Three of the five largest U.S. health insurers, including UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH, Financial), have pulled out of some Affordable Care Act (ACA) state exchanges. UnitedHealth Group, which lost $850 million on the state exchanges in 2016, made the decision to exit much of this business to reduce losses. Anthem echoed similar resolve. Both companies had double-digit gains, due partially to the ACA decisions as well as other initiatives. UnitedHealth announced a new drug distribution partnership with CVS. Anthem’s prospects for the Cigna merger, previously opposed by the Department of Justice, looked more favorable under the new administration.
From the Polaris Global Value Fund 4th Quarter 2016 Commentary.
