How is the absolute amount relevant aside from being able to use shocking words like "BILLIONS" or whatever? 3.6% is 3.6%. It might work out to billions, but if it's split across hundreds/tens of millions of customers that's nothing. I doubt anyone is going to be placated if UNH provided 3.6% more healthcare to its customers.
Because then you can start to ask questions about whether the absolute amount has been inflated to create and absolute amount of wealth for the executives and investors.
Do you really need a health insurance company's revenue/profits in absolute amounts to "start to ask questions" about the state of the US healthcare system? The fact that the US spends twice as much as its peers on healthcare should be enough justification.
Moreover, it's unclear how you make any meaningful conclusion from the UNH's absolute financial numbers. UNH makes $32.3 in profit on $400.3 billion of revenue. Medicare on the other hand spent 1 trillion (!). It's unclear how anyone can look at those numbers and conclude whether they're too high, too low, or whether "the absolute amount has been inflated".
It’s not that the absolute figures are all you need to know — you might want to look at how many more people Medicare serves for instance. It’s that without them you’ve got nothing to go on.
I’m also inclined to agree it’s. as we spend more than peer nations, but there are also arguments to be made why we aren’t directly comparable. Differences in our demographics and lifestyle, etc. that affect the healthcare we consume.
