Form 10-K
Table of Contents

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 10-K

 

þ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011

OR

 

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                      to                     

Commission file number 1-5975

 

 

HUMANA INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware   61-0647538
(State of incorporation)   (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)
500 West Main Street Louisville, Kentucky   40202
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (502) 580-1000

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class

 

Name of exchange on which registered

Common stock, $0.16 2/3 par value   New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

 

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes  þ    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    Yes  ¨    No  þ

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  þ    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  þ    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  þ

Indicate by checkmark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Large accelerated filer  þ    Accelerated filer  ¨    Non-accelerated filer  ¨    Smaller reporting company  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ¨    No  þ

The aggregate market value of voting stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant as of June 30, 2011 was $13,491,060,746 calculated using the average price on such date of $81.39.

The number of shares outstanding of the Registrant’s Common Stock as of January 31, 2012 was 164,050,846.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Parts II and III incorporate herein by reference portions of the Registrant’s Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A with respect to the Annual Meeting of Stockholders scheduled to be held April 26, 2012.

 

 

 


Table of Contents

HUMANA INC.

INDEX TO ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

For the Year Ended December 31, 2011

 

          Page  
   Part I   

Item 1.

   Business      3   

Item 1A.

   Risk Factors      17   

Item 1B.

   Unresolved Staff Comments      35   

Item  2.

   Properties      35   

Item  3.

   Legal Proceedings      36   

Item  4.

   Mine Safety Disclosures      36   
   Part II   

Item  5.

   Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities      37   

Item  6.

   Selected Financial Data      39   

Item  7.

   Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations      41   

Item 7A.

   Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk      80   

Item  8.

   Financial Statements and Supplementary Data      82   

Item  9.

   Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure      129   

Item 9A.

   Controls and Procedures      129   

Item 9B.

   Other Information      130   
   Part III   

Item 10.

   Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance      131   

Item 11.

   Executive Compensation      134   

Item 12.

   Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters      134   

Item 13.

   Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence      134   

Item 14.

   Principal Accounting Fees and Services      134   
   Part IV   

Item 15.

   Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules      135   
   Signatures and Certifications      146   


Table of Contents

Forward-Looking Statements

Some of the statements under “Business,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and elsewhere in this report may contain forward-looking statements which reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance. These forward-looking statements are made within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and we are including this statement for purposes of complying with these safe harbor provisions. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events, trends and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including the information discussed under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in this report. In making these statements, we are not undertaking to address or update them in future filings or communications regarding our business or results. Our business is highly complicated, regulated and competitive with many different factors affecting results.

PART I

 

ITEM 1. BUSINESS General

Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Humana Inc. and its subsidiaries, referred to throughout this document as “we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company” or “Humana,” is a leading health care company that offers a wide range of insurance products and health and wellness services that incorporate an integrated approach to lifelong well-being. As of December 31, 2011, we had approximately 11.2 million members in our medical benefit plans, as well as approximately 7.3 million members in our specialty products. During 2011, 76% of our premiums and services revenue were derived from contracts with the federal government, including 16% related to our Medicare Advantage contracts in Florida with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, and 10% related to our military services contracts. Under our Medicare Advantage CMS contracts in Florida, we provide health insurance coverage to approximately 381,300 members as of December 31, 2011.

Humana Inc. was organized as a Delaware corporation in 1964. Our principal executive offices are located at 500 West Main Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, the telephone number at that address is (502) 580-1000, and our website address is www.humana.com. We have made available free of charge through the Investor Relations section of our web site our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements, and, if applicable, amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K, or 2011 Form 10-K, contains both historical and forward-looking information. See Item 1A. – Risk Factors in this 2011 Form 10-K for a description of a number of factors that may adversely affect our results or business.

Health Insurance Reform

In March 2010, the President signed into law The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (which we collectively refer to as the Health Insurance Reform Legislation) which enact significant reforms to various aspects of the U.S. health insurance industry. There are many significant provisions of the legislation that will require additional guidance and clarification in the form of regulations and interpretations in order to fully understand the impacts of the legislation on our overall business, which we expect to occur over the next several years.

Certain significant provisions of the Health Insurance Reform Legislation include, among others, mandated coverage requirements, rebates to policyholders based on minimum benefit ratios, adjustments to Medicare

 

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Advantage premiums, the establishment of state-based exchanges coupled with programs designed to spread risk among insurers, an annual insurance industry premium-based assessment, and a three-year commercial reinsurance fee. Implementation dates of the Health Insurance Reform Legislation vary from September 30, 2010 to as late as 2018. The Health Insurance Reform Legislation is discussed more fully in Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations under the section titled “Health Insurance Reform.”

2011 Business Segment Realignment

During the first quarter of 2011, we realigned our business segments to reflect our evolving business model. As a result, we reassessed and changed our operating and reportable segments in the first quarter of 2011 to reflect management’s view of the business and to align our external financial reporting with our new operating and internal financial reporting model. Historical segment information has been retrospectively adjusted to reflect the effect of this change. Our new reportable segments and the basis for determining those segments are discussed below.

Business Segments

We currently manage our business with three reportable segments: Retail, Employer Group, and Health and Well-Being Services. In addition, we include businesses that are not individually reportable because they do not meet the quantitative thresholds required by generally accepted accounting principles in an Other Businesses category. These segments are based on a combination of the type of health plan customer and adjacent businesses centered on well-being solutions for our health plans and other customers, as described below. These segment groupings are consistent with information used by our Chief Executive Officer to assess performance and allocate resources.

