UNH, §1A diff (2019 → 2020)

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS The statements, estimates, projections or outlook contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K include forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA). When used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in future filings by us with the SEC, in our news releases, presentations to securities analysts or investors, and in oral statements made by or with the approval of one of our executive officers, the words “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “forecast,” “outlook,” “plan,” “project,” “should” or similar words or phrases are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are intended to take advantage of the “safe harbor” provisions of the PSLRA. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties which may cause our actual results to differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement in this report speaks only as of the date of this report and, except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances, including unanticipated events, after the date of this report. The following discussion contains cautionary statements regarding our business, which investors and others should consider. We do not undertake to address in future filings or communications regarding our business or results of operations how any of these factors may have caused our results to differ from discussions or information contained in previous filings or communications. In addition, any of the matters discussed below may have affected past, as well as current, forward-looking statements about future results. Any or all forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in any other public filings or statements we make may turn out to be wrong. Our forward-looking statements can be affected by inaccurate assumptions we might make or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Many factors discussed below will be important in determining our future results. By their nature, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or results and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions which are difficult to predict or quantify. Risks Related to Our Business and Our Industry We are subject to risks associated with public health crises, large-scale medical emergencies and pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and financial performance. The ongoing COVID-19 global health crisis continues to have major impacts on health systems, businesses, governments and customer and consumer activities. We have mobilized the full strength of our resources to deliver the best care for patients, support for our members and care provider partners, keep our employees safe and deliver innovative solutions and support for the communities we serve and the entire health system. The impact to our business is primarily dependent upon the ultimate pacing, intensity and duration of the crisis, and the timing for widespread availability and effectiveness of a vaccine, factors which remain uncertain at this time. These factors continue to affect the related treatment, testing, coverage and other services we provide for the people we serve. As the crisis abates, we may experience an increase in medical care costs as people seek care which was deferred during the pandemic and individuals with chronic conditions may require additional care needs resulting from missed treatments. The premiums and fees we charge, including premiums dependent upon documented health conditions, may not be sufficient to cover the medical and administrative costs associated with COVID-19 and other care services. In addition, we have experienced and may continue to experience reduced demand for certain services Optum provides to care providers, health plans and employers as a result of reduced clinical and claims activity and changes in business priorities resulting from COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in our customers having to close or severely curtail their operations. Among other impacts, we have experienced and may continue to experience loss of commercial and pharmacy care services members due to customer reductions in workforce and an adverse impact on the timing and collectability of premium payments. In addition, governments have modified, and may continue to modify, regulatory standards around various aspects of health care in response to COVID-19, and these changing standards may create challenges for us to ensure timely compliance and meet various contractual obligations. Further disruptions in public and private infrastructure, including supply chains providing medical supplies and pharmaceutical products, could adversely disrupt our business operations or increase our operating costs. Additionally, the enactment of emergency powers by governments could disrupt our business operations, including restricting pharmaceuticals or other supplies, and could increase the risk of shortages of necessary items. Although we cannot predict the pacing, intensity and duration of COVID-19, the pandemic’s disruption to business activities, employment and economic effects, and near and long-term impacts on the patterns of care and services across the healthcare system could continue to have material and adverse effects on our business, results of operations, financial position or cash flows. If we fail to estimate, price for and manage our medical costs in an effective manner, the profitability of our risk-based products and services could decline and could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. Through our risk-based benefit products, we assume the risk of both medical and administrative costs for our customers in return for monthly premiums. We generally use approximately 80% to 85% of our premium revenues to pay the costs of health care services delivered to these customers. The profitability of our products depends in large part on our ability to predict, price for and effectively manage medical costs. Our OptumHealth business negotiates risk-based arrangements with commercial third-party payers which are also included in premium revenues. Under a typical arrangement, OptumHealth receives a fixed percentage of a third-party payer’s premiums to cover all or a defined portion of the medical costs provided to members. Premium revenues from risk-based products comprise nearly 80% of our total consolidated revenues. If we fail to predict accurately, or effectively price for or manage, the costs of providing care under risk-based arrangements, our results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. We manage medical costs through underwriting criteria, product design, negotiation of competitive provider contracts and care management programs. Total medical costs are affected by the number of individual services rendered, the cost of each service and the type of service rendered. Our premium revenue on commercial policies and Medicaid contracts is typically based on a fixed monthly rate per individual served for a 12-month period and is generally priced one to six months before the contract commences. Our revenue on Medicare policies is based on bids submitted to CMS in June the year before the contract year. Although we base the commercial and Medicaid premiums we charge and our Medicare bids on our estimates of future medical costs over the fixed contract period, many factors may cause actual costs to exceed those estimated and reflected in premiums or bids. These factors may include medical cost inflation, increased use of services, increased cost of individual services, large-scale medical emergencies, pandemics, such as COVID-19, the introduction of new or costly drugs, treatments and technology, new treatment guidelines, new mandated benefits (such as the expansion of essential benefits coverage) or other regulatory changes and insured population characteristics. Relatively small differences between predicted and actual medical costs or utilization rates as a percentage of revenues can result in significant changes in our