Profits were down year over year for half of the country's largest payers in 2021, but didn't stop double-digit growth for others.
Here are the largest six payers ranked by 2021 profit:
1. UnitedHealthcare: $17.3 billion (up 12.2 percent year over year)
2. CVS Health: $13.2 billion (down 5.2 percent year over year)
3. Anthem: $7.5 billion (up 17.8 percent year over year)*
4. Cigna: $5.4 billion (down 36.7 percent year over year)
5. Humana: $3.4 billion (down 27.1 percent year over year)
6. Centene: $3 billion (up 5 percent year over year)
*Denotes operating gain