UnitedHealth execs skimp on PPACA details

“In our earnings outlook, and as we have said before, we do not expect meaningful financial contributions from these customers in 2015,” Wichmann said.

The company’s Optum health services unit runs a pharmacy benefits management (PBM) program, and many of the questions analysts asked focused on the unit’s proposed acquisition of a stand-alone PBM, Catamaran Corp.

UnitedHealth as a whole is reporting $1.4 billion in net income for the first quarter on $36 billion in revenue, up from $1.1 billion in net income on $32 billion in revenue for the first quarter of 2014.

The company ended the quarter providing or administering medical coverage for 42 million people in the United States, and 4.2 million people in other countries. The number of U.S. enrollees rose from 40 million a year earlier. The number of non-U.S. enrollees was down from 4.7 million.

The UnitedHealthcare unit is reporting $1.9 billion in operating earnings for the latest quarter on $33 billion in revenue, up from $1.4 billion in operating earnings on $29 billion in revenue.