NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) Oct. 17, 2012--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today that it has assigned its 'A' senior unsecured debt ratings to UnitedHealth Group Inc.'s (NYSE:UNH) planned debt issuance, which the company expects to consist of a mix of three- to 30-year securities. We expect the company to use the offering proceeds to fund part of its acquisition of Amil Participacoes S.A. UNH expects the transaction to be finalized in the first half of 2013. We consider this transaction to be consistent with UNH's growth strategy, which is supported by a combination of organic development and acquisition. Pro forma debt leverage will be moderately above 35% after the transaction, but will return below that threshold by mid-year
