UnitedHealth Group vowed to return all of its profits from the Affordable Care Act marketplace this year to its customers in the form of a rebate.
UnitedHealth CEO and Chairman Stephen Hemsley will announce the rebates in his Wednesday congressional testimony before the House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce committees. The two lower chamber committees are hosting Hemsley and four other healthcare company CEOs on Thursday to testify on healthcare affordability.
In a released copy of his Thursday testimony, Hemsley walked a bipartisan line, using talking points from both Democrats and Republicans. He will testify that UnitedHealth values “that there are bipartisan discussions” about the enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits and how to “improve the program in ways to address a range of issues, including affordability and fraud, waste, and abuse.”
“Though UnitedHealthcare is a relatively small participant in the individual ACA market, we will voluntarily eliminate and rebate our profits this year for these coverages, as Congress continues to work toward more long-term solutions,” Hemsley will testify.
The UnitedHealth CEO did not elaborate on the company’s exact rebate details in the testimony release, though he will likely face questions on the logistics on Thursday. Hemsley said 1 million of UnitedHealth’s customers have Affordable Care Act exchange plans.
As the fall 2025 government shutdown focused on Democrats’ demands for the extension of Obamacare premium subsidies, healthcare affordability launched into the mainstream political conversation on the Right and Left. The subsidies expired on Dec. 31, 2025, leaving many Americans with insurance premium hikes in 2026.
Last week, President Donald Trump released a new “Great Healthcare Plan,” aimed at making premiums and prescription drugs more affordable, which he hopes to push before Congress.
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Hemsley will also testify about his views on the rise in healthcare and health insurance costs, vowing that his company is working “to make high-quality health care easier to find, simpler to navigate, and, most importantly, more accessible and more affordable.”
“We share responsibility for the way things are today, and we are determined to make the system work much better, using our capabilities, expertise, and ingenuity to improve it, not only for the people and communities we serve but for all Americans,” Hemsley will testify.