The Retail segment consists of Medicare and commercial fully-insured medical and specialty health insurance benefits, including dental, vision, and other supplemental health and financial protection products, marketed directly to individuals. The Employer Group segment consists of Medicare and commercial fully-insured medical and specialty health insurance benefits, including dental, vision, and other supplemental health and financial protection products, as well as administrative services only products marketed to employer groups. The Health and Well-Being Services segment includes services offered to our health plan members as well as to third parties that promote health and wellness, including primary care, pharmacy, integrated wellness, and home care services. The Other Businesses category consists of our Military services, primarily our TRICARE South Region contract, Medicaid, and closed-block long-term care businesses as well as our contract with CMS to administer the Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition program, or the LI-NET program.

The results of each segment are measured by income before income taxes. Transactions between reportable segments consist of sales of services rendered by our Health and Well-Being Services segment, primarily pharmacy and behavioral health services, to our Retail and Employer Group customers. Intersegment sales and expenses are recorded at fair value and eliminated in consolidation. Members served by our segments often utilize the same provider networks, enabling us in some instances to obtain more favorable contract terms with providers. Our segments also share indirect costs and assets. As a result, the profitability of each segment is interdependent. We allocate most operating expenses to our segments. Assets and certain corporate income and expenses are not allocated to the segments, including the portion of investment income not supporting segment operations, interest expense on corporate debt, and certain other corporate expenses. These items are managed at the corporate level. These corporate amounts are reported separately from our reportable segments and included with intersegment eliminations.

 

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Our Products

Our medical and specialty insurance products allow members to access health care services primarily through our networks of health care providers with whom we have contracted. These products may vary in the degree to which members have coverage. Health maintenance organizations, or HMOs, generally require a referral from the member’s primary care physician before seeing certain specialty physicians. Preferred provider organizations, or PPOs, provide members the freedom to choose a health care provider without requiring a referral. However PPOs generally require the member to pay a greater portion of the provider’s fee in the event the member chooses not to use a provider participating in the PPO’s network. Point of Service, or POS, plans combine the advantages of HMO plans with the flexibility of PPO plans. In general, POS plans allow members to choose, at the time medical services are needed, to seek care from a provider within the plan’s network or outside the network. In addition, we offer services to our health plan members as well as to third parties that promote health and wellness, including pharmacy, primary care, integrated wellness, and home care services. The discussion that follows describes the products offered by each of our segments.

Our Retail Segment Products

This segment is comprised of products sold on a retail basis to individuals including medical and supplemental benefit plans described in the discussion that follows. The following table presents our premiums and services revenue for the Retail segment by product for the year ended December 31, 2011:

 

     Retail Segment
Premiums and
Services Revenue
     Percent  of
Consolidated
Premiums and
Services Revenue
 
     (dollars in millions)  

Premiums:

     

Individual Medicare Advantage

   $ 18,100         49.6 

Individual Medicare stand-alone PDP

     2,317         6.4 
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total individual Medicare

     20,417         56.0 

Individual commercial

     861         2.4 

Individual specialty

     124         0.3 
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total premiums

     21,402         58.7 
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Services

     16         0.0 
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total premiums and services revenue

   $ 21,418         58.7 
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Individual Medicare

We have participated in the Medicare program for private health plans for over 25 years and have established a national presence, offering at least one type of Medicare plan in all 50 states. We have a geographically diverse membership base that provides us with greater ability to expand our network of PPO and HMO providers. We employ strategies including health assessments and clinical guidance programs such as lifestyle and fitness programs for seniors to guide Medicare beneficiaries in making cost-effective decisions with respect to their health care. We believe these strategies result in cost savings that occur from making positive behavior changes.

Medicare is a federal program that provides persons age 65 and over and some disabled persons under the age of 65 certain hospital and medical insurance benefits. CMS, an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, administers the Medicare program. Hospitalization benefits are provided under Part A, without the payment of any premium, for up to 90 days per incident of illness plus a lifetime reserve aggregating 60 days. Eligible beneficiaries are required to pay an annually adjusted premium to the federal government to be eligible for physician care and other services under Part B. Beneficiaries eligible for Part A and

 

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Part B coverage under original Medicare are still required to pay out-of-pocket deductibles and coinsurance. Throughout this document this program is referred to as original Medicare. As an alternative to original Medicare, in geographic areas where a managed care organization has contracted with CMS pursuant to the Medicare Advantage program, Medicare beneficiaries may choose to receive benefits from a Medicare Advantage organization under Medicare Part C. Pursuant to Medicare Part C, Medicare Advantage organizations contract with CMS to offer Medicare Advantage plans to provide benefits at least comparable to those offered under original Medicare. Our Medicare Advantage plans are discussed more fully below. Prescription drug benefits are provided under Part D.

Individual Medicare Advantage Products

We contract with CMS under the Medicare Advantage program to provide a comprehensive array of health insurance benefits, including wellness programs, to Medicare eligible persons under HMO, PPO, and Private Fee-For-Service, or PFFS, plans in exchange for contractual payments received from CMS, usually a fixed payment per member per month. With each of these products, the beneficiary receives benefits in excess of original Medicare, typically including reduced cost sharing, enhanced prescription drug benefits, care coordination, data analysis techniques to help identify member needs, complex case management, tools to guide members in their health care decisions, disease management programs, wellness and prevention programs and, in some instances, a reduced monthly Part B premium. Most Medicare Advantage plans offer the prescription drug benefit under Part D as part of the basic plan, subject to cost sharing and other limitations. Accordingly, all of the provisions of the Medicare Part D program described in connection with our stand-alone prescription drug plans in the following section also are applicable to most of our Medicare Advantage plans. Medicare Advantage plans may charge beneficiaries monthly premiums and other copayments for Medicare-covered services or for certain extra benefits. Generally, Medicare-eligible individuals enroll in one of our plan choices between October 15 and December 7 for coverage that begins on January 1.