financial results. For example, if our 2020 medical costs for commercial insured products had been 1% higher than our actual medical costs, without proportionally higher revenues from such products, our annual net earnings for 2020 would have been reduced by approximately $290 million, excluding any offsetting impact from risk adjustment or from reduced premium rebates due to minimum MLRs. In addition, the financial results we report for any particular period include estimates of costs incurred for which claims are still outstanding. These estimates involve an extensive degree of judgment. If these estimates prove inaccurate, our results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. If we fail to maintain properly the integrity or availability of our data or successfully consolidate, integrate, upgrade or expand our existing information systems, or if our technology products do not operate as intended, our business could be materially and adversely affected. Our business is highly dependent on the integrity and timeliness of the data we use to serve our members, customers and health care professionals and to operate our business. The volume of health care data generated, and the uses of data, including electronic health records, are rapidly expanding. Our ability to implement new and innovative services, price adequately our products and services, provide effective service to our customers in an efficient and uninterrupted fashion, and report accurately our results of operations depends on the integrity of the data in our information systems. In addition, connectivity among technologies is becoming increasingly important and recent trends toward greater consumer engagement in health care require new and enhanced technologies, including more sophisticated applications for mobile devices. Our information systems require an ongoing commitment of significant resources to maintain, protect and enhance existing systems and develop new systems to keep pace with continuing changes in information processing technology, evolving systems and regulatory standards and changing customer preferences. If the data we rely upon to run our businesses is found to be inaccurate or unreliable or if we fail to maintain or protect our information systems and data integrity effectively, we could experience failures in our health, wellness and information technology products; lose existing customers; have difficulty attracting new customers; experience problems in determining medical cost estimates and establishing appropriate pricing; have difficulty preventing, detecting and controlling fraud; have disputes with customers, physicians and other health care professionals; become subject to regulatory sanctions or penalties; incur increases in operating expenses or suffer other adverse consequences. We periodically consolidate, integrate, upgrade and expand our information systems’ capabilities as a result of technology initiatives and recently enacted regulations, changes in our system platforms and integration of new business acquisitions. Our process of consolidating the number of systems we operate, upgrading and expanding our information systems’ capabilities, enhancing our systems and developing new systems to keep pace with continuing changes in information processing technology may not be successful. Failure to protect, consolidate and integrate our systems successfully could result in higher than expected costs and diversion of management’s time and energy, which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. Certain of our businesses sell and install software products which may contain unexpected design defects or may encounter unexpected complications during installation or when used with other technologies utilized by the customer. A failure of our technology products to operate as intended and in a seamless fashion with other products could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. Uncertain and rapidly evolving U.S. federal and state, non-U.S. and international laws and regulations related to health data and the health information technology market may alter the competitive landscape or present compliance challenges and could materially and adversely affect the configuration of our information systems and platforms, and our ability to compete in this market. If we sustain cyber-attacks or other privacy or data security incidents resulting in security breaches disrupting our operations or resulting in the unintended dissemination of protected personal information or proprietary or confidential information, we could suffer a loss of revenue and increased costs, exposure to significant liability, reputational harm and other serious negative consequences. We routinely process, store and transmit large amounts of data in our operations, including protected personal information subject to privacy, security or data breach notification laws, as well as proprietary or confidential information relating to our business or third parties. Some of the data we process, store and transmit may be outside of the United States due to our information technology systems and international business operations. We are regularly the target of attempted cyber-attacks and other security threats and may be subject to breaches of the information technology systems we use. We have programs in place which are intended to detect, contain and respond to data security incidents and provide employee awareness training regarding phishing, malware and other cyber risks to protect against cyber risks and security breaches. However, because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently and are increasing in sophistication, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques, detect breaches for long periods of time or implement adequate preventive measures. Experienced computer programmers and hackers may be able to penetrate our security controls and access, misappropriate or otherwise compromise protected personal information or proprietary or confidential information or that of third parties, create system disruptions or cause system shutdowns, negatively affecting our operations. They also may be able to develop and deploy viruses, worms and other malicious software programs attacking our systems or otherwise exploit any security vulnerabilities. Hardware, software, or applications we develop or procure from third parties may contain defects in design or manufacture or other problems which could unexpectedly compromise information security. In addition, we are subject to heightened vulnerability to cybersecurity attacks associated with increased numbers of employees working from home. Our facilities and services may also be vulnerable to security incidents or security attacks; acts of vandalism or theft; coordinated attacks by activist entities; financial fraud schemes; misplaced or lost data; human error; malicious social engineering; or other events which could negatively affect our systems, our customers’ data, proprietary or confidential information relating to our business or third parties, or our operations. In certain circumstances we may rely on third-party vendors to process, store and transmit large amounts of data for our business whose operations are subject to similar risks. The costs to eliminate or address the foregoing security threats and vulnerabilities before or after a cyber-incident could be material. Our remediation efforts may not be successful and could result in interruptions, delays, or cessation of service and loss of existing or potential customers. In addition, breaches of our security measures and the unauthorized dissemination of sensitive personal information, proprietary information or confidential information about us or our customers or other third parties, could expose our customers’ private information and our customers to the risk of financial or medical identity theft, or expose us or other third parties to a risk of loss or misuse of this information, result in litigation and liability, including regulatory penalties, for us, damage our brand and