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Commitments and Contingencies | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2025
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | (6) Commitments and Contingencies Professional and General Liability, Workers’ Compensation Liability The vast majority of our subsidiaries are self-insured for professional and general liability exposure up to: (i) $20 million for professional liability and $3 million for general liability per occurrence in 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021; (ii) $10 million and $3 million per occurrence, respectively, in 2020; (iii) $5 million and $3 million per occurrence, respectively, during 2019, 2018 and 2017, and; (iv) $10 million and $3 million per occurrence, respectively, prior to 2017. For each of the years indicated above, through February 2025, for claims involving multiple plaintiffs, a single self-insured retention may apply, as stipulated in and subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable commercial policies, for claims qualifying as group related integrated occurrences and/or medical incidents. As of March 1, 2025, the single self-insured retention no longer applies in connection with claims made by multiple plaintiffs against our behavioral health care facilities. These subsidiaries are provided with several excess policies through commercial insurance carriers which provide for coverage in excess of the applicable per occurrence and aggregate self-insured retention or underlying policy limits up to approximately $110 million in 2025; $175 million in 2024; $165 million in 2023; $162 million in 2022; $155 million in 2021 and $250 million during each of 2014 through 2020. Effective March, 2025, our commercial insurance coverage contains less favorable terms than previous years including coverage exclusions for incidents involving sexual molestation or abuse, higher premiums and lower aggregate limitations. In addition, from time to time based upon marketplace conditions, we may elect to purchase additional commercial coverage for certain of our facilities or businesses. Our behavioral health care facilities located in the U.K. have policies through a commercial insurance carrier located in the U.K. that provides for £20 million of professional liability coverage and £25 million of general liability coverage. The commercial insurance limits indicated above for each policy year may have been reduced due to payment of covered claims or suits, subject to the policy terms and conditions. As of March 31, 2025, the total net accrual for our self-insured professional and general liability claims was $506 million, of which $85 million was included in current liabilities. As of December 31, 2024, the total net accrual for our self-insured professional and general liability claims was $487 million, of which $85 million was included in current liabilities. As a result of unfavorable trends experienced during the past several years, our results of operations included pre-tax increases to our reserves for self-insured professional and general liability claims including $79 million recorded during the full year of 2024, $7 million of which was recorded during the first quarter of 2024. All professional and general liability insurance we purchase is subject to policy limitations. Our estimated liability for self-insured professional and general liability claims is based on a number of factors including, among other things, the number of asserted claims and reported incidents, estimates of losses for these claims based on recent and historical settlement amounts and jury verdicts, estimates of incurred but not reported claims based on historical experience, and estimates of amounts recoverable under our commercial insurance policies. All relevant information, including our own historical experience, applicable per occurrence and aggregate self-insured retentions, and limitations and exclusions pursuant to our commercial insurance policies, is used in estimating our expected liability for self-insured claims. While we continuously monitor these factors, our ultimate liability for professional and general liability claims could change materially from our current estimates due to inherent uncertainties involved in making this estimate. Given our significant exposure to professional and general liability claims, there can be no assurance that a sharp increase in the number and/or severity of claims asserted against us, and/or reductions in the amount of commercial coverage available to us, will not have a material adverse effect on our future results of operations. As of March 31, 2025, the total accrual for our workers’ compensation liability claims was $145 million, $58 million of which was included in current liabilities. As of December 31, 2024, the total accrual for our workers’ compensation liability claims was $137 million, $58 million of which was included in current liabilities. Although we are unable to predict whether or not our future financial statements will require updates to estimates for our prior year reserves for self-insured general and professional and workers’ compensation claims, given the relatively unpredictable nature of these potential liabilities and the factors impacting these reserves, as discussed above, it is reasonably likely that our future financial results may include material adjustments to prior period reserves. As disclosed below in Legal Proceedings: • On March 28, 2024, a jury