Our Medicare HMO and PPO plans, which cover Medicare-eligible individuals residing in certain counties, may eliminate or reduce coinsurance or the level of deductibles on many other medical services while seeking care from participating in-network providers or in emergency situations. Except in emergency situations, HMO plans provide no out-of-network benefits. PPO plans carry an out-of network benefit that is subject to higher member cost-sharing. In most cases, these beneficiaries are required to pay a monthly premium to the HMO or PPO plan in addition to the monthly Part B premium they are required to pay the Medicare program.

Our Medicare PFFS plans generally have no preferred network. Individuals in these plans pay us a monthly premium to receive typical Medicare Advantage benefits along with the freedom to choose any health care provider that accepts individuals at rates equivalent to original Medicare payment rates. On January 1, 2011, most of our members enrolled in PFFS plans transitioned to networked-based PPO type products due to a requirement that Medicare Advantage organizations establish adequate provider networks, except in geographic areas that CMS determines have fewer than two network-based Medicare Advantage plans.

CMS uses monthly rates per person for each county to determine the fixed monthly payments per member to pay to health benefit plans. These rates are adjusted under CMS’s risk-adjustment model which uses health status indicators, or risk scores, to improve the accuracy of payment. The risk-adjustment model, which CMS implemented pursuant to the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA) and the Benefits and Improvement Protection Act of 2000 (BIPA), generally pays more for members with predictably higher costs and uses principal hospital inpatient diagnoses as well as diagnosis data from ambulatory treatment settings (hospital outpatient department and physician visits) to establish the risk-adjustment payments. Under the risk-adjustment methodology, all health benefit organizations must collect from providers and submit the necessary diagnosis code information to CMS within prescribed deadlines.

At December 31, 2011, we provided health insurance coverage under CMS contracts to approximately 1,640,300 individual Medicare Advantage members. Under our individual Medicare Advantage contracts with CMS in Florida, we provided health insurance coverage to approximately 362,100 members. These Florida

 

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contracts accounted for premiums revenue of approximately $5.6 billion, which represented approximately 31% of our individual Medicare Advantage premiums revenue, or 15% of our consolidated premiums and services revenue for the year ended December 31, 2011.

Our HMO, PPO, and PFFS products covered under Medicare Advantage contracts with CMS are renewed generally for a calendar year term unless CMS notifies us of its decision not to renew by August 1 of the calendar year in which the contract would end, or we notify CMS of our decision not to renew by the first Monday in June of the calendar year in which the contract would end. All material contracts between Humana and CMS relating to our Medicare Advantage products have been renewed for 2012, and all of our product offerings filed with CMS for 2012 have been approved.

Individual Medicare Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Products

We offer stand-alone prescription drug plans, or PDPs, under Medicare Part D. Generally, Medicare-eligible individuals enroll in one of our plan choices between October 15 and December 7 for coverage that begins on January 1. Our stand-alone PDP offerings consist of plans offering basic coverage with benefits mandated by Congress, as well as plans providing enhanced coverage with varying degrees of out-of-pocket costs for premiums, deductibles, and co-insurance. In October 2010, we announced the lowest premium national stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan co-branded with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the Humana Walmart-Preferred Rx Plan. This plan was first offered for the 2011 plan year. Our revenues from CMS and the beneficiary are determined from our bids submitted annually to CMS. These revenues also reflect the health status of the beneficiary and risk sharing provisions as more fully described in Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations under the section titled “Medicare Part D Provisions.” Our stand-alone PDP contracts with CMS are renewed generally for a calendar year term unless CMS notifies us of its decision not to renew by August 1 of the calendar year in which the contract would end, or we notify CMS of our decision not to renew by the first Monday in June of the calendar year in which the contract would end. All material contracts between Humana and CMS relating to our Medicare stand-alone PDP products have been renewed for 2012, and all of our product offerings filed with CMS for 2012 have been approved.

Medicare and Medicaid Dual Eligible

Medicare beneficiaries who also qualify for Medicaid due to low income or special needs are known as dual eligible beneficiaries, or dual eligibles. There were approximately 9 million dual eligible enrollees in 2011. These dual eligibles may enroll in a privately-offered Medicare Advantage product, but may also receive assistance from Medicaid for Medicaid benefits, such as nursing home care and/or assistance with Medicare premiums and cost sharing. As of December 31, 2011, we served approximately 242,000 dual eligible members in our Medicare Advantage plans and approximately 482,000 dual eligible members in our stand-alone prescription drug plans.

Individual Commercial Coverage

Our individual health plans, marketed under the HumanaOne® brand include offerings designed to promote wellness and engage consumers. HumanaOne plans are designed specifically for self-employed entrepreneurs, small-business employees, part-time workers, students, and early retirees and include a broad spectrum of major medical benefits with multiple in-network coinsurance levels and annual deductible choices, as well as HumanaVitality®, our wellness and loyalty rewards program.

Our HumanaOne plans primarily are offered as PPO plans in select markets where we can generally underwrite risk and utilize our existing networks and distribution channels. This individual product includes provisions mandated by law to guarantee renewal of coverage for as long as the individual chooses.

The HumanaOne plans can be further customized with optional benefits such as dental, vision, life, and a broad portfolio of financial protection products.

