(November 23, 2015, 2:29 PM EST) -- MINNETONKA, Minn. — UnitedHealth Care on Nov. 19 downgraded fourth-quarter earnings by $425 million, including the expected loss of $275 million on individual policies sold through Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges in 2016 and said it may consider leaving those markets.

“In recent weeks, growth expectations for individual exchange participation have tempered industrywide,” CEO Stephen Hemsley said in a release announcing the move.

Hemsley said that while he remains hopeful that the market would recover, “we see no data pointing to improvement.”...