UnitedHealth's 2Q net income climbs 31 percent

Health insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc. said Tuesday its second-quarter net income jumped 31 percent as enrollment and costs came in better than Wall Street expected.

The Minnetonka, Minn., insurer saw its total enrollment grow about 1 percent to 32.5 million compared to last year, with gains in Medicare and Medicaid businesses offsetting commercial health insurance losses that appear to be slowing.

Commercial insurance, which includes employer-sponsored group coverage and individual policies, makes up more than 75 percent of UnitedHealth's medical enrollment. That segment's enrollment fell by 440,000, or less than 2 percent, from a year ago.

Last …