While medical cost trend remains a pressure point for health insurers, leading companies cited some positive trends, too, heading into the final months of 2026.
UnitedHealth Group was once again the most profitable company among payers in the quarter, bringing in $4.1 billion in profit for Q3. That's up from a $2.3 billion haul in the prior-year quarter.
Through the first nine months of the year, profits were $15.9 billion at UHG, rising from $12 billion a year ago.
The healthcare giant has been in the midst of a critical financial turnaround since mid-2025, and in the most recent quarter, it highlighted some of the progress that it's logged over the past year at one of it's biggest pain centers: Optum Health.
When the company posted an uncharacteristically poor quarter to start 2025, Optum Health was cited as one of the main pressure points. During its most recent call, Optum CEO Patrick Conway, M.D., said the transition centered on a "continued return to value-based care principles" that sit at the core of Optum Health.
UnitedHealth also led the way on revenue in Q3, posting $112.7 billion. That's down slightly from $113.2 billion the company reported in the third quarter of 2025.
CVS Health had the second-highest profit and revenue in Q3, bringing in $2.2 billion in earnings for the quarter. This marks a significant reversal from the prior-year quarter, when the company posted a nearly $4 billion loss.
9 billion in the third quarter of 2025.
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