 

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Our Employer Group Segment Products

This segment is comprised of products sold to employer groups including medical and supplemental benefit plans described in the discussion that follows. The following table presents our premiums and services revenue for the Employer Group segment by product for the year ended December 31, 2011:

 

     Employer Group
Segment
Premiums and
Services Revenue
     Percent of
Consolidated
Premiums and
Services Revenue
 
     (dollars in millions)  

Premiums:

     

Fully-insured commercial group

   $ 4,782         13.1 

Group Medicare Advantage

     3,152         8.6 

Group Medicare stand-alone PDP

     8         0.0 
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total group Medicare

     3,160         8.6 

Group specialty

     935         2.6 
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total premiums

     8,877         24.3 
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Services

     356         1.0 
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total premiums and services revenue

   $ 9,233         25.3 
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Employer Group Commercial Coverage

Our commercial products sold to employer groups include a broad spectrum of major medical benefits with multiple in-network coinsurance levels and annual deductible choices that employers of all sizes can offer to their employees on either a fully-insured, through HMO, PPO, or POS plans, or self-funded basis. Our plans integrate clinical programs, plan designs, communication tools, and spending accounts. We participate in the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, or FEHBP, primarily with our HMO offering in certain markets. FEHBP is the government’s health insurance program for Federal employees, retirees, former employees, family members, and spouses. As with our individual commercial products, the employer group offerings include HumanaVitality’s wellness offerings.

Our administrative services only, or ASO, products are offered to employers who self-insure their employee health plans. We receive fees to provide administrative services which generally include the processing of claims, offering access to our provider networks and clinical programs, and responding to customer service inquiries from members of self-funded employers. These products may include all of the same benefit and product design characteristics of our fully-insured HMO, PPO, or POS products described previously. Under ASO contracts, self-funded employers retain the risk of financing substantially all of the cost of health benefits. However, more than half of our ASO customers purchase stop loss insurance coverage from us to cover catastrophic claims or to limit aggregate annual costs.

As with individual commercial policies, employers can customize their offerings with optional benefits such as dental, vision, life, and a broad portfolio of financial protection products.

Group Medicare Advantage and Medicare stand-alone PDP

We offer products that enable employers that provide post-retirement health care benefits to replace Medicare wrap or Medicare supplement products with Medicare Advantage or stand-alone PDPs from Humana. These products offer the same types of benefits and services available to members in our individual Medicare plans discussed previously and can be tailored to closely match an employer’s post-retirement benefit structure.

 

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Our Health and Well-Being Services Segment Products

This segment is comprised of stand-alone businesses that promote health and well-being. These services are sold primarily to other Humana businesses, as well as external health plan members and other employers or individuals and are described in the discussion that follows. Our intersegment revenue is described in Note 16 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data. The following table presents our services revenue for the Health and Well-Being Services segment by line of business for the year ended December 31, 2011:

 

     Health and Well-
Being Services Segment
Premiums and
Services Revenue
     Percent of
Consolidated
Premiums and
Services Revenue
 
     (dollars in millions)  

Intersegment revenue:

     

Pharmacy solutions

   $ 9,886         n/a   

Primary care services

     185         n/a   

Integrated wellness services

     175         n/a   

Home care services

     84         n/a   
  

 

 

    

Total intersegment revenue

   $ 10,330      
  

 

 

    

External services revenue:

     

Primary care services

   $ 880         2.5 

Integrated wellness services

     12         0.0 

Pharmacy solutions

     11         0.0 
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total external services revenue

   $ 903         2.5 
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

n/a – not applicable

Pharmacy solutions

Humana Pharmacy Solutions®, or HPS, manages traditional prescription drug coverage for both individuals and employer groups in addition to providing a broad array of pharmacy solutions. HPS also operates prescription mail order services for brand and generic drugs, specialty drugs and diabetic supplies through RightSourceRx®, as well as research services.

Primary care services

Our subsidiary, Concentra Inc.®, acquired in December 2010, delivers occupational medicine, urgent care, physical therapy, and wellness services to employees and the general public through its operation of medical centers and worksite medical facilities.

In addition to Concentra, our primary care services also include our CAC Medical Centers, or CAC, in South Florida. CAC operates full-service, multi-specialty medical centers staffed by primary care physicians and medical specialists practicing cardiology, endocrinology, geriatric medicine, internal medicine, ophthalmology, neurology, and podiatry.

Integrated wellness services

Corphealth, Inc. (d/b/a LifeSynch®), a Humana subsidiary, offers disease management services through an innovative suite of integrated products, integrating behavioral health services with wellness programs, and employee assistance programs and work-life services. LifeSynch’s integrated wellness services include Hummingbird Coaching®, a wellness coaching company that offers a comprehensive turn-key coaching program, an enhancement to a medically based coaching protocol and a platform that makes coaching programs more efficient.

 

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HumanaVitality, LLC, a joint venture with Discovery Holdings Ltd., provides our members with access to a science-based, actuarially driven wellness and loyalty program that features a wide range of well-being tools and rewards that are customized to an individual’s needs and wants. HumanaVitality® became available to certain of our members in mid-2011. A key element of the program includes a sophisticated health-behavior-change model supported by an actuarially sound incentive program.

Home care services

Humana Cares® provides innovative and holistic care coordination services for individuals living with multiple chronic conditions, individuals with disabilities, fragile and aging-in-place members and their care givers.

Other Businesses

Products and services offered by our Other Businesses are described in the discussion that follows. The following table presents our premiums and services revenue for our Other Businesses for the year ended December 31, 2011:

 

     Other Businesses
Premiums and
Services Revenue
     Percent of
Consolidated
Premiums and
Services Revenue
 
     (dollars in millions)  

Premiums:

     

Military services

   $ 3,616         9.9

Medicaid

     919         2.5

LI-NET

     253         0.7

Closed-block long-term care

     39         0.1
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total premiums

     4,827         13.2
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Services

     85         0.3
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total premiums and services revenue

   $ 4,912         13.5
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Military Services

Under our TRICARE South Region contract with the United States Department of Defense, or DoD, we provide health insurance coverage to the dependents of active duty military personnel and to retired military personnel and their dependents. Currently, three health benefit options are available to TRICARE beneficiaries. In addition to a traditional indemnity option, participants may enroll in a HMO-like plan with a point-of-service option or take advantage of reduced copayments by using a network of preferred providers, similar to a PPO.