reputation, or otherwise harm our business. If we fail to compete effectively to maintain or increase our market share, including maintaining or increasing enrollments in businesses providing health benefits, our results of operations, financial position and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected. Our businesses compete throughout the United States, South America and other foreign markets and face significant competition in all of the geographic markets in which we operate. In particular geographies or segments, our competitors, compared to us, may have greater capabilities, resources or market share; a more established reputation; superior supplier or health care professional arrangements; better existing business relationships; lower profit margin or financial return expectations; or other factors which give such competitors a competitive advantage. Our competitive position may also be adversely affected by significant merger and acquisition activity in the industries in which we operate, both among our competitors and suppliers. Consolidation may make it more difficult for us to retain or increase our customer base, improve the terms on which we do business with our suppliers, or maintain or increase profitability. In addition, our success in the health care marketplace will depend on our ability to develop and deliver innovative and potentially disruptive products and services to satisfy evolving market demands. If we do not continue to innovate and provide products and services, which are useful and relevant to consumers and our customers, we may not remain competitive, and we risk losing market share to existing competitors and disruptive new market entrants. For example, new direct-to-consumer business models from competing businesses may make it more difficult for us to directly engage consumers in the selection and management of their health care benefits and health care usage. We may face challenges from new technologies and market entrants which could affect our existing relationship with health plan enrollees in these areas. Any failure by us to continue to develop innovative care models could result in competitive disadvantages and loss of market share. Our business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected if we do not compete effectively in our markets, if we set rates too high or too low in highly competitive markets, if we do not design and price our products properly and competitively, if we are unable to innovate and deliver products and services demonstrating value to our customers, if we do not provide a satisfactory level of services, if membership or demand for other services does not increase as we expect or declines, or if we lose accounts with more profitable products while retaining or increasing membership in accounts with less profitable products. If we fail to develop and maintain satisfactory relationships with physicians, hospitals and other service providers, our business could be materially and adversely affected. Our results of operations and prospects are substantially dependent on our continued ability to contract with physicians, hospitals, pharmaceutical benefit service providers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and other service providers at competitive prices. Any failure by us to develop and maintain satisfactory relationships with health care providers, whether in-network or out-of-network, could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows. In addition, certain activities related to network design, provider participation in networks and provider payments could result in disputes, which may be costly, divert management’s attention from our operations and result in negative publicity. In any particular market, physicians and health care providers could refuse to contract, demand higher payments, or take other actions which could result in higher medical costs, less desirable products for customers or difficulty meeting regulatory or accreditation requirements. In some markets, certain health care providers, particularly hospitals, physician and hospital organizations or multi-specialty physician groups, may have significant market positions or near monopolies which could result in diminished bargaining power on our part. In addition, ACOs; practice management companies (which aggregate physician practices for administrative efficiency); and other organizational structures adopted by physicians, hospitals and other care providers may change the way in which these providers do business with us and may change the competitive landscape. Such organizations or groups of physicians may compete directly with us, which could adversely affect our business, and our results of operations, financial position and cash flows by impacting our relationships with these providers or affecting the way we price our products and estimate our costs, which might require us to incur costs to change our operations. In addition, if these providers refuse to contract with us, use their market position to negotiate favorable contracts or place us at a competitive disadvantage, our ability to market products or to be profitable in those areas could be materially and adversely affected. Our health care benefits businesses have risk-based arrangements with some physicians, hospitals and other health care providers. These arrangements limit our exposure to the risk of increasing medical costs, but expose us to risk related to the adequacy of the financial and medical care resources of the health care provider. To the extent a risk-based health care provider organization faces financial difficulties or otherwise is unable to perform its obligations under the arrangement, we may be held responsible for unpaid health care claims which should have been the responsibility of the health care provider and for which we have already paid the provider. Further, payment or other disputes between a primary care provider and specialists with whom the primary care provider contracts could result in a disruption in the provision of services to our members or a reduction in the services available to our members. Health care providers with which we contract may not properly manage the costs of services, maintain financial solvency or avoid disputes with other providers. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on the provision of services to our members and our operations. Some providers render services to our members who do not have contracts with us. In those cases, we do not have a pre-established understanding about the amount of compensation due to the provider for services rendered to our members. In some states, the amount of compensation due to these out-of-network providers is defined by law or regulation, but in most instances the amount is either not defined or is established by a standard which does not clearly specify dollar terms. In some instances, providers may believe they are underpaid for their services and may either litigate or arbitrate their dispute with us or try to recover from our members the difference between what we have paid them and the amount they charged us. The success of some of our businesses, including OptumHealth and UnitedHealthcare Global, depend on maintaining satisfactory relationships with physicians as our employees, independent contractors or joint venture partners. The physicians who practice medicine or contract with our affiliated physician organizations could terminate their provider contracts or otherwise become unable or unwilling to continue practicing medicine or contracting with us. We face and will likely continue to face heightened competition in the markets where we operate to acquire or manage physician practices or to employ or contract with individual physicians. If we are unable to maintain or grow satisfactory relationships with physicians, or to acquire, recruit or, in some instances, employ physicians, or to retain enrollees following the departure of a physician, our revenues could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, our affiliated