NEW YORK (S&P Global Ratings) Jan. 9, 2017--S&P Global Ratings said today that its ratings on UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH; A+/Neg/A-1) and its subsidiaries are unaffected by its announced acquisition of Surgical Care Affiliates Inc. (SCA) for $2.3 billion. The acquisition is relatively small for UNH (SCA will make up less than 1% of revenues) and fits within UNH business unit Optum's growth strategy. SCA is a top three player in the highly fragmented ambulatory care outpatient market. We believe SCA will enhance OptumCare's healthcare delivery capabilities, which are currently focused on primary and urgent care. In our view, the acquisition will not affect UNH's plan to delever to about 40% by year-end 2017. UNH plans to finance the acquisition