We have participated in the TRICARE program since 1996 under contracts with the Department of Defense. Our current TRICARE South Region contract, which we were awarded in 2003, covers approximately 3.0 million eligible beneficiaries as of December 31, 2011 in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma. The South Region is one of the three regions in the United States as defined by the Department of Defense. Of these eligible beneficiaries, 1.3 million were TRICARE ASO members representing active duty beneficiaries and seniors over the age of 65 for which the Department of Defense retains all of the risk of financing the cost of their health benefit. We have subcontracted with third parties to provide selected administration and specialty services under the contract. The original 5-year South Region contract expired on March 31, 2009 and was extended through March 31, 2012. On February 25, 2011, the Department of Defense TRICARE Management Activity, or TMA, awarded the new TRICARE South Region contract to us, which we expect to take effect on April 1, 2012. The new 5-year South Region contract, which expires March 31, 2017, is subject to annual renewals on April 1 of each year during its term at the government’s option.

 

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Under the current TRICARE South Region contract, any variance from the negotiated target health care cost is shared with the federal government. Accordingly, events and circumstances not contemplated in the negotiated target health care cost amount may have a material adverse effect on us. These changes may include an increase or reduction in the number of persons enrolled or eligible to enroll due to the federal government’s decision to increase or decrease U.S. military deployments.

The TRICARE South Region contract represents approximately 97% of total military services premiums and services revenue.

Medicaid

Medicaid is a federal program that is state-operated to facilitate the delivery of health care services primarily to low-income residents. Each electing state develops, through a state-specific regulatory agency, a Medicaid managed care initiative that must be approved by CMS. CMS requires that Medicaid managed care plans meet federal standards and cost no more than the amount that would have been spent on a comparable fee-for-service basis. States currently either use a formal proposal process in which they review many bidders before selecting one or award individual contracts to qualified bidders who apply for entry to the program. In either case, the contractual relationship with a state generally is for a one-year period. Under these contracts, we receive a fixed monthly payment from a government agency for which we are required to provide health insurance coverage to enrolled members. Due to the increased emphasis on state health care reform and budgetary constraints, more states are utilizing a managed care product in their Medicaid programs.

Our Medicaid business consists of contracts in Puerto Rico and Florida, with the vast majority in Puerto Rico.

LI-NET

In 2010, we began to administer CMS’s LI-NET program. This program allows individuals who receive Medicare’s low-income subsidy to also receive immediate prescription drug coverage at the point of sale if they are not already enrolled in a Medicare Part D plan. CMS temporarily enrolls newly identified individuals with both Medicare and Medicaid into the LI-NET program, and subsequently transitions each member into a Medicare Part D plan that may or may not be a Humana Medicare plan.

Closed Block of Long-Term Care Insurance

We acquired a closed block of approximately 35,000 long-term care policies in connection with our acquisition of KMG America Corporation in 2007. Long-term care policies are intended to protect the insured from the cost of long-term care services including those provided by nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and adult day care as well as home health care services. No new policies have been written since 2005 under this closed block.

 

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Membership

The following table summarizes our total medical membership at December 31, 2011, by market and product:

 

    Retail Segment     Employer Group Segment                    
    (in thousands)  
    Individual
Medicare
Advantage
    Individual
Medicare
stand-
alone PDP
    Individual
Commercial
    Fully-
insured
commercial
Group
    Group
Medicare
Advantage
and stand-
alone PDP
    ASO     Other
Businesses
    Total     Percent
of Total
 

Florida

    362.1        169.9        80.5        149.7        19.2        70.1        0        851.5        7.6

Texas

    118.6        204.1        74.7        266.8        5.1        108.7        0        778.0        7.0

Kentucky

    43.1        46.0        21.4        99.0        29.4        513.1        0        752.0        6.7

Illinois

    64.5        82.7        37.8        170.7        5.6        118.9  (a)      0        480.2        4.3

Ohio

    51.0        83.7        6.3        52.0        122.4        152.8        0        468.2        4.2

Wisconsin

    44.4        48.8        15.4        82.8        12.3        142.9        0        346.6        3.1

Georgia

    53.7        53.4        41.6        82.3        6.6        44.6        0        282.2        2.5

Missouri/Kansas

    69.9        134.0        14.1        43.6        6.0        8.9        0        276.5        2.5

Tennessee

    87.8        70.1        17.5        36.6        2.7        31.8        0        246.5        2.2

California

    17.2        215.9        3.1        0.2        0        0        0        236.4        2.1

Louisiana

    91.3        32.7        14.0        43.6        7.2        24.1        0        212.9        1.9

Indiana

    42.1        67.9        5.9        20.3        3.5        47.9        0        187.6        1.7

North Carolina

    62.1        91.4        6.4        0.2        1.9        0        0        162.0        1.5

Michigan

    35.1        80.9        12.5        15.4        6.2        9.3        0        159.4        1.4

Virginia

    57.8        72.9        3.7        0        2.5        0        0        136.9        1.2

Arizona

    36.2        39.8        16.3        24.5        3.5        6.7        0        127.0        1.1

Colorado

    21.8        35.4        34.1        19.2        5.1        0.4        0        116.0        1.0

Military services

    0        0        0        0        0        0        1,722.9        1,722.9        15.4

Military services ASO

    0        0        0        0        0        0        1,305.2        1,305.2        11.7

Medicaid and other

    0        0        0        0        0        0        614.2        614.2        5.5

LI-NET

    0        0        0        0        0        0        73.5        73.5        0.7

Others

    381.6        1,010.8        87.9        73.3        55.6        39.7        0        1,648.9        14.7
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Totals

    1,640.3        2,540.4        493.2        1,180.2        294.8        1,319.9        3,715.8        11,184.6        100.0
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(a) Includes 27,600 Medicare Advantage ASO members.