returned a verdict for compensatory damages of $60 million and punitive damages of $475 million and a related judgment was entered against The Pavilion Behavioral Health System (the “Pavilion”), an indirect subsidiary of the Company. In an order dated October 10, 2024, the trial court ordered a remittitur of punitive damages from $475 million to $120 million. The court denied the Pavilion’s request for reduction of compensatory damages. The Pavilion has filed an appeal of the remaining judgment and the Plaintiff has filed a cross appeal of the remittitur of punitive damages. Plaintiff has filed and served a Citation to Discover Assets ("Citation") on the Pavilion as well as Universal Health Services, Inc., and UHS of Delaware, Inc. ("UHS Entities") for the purported purpose of executing on the judgment during the pendency of the appeal. We are currently contesting the Citation as to the UHS Entities who were not parties to the litigation as well as the breadth and scope of the Citation issued to the Pavilion. We have reached an agreement in principle with respect to the Pavilion matter which is subject to the execution of a final settlement agreement and court approval of that agreement. Although the terms of the settlement are confidential, we expect that the settlement, if finalized and approved by the Court, will be covered by our commercial excess insurance and our existing reserves for that matter. • Cumberland Hospital for Children and Adolescents (“Cumberland”), an indirect subsidiary of the Company, is a defendant in multi-plaintiff lawsuits filed in the Circuit Court for Richmond, Virginia (the “Cumberland Litigation”), relating to allegations of inappropriate sexual contact during medical examinations by Dr. Daniel Davidow, an independent contractor and the former medical director for Cumberland. The Company and UHS of Delaware, Inc., our administrative services subsidiary (“UHS Delaware”), were also named as co-defendants in the Cumberland Litigation. Plaintiffs have asserted claims of negligence, assault and battery (against Dr. Davidow), false imprisonment, violations of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act (“VCPA”), and vicarious liability for Dr. Davidow’s conduct against Cumberland, the Company, and UHS Delaware. The Company and UHS Delaware were dismissed from the action during the trial of the first three plaintiffs, which occurred in September, 2024. On September 27, 2024, a jury entered a verdict finding Dr. Davidow and Cumberland liable and awarded these three plaintiffs combined compensatory damages of $60 million for all liability theories, an additional combined $180 million in trebled damages for violation of the VCPA, and an additional combined $120 million in punitive damages. Cumberland has filed post-trial motions challenging this verdict, including the amounts awarded in the verdict. Based upon Virginia law, the Court has recently reduced the punitive damage amount to a combined maximum of $1.05 million ($350,000 per plaintiff). There are approximately 40 additional plaintiffs making similar allegations with claims pending in the Cumberland Litigation. We expect that the trials for the remaining plaintiffs, as well as any additional plaintiffs, will be scheduled at various times over the next several years and will continue to be tried in small groups. We can make no assurances regarding the ultimate financial exposure, timing, substance or outcome of the Pavilion and Cumberland matters (which related to occurrences in the 2020 policy year), or the amount of damages that may be ultimately held recoverable after post-judgment proceedings and appeals, should the above-mentioned agreement in principle related to the Pavilion matter not be finalized. As of March 31, 2025, without reduction for any potential amounts related to the Pavilion and Cumberland matters, the Company and its subsidiaries have aggregate insurance coverage of approximately $221 million rem aining under commercial policies for matters applicable to the 2020 policy year (in excess of the applicable self-insured retention amounts of $10 million per single occurrence/$25 million for multi-plaintiff matters for professional liability claims and $3 million per occurrence for general liability claims). In the event the resolution of the Pavilion and/or Cumberland matters exhausts all or a significant portion of the remaining commercial insurance coverage available to the Company and its subsidiaries related to other matters that occurred in 2020, or the Pavilion and Cumberland matters cause the posting of large bonds or other collateral during the appeal processes, our future results of operations and capital resources would be materially adversely impacted. Property Insurance We have commercial property insurance policies for our properties, covering the period of June 1, 2024 to June 1, 2025, providing property and business interruption coverage for losses in excess of $15 million per occurrence or per location (as applicable based upon the event) up to a $1 billion annual policy limitation for certain catastrophic events or perils. These commercial policies provide for coverage of up to $250 million of annual aggregate coverage for losses resulting from windstorm damage. Losses resulting from named windstorms are subject to deductibles between 3% and 5% of the total insurable value of the property. In addition, we have commercial property insurance policies covering catastrophic losses resulting from earthquake and