Consumers are probably entitled to millions of dollars in rebates under Obamacare rules that cap companies’ profits.
By: Reed Abelson
New York Times
08/05/2020
The nation’s leading health insurers are experiencing an embarrassment of profits.
Some of the largest companies, including Anthem, Humana and UnitedHealth Group, are reporting second-quarter earnings that are double what they were a year ago. And while insurance profits are capped under the Affordable Care Act, with the requirement that consumers should benefit from such excesses in the form of rebates, no one should expect an immediate windfall.
But the amounts that insurers are retaining have caught the attention of the Trump administration. The Health and Human Services Department advised companies to consider speeding up rebates, and on Tuesday suggested that they reduce premiums to help consumers through the economic downturn caused by the pandemic.