physician organizations contract with competitors of UnitedHealthcare. Our businesses could suffer if our affiliated physician organizations fail to maintain relationships with these companies, or fail to adequately price their contracts with these third-party payers. In addition, physicians, hospitals, pharmaceutical benefit service providers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and certain health care providers are customers of our Optum businesses. Physicians also provide medical services at facilities owned by our Optum businesses. Given the importance of health care providers and other constituents to our businesses, failure to maintain satisfactory relationships with them could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. We are routinely subject to various legal actions due to the nature of our business, which could damage our reputation and, if resolved unfavorably, could result in substantial penalties or monetary damages and materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. We are routinely made party to a variety of legal actions related to, among other matters, the design, management and delivery of our product and service offerings. These matters have included or could in the future include matters related to health care benefits coverage and payment claims (including disputes with enrollees, customers and contracted and non-contracted physicians, hospitals and other health care professionals), tort claims (including claims related to the delivery of health care services, such as medical malpractice by staff at our affiliates’ facilities, or by health care practitioners who are employed by us, have contractual relationships with us, or serve as providers to our managed care networks), whistleblower claims (including claims under the False Claims Act or similar statutes), contract and labor disputes, tax claims and claims related to disclosure of certain business practices. We may also be party to certain class action lawsuits brought by health care professional groups and consumers. In addition, we operate in jurisdictions outside of the United States where contractual rights, tax positions and applicable regulations may be subject to interpretation or uncertainty to a greater degree than in the United States, and therefore subject to dispute by customers, government authorities or others. We are largely self-insured with regard to litigation risks. While we maintain excess liability insurance with outside insurance carriers for claims in excess of our self-insurance, certain types of damages, such as punitive damages in some circumstances, are not covered by insurance. Although we record liabilities for our estimates of the probable costs resulting from self-insured matters, it is possible the level of actual losses will significantly exceed the liabilities recorded. We cannot predict the outcome of significant legal actions in which we are involved and are incurring expenses in resolving these matters. The legal actions we face or may face in the future could further increase our cost of doing business and materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. In addition, certain legal actions could result in adverse publicity which could damage our reputation and materially and adversely affect our ability to retain our current business or grow our market share in some markets and businesses. Any failure by us to manage successfully our strategic alliances or complete, manage or integrate acquisitions and other significant strategic transactions or relationships domestically or outside the United States could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, results of operations, financial position and cash flows. As part of our business strategy, we frequently engage in discussions with third parties regarding possible investments, acquisitions, divestitures, strategic alliances, joint ventures and outsourcing transactions and often enter into agreements relating to such transactions. For example, we have a strategic alliance with AARP under which we provide AARP-branded Medicare Supplement insurance to AARP members and other AARP-branded products and services to Medicare beneficiaries. If we fail to meet the needs of our alliance or joint venture partners, including by developing additional products and services, providing high levels of service, pricing our products and services competitively or responding effectively to applicable federal and state regulatory changes, our alliances and joint ventures could be damaged or terminated which in turn could adversely impact our reputation, business and results of operations. Further, if we fail to identify and successfully complete transactions, which further our strategic objectives, we may be required to expend resources to develop products and technology internally, we may be placed at a competitive disadvantage or we may be adversely affected by negative market perceptions, any of which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position or cash flows. Success in completing acquisitions is also dependent on effectively integrating the acquired business into our existing operations, including our internal control environment and culture, or otherwise leveraging its operations which may present challenges different from those presented by organic growth and may be difficult for us to manage. In addition, even with appropriate diligence, pre-acquisition practices of an acquired business may expose us to legal challenges and investigations. For example, in January 2021, an indictment for alleged violations of antitrust laws was issued by the DOJ against our subsidiary, Surgical Care Affiliates (SCA), based on conduct alleged to have begun more than five years prior to our acquisition. We are vigorously defending this lawsuit, but if SCA is found liable, we may be subject to criminal fines or reputational harm. If we cannot successfully integrate these acquisitions and realize contemplated revenue growth opportunities and cost savings, our business, prospects, results of operations, financial position and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected. As we expand and operate our business outside of the United States, we are presented with challenges differing from those presented by acquisitions of domestic businesses, including challenges in adapting to new markets, languages, business, labor and cultural practices and regulatory environments. Adapting to these challenges could require us to devote significant senior management attention and other resources to the acquired businesses before we realize anticipated synergies or other benefits from the acquired businesses. These challenges vary widely by country and, outside of the United States, may include political instability, government intervention, discriminatory regulation and currency exchange controls or other restrictions, which could prevent us from transferring funds from these operations out of the countries in which our acquired businesses operate, or converting local currencies we hold into U.S. dollars or other currencies. If we are unable to manage successfully our non-U.S. acquisitions, our business, prospects, results of operations and financial position could be materially and adversely affected. Foreign currency exchange rates and fluctuations may have an impact on our shareholders’ equity from period to period, which could adversely affect our debt to debt-plus-equity ratio, and our future revenues, costs and cash flows from international operations. Any measures we may implement to reduce the effect of volatile currencies may be costly or ineffective. Our sales performance will suffer if we do not adequately attract, retain and provide support to a network of independent producers and consultants. Our products and services are sold in part through nonexclusive producers and consultants for whose services and allegiance we must compete. Our sales would be materially and adversely affected if we are unable to attract, retain and support such independent producers and consultants or if