Provider Arrangements

We provide our members with access to health care services through our networks of health care providers with whom we have contracted, including hospitals and other independent facilities such as outpatient surgery centers, primary care physicians, specialist physicians, dentists, and providers of ancillary health care services and facilities. These ancillary services and facilities include ambulance services, medical equipment services, home health agencies, mental health providers, rehabilitation facilities, nursing homes, optical services, and pharmacies. Our membership base and the ability to influence where our members seek care generally enable us to obtain contractual discounts with providers.

We use a variety of techniques to provide access to effective and efficient use of health care services for our members. These techniques include the coordination of care for our members, product and benefit designs, hospital inpatient management systems and enrolling members into various disease management programs. The focal point for health care services in many of our HMO networks is the primary care physician who, under contract with us, provides services to our members, and may control utilization of appropriate services by directing or approving hospitalization and referrals to specialists and other providers. Some physicians may have

 

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arrangements under which they can earn bonuses when certain target goals relating to the provision of quality patient care are met. Our hospitalist programs use specially-trained physicians to effectively manage the entire range of an HMO member’s medical care during a hospital admission and to effectively coordinate the member’s discharge and post-discharge care. We have available a variety of disease management programs related to specific medical conditions such as congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, prenatal and premature infant care, asthma related illness, end stage renal disease, diabetes, cancer, and certain other conditions.

We typically contract with hospitals on either (1) a per diem rate, which is an all-inclusive rate per day, (2) a case rate or diagnosis-related groups (DRG), which is an all-inclusive rate per admission, or (3) a discounted charge for inpatient hospital services. Outpatient hospital services generally are contracted at a flat rate by type of service, ambulatory payment classifications, or APCs, or at a discounted charge. APCs are similar to flat rates except multiple services and procedures may be aggregated into one fixed payment. These contracts are often multi-year agreements, with rates that are adjusted for inflation annually based on the consumer price index or other nationally recognized inflation indexes. Outpatient surgery centers and other ancillary providers typically are contracted at flat rates per service provided or are reimbursed based upon a nationally recognized fee schedule such as the Medicare allowable fee schedule.

Our contracts with physicians typically are renewed automatically each year, unless either party gives written notice, generally ranging from 90 to 120 days, to the other party of its intent to terminate the arrangement. Most of the physicians in our PPO networks and some of our physicians in our HMO networks are reimbursed based upon a fixed fee schedule, which typically provides for reimbursement based upon a percentage of the standard Medicare allowable fee schedule.

The Budget Control Act of 2011 established a twelve-member joint committee of Congress known as the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to propose legislation to reduce the United States federal deficit by $1.5 trillion for fiscal years 2012-2021. The failure of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to achieve a targeted deficit reduction by December 23, 2011 triggered an automatic reduction, including aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to providers of up to 2 percent per fiscal year. At this time it is unclear how this automatic reduction may be applied to various Medicare healthcare programs or the timing when such reductions may begin. We expect that if such reductions were to occur, there would be a corresponding substantial reduction in our obligations to providers. Due to the uncertainty around the timing or application of any such reductions, there can be no assurances that we could completely offset any reductions to the Medicare healthcare programs applied by the Budget Control Act of 2011.

Capitation

For approximately 1.0% of our medical membership, including 3.3% of our total Medicare Advantage membership, at December 31, 2011, we contract with hospitals and physicians to accept financial risk for a defined set of HMO membership. In transferring this risk, we prepay these providers a monthly fixed-fee per member, known as a capitation (per capita) payment, to coordinate substantially all of the medical care for their capitated HMO membership, including some health benefit administrative functions and claims processing. For these capitated HMO arrangements, we generally agree to reimbursement rates that target a benefit ratio. The benefit ratio measures underwriting profitability and is computed by taking total benefit expenses as a percentage of premiums revenue. Providers participating in hospital-based capitated HMO arrangements generally receive a monthly payment for all of the services within their system for their HMO membership. Providers participating in physician-based capitated HMO arrangements generally have subcontracted directly with hospitals and specialist physicians, and are responsible for reimbursing such hospitals and specialist physicians for services rendered to their HMO membership.

For approximately 8.6% of our medical membership, including 19.0% of our total Medicare Advantage membership, at December 31, 2011, we contract with physicians under risk-sharing arrangements whereby

 

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physicians have assumed some level of risk for all or a portion of the medical costs of their HMO membership. Although these arrangements do include physician capitation payments for services rendered, we share hospital and other benefit expenses and process substantially all of the claims under these arrangements.

Physicians under capitation arrangements typically have stop loss coverage so that a physician’s financial risk for any single member is limited to a maximum amount on an annual basis. We monitor the financial performance and solvency of our capitated providers. However, we remain financially responsible for health care services to our members in the event our providers fail to provide such services.

