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UnitedHealth pledges to return Obamacare profits to customers in 2026 The nation’s largest health insurer has promised to return any profits it makes in the Affordable Care Act marketplace to consumers in 2026. UnitedHealth Group “will voluntarily eliminate and rebate our profits this year for these coverages,” as Congress continues to debate whether to extend enhanced ACA subsidies that expired at the end of 2025 and helped millions of Americans afford Obamacare, CEO Stephen Hemsley said in prepared testimony, published ahead of a congressional hearing scheduled for Thursday. Though UnitedHealth Group is the largest insurer, it is a smaller player in the ACA marketplace, with about 1 million customers in 2026. Centene, one of the largest ACA insurers, has about 6 million customers. Why it matters: The announcement comes the day before insurance CEOs will be in the hot seat during two House hearings on Thursday before key committees probing the companies’ roles in driving high health care costs. It also comes amid pressure from the White House as President Donald Trump has called on health insurers to lower their prices and said he would convene a meeting of their CEOs to secure commitments. Trump dropped his “Great Healthcare Plan” last week, a sweeping, albeit-detail-free blueprint pressuring Congress to cement his executive actions on health care into law, including his deal with pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices. The plan would also put taxpayer money in low-income people’s health savings accounts and require more transparency from insurers on pricing. It’s unclear if a Trump meeting with the health insurance CEOs is still in the works. The backstory: Under the ACA, health insurers’ profits are already capped under the medical loss ratio rule. The companies are required to spend at least 80 percent of individual market premium revenue on medical care. If they spend less than that, insurers are required to refund the excess cash to consumers. It’s unclear what the financial impact would be of UnitedHealth’s plan to send all 2026 Obamacare profits back to consumers. “We are working with the Administration on the details, and our intent is to provide rebates to members in some manner,” UnitedHealth Group spokesperson Robert Josephson told POLITICO. What’s next: Hemsley will testify alongside other health insurance CEOs Thursday morning at an Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing and later in the day at a Ways and Means hearing. Hemsley plans to highlight the role of other major players in the health care system — hospitals, providers and drug companies — in driving up health insurance premiums, according to his prepared testimony. The CEO will also encourage Congress to broaden consumer choices over health insurance plans; crack down on ACA broker compensation; and align provider reimbursement across care settings, a concept known as site-neutral payments. Lead Art: Though UnitedHealth Group is the largest health insurer in the United States, it is a smaller player in the Affordable Care Act marketplace, with about 1 million customers in 2026. | Jim Mone/AP Photo http://dlvr.it/TQTgKX