive those benefits through
the traditional government program or a Medicare Advantage plan.
Many of those in original Medicare
opt for supplemental coverage that’s sometimes described as a “Medigap” plan.
Mark Farrah Associates reported in May
that enrollment in Medicare supplement plans grew by 3.8 percent year-over-year
to 13.1 million people as of the end of 2017. UnitedHealthcare, which has long
marketed Medigap plans through a partnership with AARP, was the largest seller
of Medicare supplement plans with 4.5 million members, according to the report.
No comments:
Post a Comment