Medical membership under these various arrangements was as follows at December 31, 2011 and 2010:

 

     Medical Membership  
     December 31, 2011     December 31, 2010  

Capitated HMO hospital system based

     34,400         0.3     34,800         0.3

Capitated HMO physician group based

     75,100         0.7     52,500         0.5

Risk-sharing

     963,600         8.6     910,700         8.9

Other

     10,111,500         90.4     9,288,600         90.3
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     11,184,600         100.0     10,286,600         100.0
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Capitation expense as a percentage of total benefit expense was as follows for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010, and 2009:

 

     2011     2010     2009  
     (dollars in millions)  

Benefit Expenses:

               

Capitated HMO expense

   $ 505         1.8   $ 436         1.6   $ 459         1.9

Other benefit expense

     28,318         98.2     26,681         98.4     24,325         98.1
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Consolidated benefit expense

   $ 28,823         100.0   $ 27,117         100.0   $ 24,784         100.0
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Accreditation Assessment

Our accreditation assessment program consists of several internal programs, including those that credential providers and those designed to meet the audit standards of federal and state agencies, as well as external accreditation standards. We also offer quality and outcome measurement and improvement programs such as the Health Care Effectiveness Data and Information Sets, or HEDIS, which is used by employers, government purchasers and the National Committee for Quality Assurance, or NCQA, to evaluate health plans based on various criteria, including effectiveness of care and member satisfaction.

Physicians participating in our networks must satisfy specific criteria, including licensing, patient access, office standards, after-hours coverage, and other factors. Most participating hospitals also meet accreditation criteria established by CMS and/or the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

Recredentialing of participating providers occurs every two to three years, depending on applicable state laws. Recredentialing of participating physicians includes verification of their medical licenses; review of their malpractice liability claims histories; review of their board certifications, if applicable; and review of applicable quality information. A committee, composed of a peer group of physicians, reviews the applications of physicians being considered for credentialing and recredentialing.

We request accreditation for certain of our health plans and/or departments from NCQA, the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, and the Utilization Review Accreditation Commission, or URAC. Accreditation or external review by an approved organization is mandatory in the states of Florida and Kansas for licensure as an HMO. Certain commercial businesses, like those impacted by a third-party labor agreement or those where a request is made by the employer, may require or prefer accredited health plans.

 

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NCQA performs reviews of our compliance with standards for quality improvement, credentialing, utilization management, member connections, and member rights and responsibilities. We have achieved and maintained NCQA accreditation in all of our commercial, Medicare and Medicaid HMO/POS markets with enough history and membership, except Puerto Rico, and for many of our PPO markets.

Sales and Marketing

We use various methods to market our products, including television, radio, the Internet, telemarketing, and direct mailings.

At December 31, 2011, we employed approximately 2,000 sales representatives, as well as approximately 900 telemarketing representatives who assisted in the marketing of Medicare products in our Retail segment by making appointments for sales representatives with prospective members. We also market our Medicare products via a strategic alliance with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., or Wal-Mart. This alliance includes stationing Humana representatives in certain Wal-Mart stores, SAM’S CLUB locations, and Neighborhood Markets across the country providing an opportunity to enroll Medicare eligible individuals in person. In addition, we market our Medicare products through licensed independent brokers and agents including strategic alliances with State Farm® and United Services Automobile Association, or USAA. Commissions paid to employed sales representatives and independent brokers and agents are based on a per unit commission structure approved by CMS. For our Retail segment, we also offer commercial health insurance and specialty products directly to individuals.

In our Employer Group segment, individuals may become members of our commercial HMOs and PPOs through their employers or other groups, which typically offer employees or members a selection of health insurance products, pay for all or part of the premiums, and make payroll deductions for any premiums payable by the employees. We attempt to become an employer’s or group’s exclusive source of health insurance benefits by offering a variety of HMO, PPO, and specialty products that provide cost-effective quality health care coverage consistent with the needs and expectations of their employees or members. We also sell group Medicare Advantage products through large employers.

For both our Retail and Employer Group segments, at December 31, 2011, we used licensed independent brokers and agents and approximately 1,100 licensed employees to sell our commercial insurance products. Many of our employer group customers are represented by insurance brokers and consultants who assist these groups in the design and purchase of health care products. We generally pay brokers a commission based on premiums, with commissions varying by market and premium volume. In addition to a commission based directly on premium volume for sales to particular customers, we also have programs that pay brokers and agents based on other metrics. These include commission bonuses based on sales that attain certain levels or involve particular products. We also pay additional commissions based on aggregate volumes of sales involving multiple customers.

Underwriting

Through the use of internally developed underwriting criteria, we determine the risk we are willing to assume and the amount of premium to charge for our commercial products. In most instances, employer and other groups must meet our underwriting standards in order to qualify to contract with us for coverage. Small group laws in some states have imposed regulations which provide for guaranteed issue of certain health insurance products and prescribe certain limitations on the variation in rates charged based upon assessment of health conditions. Beginning in 2014, the Health Insurance Reform Legislation requires all individual and group health plans to guarantee issuance and renew coverage without pre-existing condition exclusions or health-status rating adjustments.

Underwriting techniques are not employed in connection with our Medicare, military services, or Medicaid products because government regulations require us to accept all eligible applicants regardless of their health or prior medical history.

 

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Competition

The health benefits industry is highly competitive. Our competitors vary by local market and include other managed care companies, national insurance companies, and other HMOs and PPOs, including HMOs and PPOs owned by Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans. Many of our competitors have larger memberships and/or greater financial resources than our health plans in the markets in which we compete. Our ability to sell our products and to retain customers may be influenced by such factors as those described in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in this 2011 Form 10-K.

Government Regulation

Diverse legislative and regulatory initiatives at both the federal and state levels continue to affect aspects of the nation’s health care system.

Our management works proactively to ensure compliance with all governmental laws and regulations affecting our business. We are unable to predict how existing federal or state laws and regulations may be changed or interpreted, what additional laws or regulations affecting our businesses may be enacted or proposed, when and which of the proposed laws will be adopted or what effect any such new laws and regulations will have on our results of operations, financial position, or cash flows.

For a description of certain material current activities in the federal and state legislative areas, see the section entitled “Risk Factors” in this 2011 Form 10-K.