our sales strategy is not appropriately aligned across distribution channels. Our relationships with producers could be materially and adversely impacted by changes in our business practices and the nature of our relationships to address these pressures, including potential reductions in commission levels. Unfavorable economic conditions could materially and adversely affect our revenues and our results of operations. Unfavorable economic conditions may impact demand for certain of our products and services. For example, high unemployment has caused lower enrollment or lower rates of renewal in our employer group benefits and pharmacy services plans. Unfavorable economic conditions also have caused and could continue to cause employers to stop offering certain health care coverage as an employee benefit or elect to offer this coverage on a voluntary, employee-funded basis as a means to reduce their operating costs. In addition, unfavorable economic conditions could adversely impact our ability to increase premiums or result in the cancellation by certain customers of our products and services. These conditions could lead to a decrease in our membership levels and premium and fee revenues and could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. During a prolonged unfavorable economic environment, state and federal budgets could be materially and adversely affected, resulting in reduced reimbursements or payments in our federal and state government health care coverage programs, including Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP. A reduction in state Medicaid reimbursement rates could be implemented retroactively to apply to payments already negotiated or received from the government and could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. In addition, state and federal budgetary pressures could cause the affected governments to impose new or a higher level of taxes or assessments for our commercial programs, such as premium taxes on health insurance and surcharges or fees on select fee-for-service and capitated medical claims. Any of these developments or actions could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. A prolonged unfavorable economic environment also could adversely impact the financial position of hospitals and other care providers which could materially and adversely affect our contracted rates with these parties and increase our medical costs or materially and adversely affect their ability to purchase our service offerings. Further, unfavorable economic conditions could adversely impact the customers of our Optum businesses, including health plans, hospitals, care providers, employers and others which could, in turn, materially and adversely affect Optum’s financial results. Our failure to attract, develop, retain, and manage the succession of key employees and executives could adversely affect our business, results of operations and future performance. We are dependent on our ability to attract, develop and retain qualified employees and executives, including those with diverse backgrounds, experiences and skill sets, to operate and expand our business. Experienced and highly skilled employees and executives in the health care and technology industries are in high demand and the market for their services is extremely competitive. We may have difficulty in replacing key executives because of the limited number of qualified individuals in these industries with the breadth of skills and experience required to operate and successfully expand our business. In addition, we believe our corporate culture fosters integrity, compassion, relationships, innovation and performance. Adverse changes to our corporate culture could harm our business operations and our ability to retain key employees and executives. While we have development and succession plans in place for our key employees and executives, these plans do not guarantee the services of our key employees and executives will continue to be available to us. If we are unable to attract, develop, retain and effectively manage the development and succession plans for key employees and executives, our business, results of operations and future performance could be adversely affected. Our investment portfolio may suffer losses which could adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. Market fluctuations could impair our profitability and capital position. Volatility in interest rates affects our interest income and the market value of our investments in debt securities of varying maturities which constitute the vast majority of the fair value of our investments as of December 31, 2020. Relatively low interest rates on investments, such as those experienced during recent years, have adversely impacted our investment income. In addition, a delay in payment of principal or interest by issuers, or defaults by issuers (primarily issuers of our investments in corporate and municipal bonds), could reduce our investment income and require us to write down the value of our investments which could adversely affect our profitability and equity. There can be no assurance our investments will produce total positive returns or we will not sell investments at prices which are less than their carrying values. Changes in the value of our investment assets, as a result of interest rate fluctuations, changes in issuer financial conditions, illiquidity or otherwise, could have an adverse effect on our equity. In addition, if it became necessary for us to liquidate our investment portfolio on an accelerated basis, such an action could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and the capital position of our regulated subsidiaries. If the value of our intangible assets is materially impaired, our results of operations, equity and credit ratings could be materially and adversely affected. As of December 31, 2020, our goodwill and other intangible assets had a carrying value of $82 billion, representing 42% of our total consolidated assets. We periodically evaluate our goodwill and other intangible assets to determine whether all or a portion of their carrying values may be impaired, in which case a charge to earnings may be necessary. The value of our goodwill may be materially and adversely impacted if businesses we acquire perform in a manner inconsistent with our assumptions. In addition, from time to time we divest businesses, and any such divestiture could result in significant asset impairment and disposition charges, including those related to goodwill and other intangible assets. Any future evaluations requiring an impairment of our goodwill and other intangible assets could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and equity in the period in which the impairment occurs. A material decrease in equity could, in turn, adversely affect our credit ratings. If we are not able to protect our proprietary rights to our databases, software and related products, our ability to market our knowledge and information-related businesses could be hindered and our results of operations, financial position and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected. We rely on our agreements with customers, confidentiality agreements with employees and third parties, and our trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights and patents to protect our proprietary rights. These legal protections and precautions may not prevent misappropriation of our proprietary information. In addition, substantial litigation regarding intellectual property rights exists in the software industry, and we expect software products to be increasingly subject to third-party infringement claims as the number of products and competitors in this industry segment grows. Such litigation and misappropriation of our proprietary information could hinder our ability to market and sell products and services and our results of operations, financial position and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected. Any downgrades in our credit ratings could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Claims