flood damage, each subject to aggregated loss limits (as opposed to per occurrence losses). Commercially insured earthquake coverage for our facilities is subject to various deductibles and limitations including: (i) $100 million limitation for our facilities located in California, New Madrid Seismic Zone, Pacific Northwest Seismic Zone, Alaska and certain counties in Nevada; (ii) $100 million limitation for our facilities located in fault zones within the United States; (iii) $40 million limitation for our facilities located in Puerto Rico, and; (iv) $250 million limitation for many of our facilities located in other states. Our commercially insured flood coverage has a limit of $100 million annually. There is also a $10 million sublimit for one of our facilities located in Houston, Texas, and a $1 million sublimit for our facilities located in Puerto Rico. In addition, subject to the underlying policies' deductible provisions, our facilities located in California, New Madrid Seismic Zone, Pacific Northwest Seismic Zone, Alaska and certain counties in Nevada, have $50 million of excess commercial property insurance coverage for earthquake losses in excess of $100 million. As of January 1, 2025, property insurance for our behavioral health facilities located in the U.K. are provided on an all risk basis up to a £2.3 billion, with a coverage cap per location of £150 million for any one occurrence, that includes coverage for real and personal property as well as business interruption losses. These commercial property policies are subject to a deductible of: (i) $5 million per location for damage resulting from earthquake, wind, hail and flood, and; (ii) $5 million per occurrence for all other events. For per location or per occurrence losses in excess of the applicable deductible, we are self-insured, through our wholly-owned captive insurance company, for up to $10 million of annual aggregate losses. Should the $10 million self-insured annual aggregate limitation be exhausted during the policy year, we have commercial reinsurance coverage for the next $30 million of annual aggregate losses in excess of the applicable deductible. In the event the $30 million of commercial reinsurance coverage is also exhausted, we are self-insured for all per location or per occurrence losses up to $25 million, including the $5 million deductible. Commitment to Develop, Lease and Operate an Acute Care Hospital in Washington, D.C. During 2020, we entered into various agreements with the District of Columbia (the “District”) related to the development, leasing and operation of an acute care hospital and certain other facilities/structures on land owned by the District (“District Facilities”). The agreements contemplate that we will serve as manager for development and construction of the District Facilities on behalf of the District, with a projected aggregate cost of approximately $439 milli on, approximately $380 million of which was incurred as of March 31, 2025, which will be entirely funded by the District. Construction of the acute care hospital was completed and the hospital opened on April 15, 2025. We will lease the District Facilities for a nominal rental amount for a period of 75 years and are obligated to operate the District Facilities during the lease term. We have certain lease termination rights in connection with the District Facilities beginning on the tenth anniversary of the lease commencement date for various and decreasing amounts as provided for in the agreements. Additionally, any time after the 10 th anniversary of the lease term, we have a right to purchase the District Facilities for a price equal to the greater of fair market value of the District Facilities or the amount necessary to defease the bonds issued by the District to fund the construction of the District Facilities. The lease agreement also entitles the District to participation rent should certain specified earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization thresholds be achieved by the acute care hospital. Additionally, we have committed to expend no less than $75 million (approximately $15 million of which has been incurred as of March 31, 2025), over a projected 12-year period, in healthcare infrastructure including expenditures related to the Di strict Facilities as well as other healthcare related expenditures in certain specified areas of Washington, D.C. Pursuant to the agreements, the District is entitled to certain termination fees and other amounts as specified in the agreements in the event we, within certain specified periods of time, cease to operate the acute care hospital or there is a transfer of control of us or our subsidiary operating the hospital. Legal Proceedings We operate in a highly regulated and litigious industry which subjects us to various claims and lawsuits in the ordinary course of business as well as regulatory proceedings and government investigations. These claims or suits include claims for damages for personal injuries, medical malpractice, commercial/contractual disputes, wrongful restriction of, or interference with, physicians’ staff privileges, and employment related claims. In addition, health care companies are subject to investigations and/or actions by various state and federal governmental agencies or those bringing claims on their behalf. Government action has increased with respect to investigations and/or allegations against healthcare providers concerning possible violations of fraud and abuse and