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kenlelandauthor.com

Canadian universal, non-profit health care

2/19/2020

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UnitedHealthGroup is the largest single health insurance company in the United States with 49.5 million paying members in 2018; there are at least 7 other insurance companies, each with over 4 million paying members. But continuing with just UnitedHealthGroup for now, it’s stated company goals are:
 
UnitedHealth Group is dedicated to continuously improving the quality of our performance for consumers, customers, care providers and our shareholders.

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Fourth quarter and annual profits for 2019 were:
•Full Year and Fourth Quarter Net Earnings Per Share of $14.33 and $3.68 Grew 18% and 19%Year-Over-Year
 •Full Year and Fourth Quarter Adjusted Net Earnings Per Share of $ 15.11 and $3.90 Grew 17% and19% Year-Over-Year
https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/content/dam/UHG/PDF/investors/2019/UNH-Q4-2019-Release.pdf
 
Full year and fourth quarter net earnings for 2019 were 19.7 billion and 5.1 billion (see the table on page 2 of above link)
 
For 2019, five senior managers were paid a total of 65 million dollars. Salaries are of course counted as an expense and are deducted before calculating profits.
https://www1.salary.com/UNITEDHEALTH-GROUP-INC-Executive-Salaries.html
 
In Canada and other countries with universal, non-profit health care, there are no health insurance companies standing between the patient and the health care providers. The health care providers are doctors, specialists, or hospitals providing care and treatment, and are paid directly by the government health care ministry according to a schedule listing the amount of payment for each service provided. If your appendix is about to burst, you go to a hospital, show your provincial ID, and a surgeon saves your life – you receive no bill from anyone because you’ve paid your taxes (or if you’re destitute, the rest of Canadians pay for you through slightly higher taxes than otherwise.)  In Canada UnitedHealthGroup would not exist. Patients do not create profits for companies, but they do of course pay taxes and that’s where the money comes from for doctors, hospitals, etc. An American paying for his/her own medical insurance typically pays more than the average Canadian’s whole tax bill for all government services. In 32 of 33 first world countries, the description of the systems used are variations of Canada’s. (Most are better because they include drugs, dental and vision care while Canada’s does not yet.)

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