paying ability, financial strength and debt ratings by Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations are important factors in establishing the competitive position of insurance companies. Ratings information is broadly disseminated and generally used by customers and creditors. We believe our claims paying ability and financial strength ratings are important factors in marketing our products to certain of our customers. Our credit ratings impact both the cost and availability of future borrowings. Each of the credit rating agencies reviews its ratings periodically. Our ratings reflect each credit rating agency’s opinion of our financial strength, operating performance and ability to meet our debt obligations or obligations to policyholders. There can be no assurance our current credit ratings will be maintained in the future. Any downgrades in our credit ratings could materially increase our costs of or ability to access funds in the debt capital markets and otherwise materially increase our operating costs. Risks Related to the Regulation of Our Business Our business activities are highly regulated and new laws or regulations or changes in existing laws or regulations or their enforcement or application could materially and adversely affect our business. We are regulated by federal, state and local governments in the United States and other countries where we do business. Our insurance and HMO subsidiaries must be licensed by and are subject to regulation in the jurisdictions in which they conduct business. For example, states require periodic financial reports and enforce minimum capital or restricted cash reserve requirements. Health plans and insurance companies are also regulated under state insurance holding company regulations and some of our activities may be subject to other health care-related regulations and requirements, including those relating to PPOs, MCOs, UR and TPA-related regulations and licensure requirements. Under state guaranty association laws, certain insurance companies can be assessed (up to prescribed limits) for certain obligations to the policyholders and claimants of impaired or insolvent insurance companies who write the same line or similar lines of business. Any such assessment could expose our insurance entities and other insurers to the risk they would be required to pay a portion of an impaired or insolvent insurance company’s claims through state guaranty associations. Certain of our businesses provide products or services to various government agencies. For example, some of our Optum and UnitedHealthcare businesses hold government contracts or provide services related to government contracts and are subject to U.S. federal and state and non U.S. self-referral, anti-kickback, medical necessity, risk adjustment, false claims and other laws and regulations governing government contractors and the use of government funds. Our relationships with these government agencies are subject to the terms of contracts we hold with the agencies and to laws and regulations regarding government contracts. Among others, certain laws and regulations restrict or prohibit companies from performing work for government agencies which might be viewed as an actual or potential conflict of interest. These laws may limit our ability to pursue and perform certain types of work, thereby materially and adversely affecting our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. Certain of our Optum businesses are also subject to regulations distinct from those faced by our insurance and HMO subsidiaries, some of which could impact our relationships with physicians, hospitals and customers. These regulations include state telemedicine regulations; debt collection laws; banking regulations; distributor and producer licensing requirements; state corporate practice of medicine doctrines; fee-splitting rules; and health care facility licensure and certificate of need requirements. These risks and uncertainties may materially and adversely affect our ability to market or provide our products and services, or to do so at targeted operating margins, or may increase the regulatory burdens under which we operate. The laws and rules governing our businesses and interpretations of those laws and rules are subject to frequent change. For example, legislative, administrative and public policy changes to the ACA are being considered, and we cannot predict if the ACA will be further modified. Litigation challenges have been brought seeking to invalidate the ACA in whole or in part. A federal appeals court struck down the ACA as in part unconstitutional in 2019. During the fourth quarter of 2020, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case. Further, the integration into our businesses of entities we acquire may affect the way in which existing laws and rules apply to us, including by subjecting us to laws and rules which did not previously apply to us. The broad latitude given to the agencies administering, interpreting and enforcing current and future regulations governing our businesses could force us to change how we do business, restrict revenue and enrollment growth, increase our health care and administrative costs and capital requirements, or expose us to increased liability in courts for coverage determinations, contract interpretation and other actions. We also must obtain and maintain regulatory approvals to market many of our products and services, increase prices for certain regulated products and services and complete certain acquisitions and dispositions or integrate certain acquisitions. For example, premium rates for our health insurance and managed care products are subject to regulatory review or approval in many states and by the federal government. Additionally, we must submit data on all proposed rate increases on many of our products to HHS for monitoring purposes. Geographic and product expansions of our businesses may be subject to state and federal regulatory approvals. Delays in obtaining necessary approvals or our failure to obtain or maintain adequate approvals could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. Certain of our businesses operate internationally and are subject to regulation in the jurisdictions in which they are organized or conduct business. These regulatory regimes encompass, among other matters, local and cross-border taxation, licensing, tariffs, intellectual property, investment, capital (including minimum solvency margin and reserve requirements), management control, labor, anti-fraud, anti-corruption and privacy and data protection regulations (including requirements for cross-border data transfers) which vary by jurisdiction. We currently operate outside of the United States and in the future may acquire or commence additional businesses based outside of the United States, increasing our exposure to non-U.S. regulatory regimes. For example, our UnitedHealthcare Global business subjects us to Brazilian laws and regulations affecting hospitals, managed care and insurance industries and to regulation by Brazilian regulators, including the national regulatory agency for private health insurance and plans, the Agência Nacional de Saúde Suplementar, while our Banmédica business is subject to Chilean, Colombian and Peruvian laws, regulations and regulators applicable to hospitals and private insurance. Any international regulator may take an approach to the interpretation, implementation and enforcement of industry regulations which could differ from the approach taken by U.S. regulators. In addition, our non-U.S. businesses and operations are subject to U.S. laws regulating the conduct and activities of U.S.