For many health insurers, 2011 was the year of plenty. The five largest health insurers — UnitedHealth Group, WellPoint, Aetna, Humana and Cigna — posted a collective profit of $12.53 billion. Comparatively, that figure is roughly 24 percent of the profit posted from the nearly 5,000 community hospitals registered with the American Hospital Association. Here are the specific 2011 financials of those five main health insurers.
1. UnitedHealth Group, the largest insurer in both enrollment and revenue in the United States and parent company of UnitedHealthcare, recorded a profit of $1.26 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011, up nearly 21 percent from the same quarter in 2010.
2. WellPoint, the second-largest health insurer in the country, recorded net income of $335.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2011, down nearly 39 percent from last year's fourth quarter net income of $548.8 million.
3. Aetna reported fourth quarter net income jumped 73 percent over the same quarter in 2010, an increase driven by low use of healthcare and reduction in key expenses. It earned $372.6 million in the three months ended Dec. 31, 2011, an increase from $215.6 million in the same quarter in 2010.
4. Humana posted profit of $199 million in fourth quarter of 2011, an 86 percent increase from 2010. Total revenue rose to $9.06 billion in the fourth quarter, a 9.4 percent increase from the same quarter in 2010.
5. Cigna's net income totaled $290 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011, down 37 percent from $461 million in the same quarter of 2010. Total revenue remained steady at $5.46 billion, compared with $5.43 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010.
1. UnitedHealth Group, the largest insurer in both enrollment and revenue in the United States and parent company of UnitedHealthcare, recorded a profit of $1.26 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011, up nearly 21 percent from the same quarter in 2010.
2. WellPoint, the second-largest health insurer in the country, recorded net income of $335.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2011, down nearly 39 percent from last year's fourth quarter net income of $548.8 million.
3. Aetna reported fourth quarter net income jumped 73 percent over the same quarter in 2010, an increase driven by low use of healthcare and reduction in key expenses. It earned $372.6 million in the three months ended Dec. 31, 2011, an increase from $215.6 million in the same quarter in 2010.
4. Humana posted profit of $199 million in fourth quarter of 2011, an 86 percent increase from 2010. Total revenue rose to $9.06 billion in the fourth quarter, a 9.4 percent increase from the same quarter in 2010.
5. Cigna's net income totaled $290 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011, down 37 percent from $461 million in the same quarter of 2010. Total revenue remained steady at $5.46 billion, compared with $5.43 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010.
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