UnitedHealth Group Inc. Senior Unsecured Debt Rated 'A+'

NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) Dec. 3, 2014--Standard&Poor?s Ratings Services said today that it has assigned its ?A+? senior unsecured debt rating to UnitedHealth Group Inc.?s (UNH) planned debt issuance, which we expect to consist of a mix of three-to-seven year notes. The rating on the new issuance reflects UNH?s very strong competitive position as the established market leader across all key health-benefits segments. The rating also reflects the company?s high level of operating performance consistency, economies of scale, and unregulated cash flows that are significantly higher than peers'. We expect UNH to use the offering to refinance a portion of its commercial paper outstanding and for general corporate purposes. We believe that this effective restructuring of the

...NEW YORK (Standard & Poor's) Dec. 3, 2014--Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said today that it has assigned its `A+' senior unsecured debt rating to UnitedHealth Group Inc.'s (UNH) planned debt issuance, which we expect to consist of a mix of three-to-seven year notes. The rating on the new issuance reflects UNH's very strong competitive position as the established market leader across all key health-benefits segments. The rating also reflects the company's high level of operating performance consistency, economies of scale, and unregulated cash flows that are significantly higher than peers'. We expect UNH to use the offering to refinance a portion of its commercial paper outstanding and for general corporate purposes. We believe that this effective restructuring of the company's balance sheet will modestly enhance financial flexibility. We continue to expect UNH to manage adjusted debt leverage (which includes operating leases and unfunded post-retirement liabilities) to slightly more...

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