-based businesses operating abroad, such as the FCPA, which prohibits offering, promising, providing or authorizing others to give anything of value to a foreign government official to obtain or retain business or otherwise secure a business advantage. Our failure to comply with U.S. or non-U.S. laws and regulations governing our conduct outside the United States or to establish constructive relations with non-U.S. regulators could adversely affect our ability to market our products and services, or to do so at targeted operating margins which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The health care industry is regularly subject to negative publicity, including as a result of governmental investigations, adverse media coverage and political debate surrounding industry regulation. Negative publicity may adversely affect our stock price and damage our reputation in various markets. As a result of our participation in various government health care programs, both as a payer and as a service provider to payers, we are exposed to additional risks associated with program funding, enrollments, payment adjustments, audits and government investigations which could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows. We participate in various federal, state and local government health care benefit programs, including as a payer in Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, various Medicaid programs and CHIP, and receive substantial revenues from these programs. Certain of our Optum businesses also provide services to payers participating in government health care programs. A reduction or less than expected increase, or a protracted delay, in government funding for these programs or change in allocation methodologies, or termination of the contract at the option of the government, may materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. The government health care programs in which we participate generally are subject to frequent changes, including changes which may reduce the number of persons enrolled or eligible for coverage, reduce the amount of reimbursement or payment levels, reduce our participation in certain service areas or markets, or increase our administrative or medical costs under such programs. Revenues for these programs depend on periodic funding from the federal government or applicable state governments and allocation of the funding through various payment mechanisms. Funding for these government programs depends on many factors outside of our control, including general economic conditions and budgetary constraints at the federal or applicable state level. For example, CMS has in the past reduced or frozen Medicare Advantage benchmarks, and additional cuts to Medicare Advantage benchmarks are possible. In addition, from time to time, CMS makes changes to the way it calculates Medicare Advantage risk adjustment payments. Although we have adjusted members’ benefits and premiums on a selective basis, ceased to offer benefit plans in certain counties, and intensified both our medical and operating cost management in response to the benchmark reductions and other funding pressures, these or other strategies may not fully address the funding pressures in the Medicare Advantage program. In addition, payers in the Medicare Advantage program may be subject to reductions in payments from CMS as a result of decreased funding or recoupment pursuant to government audit. Under the Medicaid managed care program, state Medicaid agencies seek bids from eligible health plans to continue their participation in the acute care Medicaid health programs. If we are not successful in obtaining renewals of state Medicaid managed care contracts, we risk losing the members who were enrolled in those Medicaid plans. Under the Medicare Part D program, to qualify for automatic enrollment of low income members, our bids must result in an enrollee premium below a regional benchmark, which is calculated by the government after all regional bids are submitted. If the enrollee premium is not below the government benchmark, we risk losing the members who were auto-assigned to us and will not have additional members auto-assigned to us. In general, our bids are based upon certain assumptions regarding enrollment, utilization, medical costs and other factors. If any of these assumptions is materially incorrect, either as a result of unforeseen changes to the programs on which we bid, implementation of material program or policy changes after our bid submission, or submission by our competitors at lower rates than our bids, our results of operations, financial position and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected. Many of the government health care coverage programs in which we participate are subject to the prior satisfaction of certain conditions or performance standards or benchmarks. For example, as part of the ACA, CMS has a system providing various quality bonus payments to Medicare Advantage plans meeting certain quality star ratings at the individual plan or local contract level. The star rating system considers various measures adopted by CMS, including, among others, quality of care, preventive services, chronic illness management, handling of appeals and customer satisfaction. Plans must have a rating of four stars or higher to qualify for bonus payments. If we do not maintain or continue to improve our star ratings, our plans may not be eligible for quality bonuses and we may experience a negative impact on our revenues and the benefits our plans can offer, which could materially and adversely affect the marketability of our plans, our membership levels, results of operations, financial position and cash flows. Any changes in standards or care delivery models applying to government health care programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, or our inability to improve our quality scores and star ratings to meet government performance requirements or to match the performance of our competitors could result in limitations to our participation in or exclusion from these or other government programs, which in turn could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. CMS uses various payment mechanisms to allocate funding for Medicare programs, including adjustment of monthly capitation payments to Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Part D plans according to the predicted health status of each beneficiary as supported by data from health care providers for Medicare Advantage plans, as well as, for Medicare Part D plans, risk-sharing provisions based on a comparison of costs predicted in our annual bids to actual prescription drug costs. Some state Medicaid programs utilize a similar process. For example, our UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement and UnitedHealthcare Community & State businesses submit information relating to the health status of enrollees to CMS or state agencies for purposes of determining the amount of certain payments to us. CMS and the Office of Inspector General for HHS periodically perform risk adjustment data validation (RADV) audits of selected Medicare health plans to validate the coding practices of and supporting documentation maintained by health care providers. Certain of our local plans have been selected for such audits, which in the past have resulted and in the future could result in retrospective adjustments to payments made to our health plans, fines, corrective action plans or other adverse action by CMS. We have been and may in the future become involved in routine, regular and special governmental investigations, audits, reviews and assessments. Such investigations, audits, reviews or assessments sometimes arise out of, or prompt claims by private litigants or whistleblowers who, among other allegations, we failed to disclose certain business practices or, as a government contractor, submitted false or erroneous claims to the government. Governmental investigations, audits, reviews and assessments could lead to government actions, which have resulted in, and in the future could result in, adverse publicity, the assessment of damages, civil or criminal fines or penalties, or other sanctions, including restrictions or changes in the way we conduct business, loss of licensure or exclusion from participation in government programs, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows. Our businesses providing pharmacy care services face regulatory and