NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) Feb. 25, 2013--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today that it has assigned its 'A' senior unsecured debt ratings to UnitedHealth Group Inc.'s (UNH) planned debt issuance, which is expected to consist of a mix of six- to 30-year notes. The rating on the new issuance reflects UNH's very strong competitive position in its core health insurance business, where it competes in all key market segments with insured and service-based product offerings. We consider UNH's operating performance to be very sound for the rating level and reflective of a combination of profitable growth and sustained high level of discretionary cash flow generation. We expect the company to use the offering proceeds to refinance upcoming maturities