false claims statutes as well as compliance with clinical and operational regulations. Currently, and from time to time, we and some of our facilities are subjected to inquiries in the form of subpoenas, Civil Investigative Demands, audits and other document requests from various federal and state agencies. These inquiries can lead to notices and/or actions including repayment obligations from state and federal government agencies associated with potential non-compliance with laws and regulations. Further, the federal False Claims Act allows private individuals to bring lawsuits (qui tam actions) against healthcare providers that submit claims for payments to the government. Various states have also adopted similar statutes. When such a claim is filed, the government will investigate the matter and decide if they are going to intervene in the pending case. These qui tam lawsuits are placed under seal by the court to comply with the False Claims Act’s requirements. If the government chooses not to intervene, the private individual(s) can proceed independently on behalf of the government. Health care providers that are found to violate the False Claims Act may be subject to substantial monetary fines/penalties as well as face potential exclusion from participating in government health care programs or be required to comply with Corporate Integrity Agreements as a condition of a settlement of a False Claims Act matter. In September 2014, the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced that all qui tam cases will be shared with their Division to determine if a parallel criminal investigation should be opened. The DOJ has also announced an intention to pursue civil and criminal actions against individuals within a company as well as the corporate entity or entities. In addition, health care facilities are subject to monitoring by state and federal surveyors to ensure compliance with program Conditions of Participation. In the event a facility is found to be out of compliance with a Condition of Participation and unable to remedy the alleged deficiency(s), the facility faces termination from the Medicare and Medicaid programs or compliance with a System Improvement Agreement to remedy deficiencies and ensure compliance. The Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (the “OIG”) has recently proposed extending the Corporate Integrity Agreement, that we entered into with them in July 2020 in connection with the settlement of certain claims brought against the Company, for an additional year beyond its scheduled expiration date in July 2025. The OIG indicated that they believe the additional twelve-month period will provide the Company with the opportunity to further develop and intensify its quality-improvement activities and enhance its ability to achieve consistent, sustained quality improvement across its behavioral health care segment. The Company is currently evaluating its response to this request. If this matter is not resolved, actions taken by the OIG could have a material adverse effect on the Company. The laws and regulations governing the healthcare industry are complex covering, among other things, government healthcare participation requirements, licensure, certification and accreditation, privacy of patient information, reimbursement for patient services as well as fraud and abuse compliance. These laws and regulations are constantly evolving and expanding. Further, the original Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health and Education Reconciliation Act, has added additional obligations on healthcare providers to report and refund overpayments by government healthcare programs and authorizes the suspension of Medicare and Medicaid payments “pending an investigation of a credible allegation of fraud.” We monitor our business and have developed an ethics and compliance program with respect to these complex laws, rules and regulations. Although we believe our policies, procedures and practices comply with government regulations, there is no assurance that we will not be faced with the sanctions referenced above which include fines, penalties and/or substantial damages, repayment obligations, payment suspensions, licensure revocation, and expulsion from government healthcare programs. Even if we were to ultimately prevail in any action brought against us or our facilities or in responding to any inquiry, such action or inquiry could have a material adverse effect on us. Certain legal matters are described below: Rachel Capriglione, as natural mother and Next Friend of A.T., a minor, Plaintiff, v. The Pavilion Foundation d/b/a The Pavilion Behavioral Health System The Pavilion Behavioral Health System (the “Pavilion”), an indirect subsidiary of the Company, is the sole defendant in a lawsuit filed in Champaign County, Illinois, relating to the sexual assault of one minor patient by another minor patient in 2020. Plaintiff asserted claims of negligence and misrepresentation. The Pavilion denied any liability. The case went to trial in March of 2024. On March 28, 2024, a jury rejected the misrepresentation claim, returned a verdict for ordinary negligence, and awarded compensatory damages of $60 million and punitive damages of $475 million. Based on a search of verdicts in comparable cases, the magnitude of this verdict was unexpected and is unprecedented for a single-plaintiff injury case of this type in Champaign County, Illinois. The Pavilion filed post-trial motions, among other items, contesting