operational risks and uncertainties which may differ from the risks of our other businesses. We provide pharmacy care services through our OptumRx and UnitedHealthcare businesses. Each business is subject to federal and state anti-kickback, beneficiary inducement and other laws governing the relationships of the business with pharmaceutical manufacturers, physicians, pharmacies, customers and consumers. In addition, federal and state legislatures regularly consider new regulations for the industry which could materially affect current industry practices, including potential new legislation and regulations regarding the receipt or disclosure of rebates and other fees from pharmaceutical companies, the development and use of formularies and other utilization management tools, the use of average wholesale prices or other pricing benchmarks, pricing for specialty pharmaceuticals, limited access to networks and pharmacy network reimbursement methodologies. Additionally, various governmental agencies have conducted investigations into certain PBM practices, which have resulted in other PBMs agreeing to civil penalties, including the payment of money and entry into corporate integrity agreements. As a provider of pharmacy benefit management services, OptumRx is also subject to an increasing number of licensure, registration and other laws and accreditation standards impacting the business practices of a pharmacy benefit manager. OptumRx also conducts business through home delivery, specialty and compounding pharmacies, pharmacies located in community mental health centers and home infusion, which subjects it to extensive federal, state and local laws and regulations, including those of the DEA and individual state controlled substance authorities, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Boards of Pharmacy. We could face potential claims in connection with purported errors by our home delivery, specialty or compounding or clinic-based pharmacies or the provision of home infusion services, including as a result of the risks inherent in the packaging and distribution of pharmaceuticals and other health care products. Disruptions from any of our home delivery, specialty pharmacy or home infusion services could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. In addition, our pharmacy care services businesses provide services to sponsors of health benefit plans subject to ERISA. A private party or the DOL, which is the agency who enforces ERISA, could assert the fiduciary obligations imposed by the statute apply to some or all of the services provided by our pharmacy care services businesses even where those businesses are not contractually obligated to assume fiduciary obligations. If a court were to determine fiduciary obligations apply, we could be subject to claims for breaches of fiduciary obligations or claims we entered into certain prohibited transactions. If we fail to comply with applicable privacy, security and data laws, regulations and standards, including with respect to third-party service providers utilizing protected personal information on our behalf, our business, reputation, results of operations, financial position and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected. The collection, maintenance, protection, use, transmission, disclosure and disposal of protected personal information is regulated at the federal, state, international and industry levels and requirements are imposed on us by contracts with customers. These laws, rules and requirements are subject to change. Compliance with new privacy and security laws, regulations and requirements may result in increased operating costs, and may constrain or require us to alter our business model or operations. Internationally, many of the jurisdictions in which we operate have established their own data security and privacy legal framework with which we or our customers must comply. We expect there will continue to be new proposed laws, regulations and industry standards concerning privacy, data protection and information security in the European Union, Brazil, Chile, India and other jurisdictions, and we cannot yet determine the impacts such future laws, regulations and standards may have on our businesses or the businesses of our customers. For example, effective May 2018, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) overhauled data protection laws in the European Union. The new regulation superseded prior European Union privacy and data protection legislation, imposed more stringent European Union data protection requirements on us or our customers, and prescribed greater penalties for noncompliance. Brazilian privacy legislation, similar in certain respects to GDPR, took effect in August 2020. Many of our businesses are also subject to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, which is a multifaceted security standard designed to protect payment card account data. HIPAA requires business associates as well as covered entities to comply with certain privacy and security requirements. While we provide for appropriate protections through our contracts with our third-party service providers and in certain cases assess their security controls, we have limited oversight or control over their actions and practices. Several of our businesses act as business associates to their covered entity customers and, as a result, collect, use, disclose and maintain protected personal information in order to provide services to these customers. HHS administers its audit program to assess HIPAA compliance efforts by covered entities and business associates. An audit resulting in findings or allegations of noncompliance could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. Through our Optum businesses, including our Optum Labs business, we maintain a database of administrative and clinical data statistically de-identified in accordance with HIPAA standards. Noncompliance or findings of noncompliance with applicable laws, regulations or requirements, or the occurrence of any privacy or security breach involving the misappropriation, loss or other unauthorized disclosure of protected personal information, whether by us or by one of our third-party service providers, could have a material adverse effect on our reputation and business and, among other consequences, could subject us to mandatory disclosure to the media, loss of existing or new customers, significant increases in the cost of managing and remediating privacy or security incidents and material fines, penalties and litigation awards. Any of these consequences could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. Restrictions on our ability to obtain funds from our regulated subsidiaries could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. Because we operate as a holding company, we are dependent on dividends and administrative expense reimbursements from our subsidiaries to fund our obligations. Many of these subsidiaries are regulated by state departments of insurance or similar regulatory authorities. We are also required by law or regulation to maintain specific prescribed minimum amounts of capital in these subsidiaries. The levels of capitalization required depend primarily on the volume of premium revenues generated by the applicable subsidiary. In most states, we are required to seek approval by state regulatory authorities before we transfer money or pay dividends from our regulated subsidiaries exceeding specified amounts. An inability of our regulated subsidiaries to pay dividends to their parent companies in the desired amounts or at the time of our choosing could adversely affect our ability to reinvest in our business through capital expenditures or business acquisitions, as well as our ability to maintain our corporate quarterly dividend payment, repurchase shares of our common stock and repay our debt. If we are unable to obtain sufficient funds from our subsidiaries to fund our obligations, our results of operations, financial position and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected. ITEM 1B.