the excessiveness of the damage awards. In an order dated October 10, 2024, the trial court ordered a remittitur of punitive damages from $475 million to $120 million. The court denied the Pavilion’s request for reduction of compensatory damages. The Pavilion has filed an appeal of the remaining judgment and the Plaintiff has filed a cross appeal of the remittitur of punitive damages. Plaintiff has filed and served a Citation to Discover Assets ("Citation") on the Pavilion as well as Universal Health Services, Inc., and UHS of Delaware, Inc. ("UHS Entities") for the purported purpose of executing on the judgment during the pendency of the appeal. We are currently contesting the Citation as to the UHS Entities who were not parties to the litigation as well as the breadth and scope of the Citation issued to the Pavilion. We have reached an agreement in principle with respect to the Pavilion matter which is subject to the execution of a final settlement agreement and court approval of that agreement. Although the terms of the settlement are confidential, we expect that the settlement, if finalized and approved by the Court, will be covered by our commercial excess insurance and our existing reserves for that matter. If the agreement in principle is not finalized and/or approved by the Court, the amount of damages that may be ultimately held recoverable after post-judgment proceedings and appeals could have a material adverse effect on the Company. K.E.E., et al., Plaintiffs v. Cumberland Hospital, LLC d/b/a Cumberland Hospital for Children and Adolescents, et al. (and related lawsuits) Cumberland Hospital for Children and Adolescents (“Cumberland”), an indirect subsidiary of the Company, is a defendant in multi-plaintiff lawsuits filed in the Circuit Court for Richmond, Virginia (the “Cumberland Litigation”), relating to allegations of inappropriate sexual contact during medical examinations by Dr. Daniel Davidow, an independent contractor and the former medical director for Cumberland. The Company and UHS of Delaware, Inc., our administrative services subsidiary (“UHS Delaware”), were also named as co-defendants in the Cumberland Litigation. Plaintiffs have asserted claims of negligence, assault and battery (against Dr. Davidow), false imprisonment, violations of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act (“VCPA”), and vicarious liability for Dr. Davidow’s conduct against Cumberland, the Company, and UHS Delaware. All defendants have denied liability. The claims asserted by three of the plaintiffs in the Cumberland Litigation were consolidated for trial in September of 2024. The Company and UHS Delaware were dismissed from the action during trial. On September 27, 2024, a jury entered a verdict finding Dr. Davidow and Cumberland liable and awarded these three plaintiffs combined compensatory damages of $60 million for all liability theories, an additional combined $180 million in trebled damages for violation of the VCPA, and an additional combined $120 million in punitive damages. Cumberland filed post-trial motions challenging this verdict. Based upon Virginia law, the Court has recently reduced the punitive damage amount to a combined maximum of $1.05 million ($350,000 per plaintiff). There are approximately 40 additional plaintiffs making similar allegations with claims pending in the Cumberland Litigation. We expect that the trials for the remaining plaintiffs, as well as any additional plaintiffs, will be scheduled at various times over the next several years and will continue to be tried in small groups. Although we can make no assurances regarding the ultimate outcomes of the various claims made in connection with the Cumberland Litigation, or what damages will ultimately be awarded, the final resolution of these matters could have a material adverse effect on the Company. Other Matters Various other suits, claims and investigations, including government subpoenas, arising against, or issued to, us are pending and additional such matters may arise in the future. Management will consider additional disclosure from time to time to the extent it believes such matters may be or become material. The outcome of any current or future litigation or governmental or internal investigations, including the matters described above, cannot be accurately predicted, nor can we predict any resulting penalties, fines or other sanctions that may be imposed at the discretion of federal or state regulatory authorities. We record accruals for such contingencies to the extent that we conclude it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. No estimate of the possible loss or range of loss in excess of amounts accrued, if any, can be made at this time regarding the matters described above or that are otherwise pending because the inherently unpredictable nature of legal proceedings may be exacerbated by various factors, including, but not limited to: (i) the damages sought in the proceedings are unsubstantiated or indeterminate; (ii) discovery is not complete; (iii) the matter is in its early stages; (iv) the matters present legal uncertainties; (v) there are significant facts in dispute; (vi) there are a large number of parties, or; (vii) there is a wide range of potential outcomes. It is possible that the outcome of these matters could have a material adverse impact on our future results of operations, financial position, cash flows and, potentially, our reputation

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