Other

Captive Insurance Company

We bear general business risks associated with operating our Company such as professional and general liability, employee workers’ compensation, and officer and director errors and omissions risks. Professional and general liability risks may include, for example, medical malpractice claims and disputes with members regarding benefit coverage. We retain certain of these risks through our wholly-owned, captive insurance subsidiary. We reduce exposure to these risks by insuring levels of coverage for losses in excess of our retained limits with a number of third-party insurance companies. We remain liable in the event these insurance companies are unable to pay their portion of the losses.

Centralized Management Services

We provide centralized management services to each of our health plans and to our business segments from our headquarters and service centers. These services include management information systems, product development and administration, finance, human resources, accounting, law, public relations, marketing, insurance, purchasing, risk management, internal audit, actuarial, underwriting, claims processing, and customer service.

Employees

As of December 31, 2011, we had approximately 40,000 employees, including approximately 2,050 medical professionals working under management agreements between Concentra and affiliated physician-owned associations. We believe we have good relations with our employees and have not experienced any work stoppages.

 

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

If we do not design and price our products properly and competitively, if the premiums we charge are insufficient to cover the cost of health care services delivered to our members, or if our estimates of benefit expenses are inadequate, our profitability may be materially adversely affected. We estimate the costs of our benefit expense payments, and design and price our products accordingly, using actuarial methods and assumptions based upon, among other relevant factors, claim payment patterns, medical cost inflation, and historical developments such as claim inventory levels and claim receipt patterns. These estimates, however involve extensive judgment, and have considerable inherent variability because they are extremely sensitive to changes in payment patterns and medical cost trends.

We use a substantial portion of our revenues to pay the costs of health care services delivered to our members. These costs include claims payments, capitation payments to providers (predetermined amounts paid to cover services), and various other costs incurred to provide health insurance coverage to our members. These costs also include estimates of future payments to hospitals and others for medical care provided to our members. Generally, premiums in the health care business are fixed for one-year periods. Accordingly, costs we incur in excess of our benefit cost projections generally are not recovered in the contract year through higher premiums. We estimate the costs of our future benefit claims and other expenses using actuarial methods and assumptions based upon claim payment patterns, medical inflation, historical developments, including claim inventory levels and claim receipt patterns, and other relevant factors. We also record benefits payable for future payments. We continually review estimates of future payments relating to benefit claims costs for services incurred in the current and prior periods and make necessary adjustments to our reserves. However, these estimates involve extensive judgment, and have considerable inherent variability that is sensitive to payment patterns and medical cost trends. Many factors may and often do cause actual health care costs to exceed what was estimated and used to set our premiums. These factors may include:

 

   

increased use of medical facilities and services, including prescription drugs;

 

   

increased cost of such services;

 

   

our membership mix;

 

   

variances in actual versus estimated levels of cost associated with new products, benefits or lines of business, product changes or benefit level changes;

 

   

changes in the demographic characteristics of an account or market;

 

   

changes or reductions of our utilization management functions such as preauthorization of services, concurrent review or requirements for physician referrals;

 

   

changes in our pharmacy volume rebates received from drug manufacturers;

 

   

catastrophes, including acts of terrorism, public health epidemics, or severe weather (e.g. hurricanes and earthquakes);

 

   

the introduction of new or costly treatments, including new technologies;

 

   

medical cost inflation; and

 

   

government mandated benefits or other regulatory changes, including any that result from CMS Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D risk adjustment regulatory changes or Health Insurance Reform Legislation.

In addition, we also estimate costs associated with long-duration insurance policies including life insurance, annuities, health, and long-term care policies sold to individuals for which some of the premium received in the earlier years is intended to pay anticipated benefits to be incurred in future years. These future policy benefit reserves are recognized on a net level premium method based on interest rates, mortality, morbidity, withdrawal and maintenance expense assumptions from published actuarial tables, as modified based upon actual experience. The assumptions used to determine the liability for future policy benefits are established and locked in at the time

 

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each contract is acquired and would only change if our expected future experience deteriorated to the point that the level of the liability, together with the present value of future gross premiums, are not adequate to provide for future expected policy benefits. Future policy benefits payable include $938 million at December 31, 2011 associated with a closed block of long-term care policies acquired in connection with the November 30, 2007 KMG America Corporation acquisition. Long-term care policies provide for long-duration coverage and, therefore, our actual claims experience will emerge many years after assumptions have been established. The risk of a deviation of the actual morbidity and mortality rates from those assumed in our reserves are particularly significant to our closed block of long-term care policies. We monitor the loss experience of these long-term care policies, and, when necessary, apply for premium rate increases through a regulatory filing and approval process in the jurisdictions in which such products were sold. However, to the extent premium rate increases or loss experience vary from our acquisition date assumptions, additional future adjustments to reserves could be required. During the fourth quarter of 2010, certain states approved premium rate increases for a large portion of our long-term care block that were significantly below our acquisition date assumptions. Based on these actions by the states, combined with lower interest rates and higher actual expenses as compared to acquisition date assumptions, we determined that our existing future policy benefits payable, together with the present value of future gross premiums, associated with our long-term care policies were not adequate to provide for future policy benefits under these policies; therefore we unlocked and modified our assumptions based on current expectations. Accordingly, during the fourth quarter of 2010 we recorded $139 million of additional benefit expense, with a corresponding increase in future policy benefits payable of $170 million partially offset by a related reinsurance recoverable of $31 million included in other long-term assets.

Failure to adequately price our products or estimate sufficient benefits payable or future policy benefits payable may result in a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

We are in a highly competitive industry. Some of our competitors are more established in the health care industry in terms of a larger market share and have greater financial resources than we do in some markets. In addition, other companies may enter our markets in the future, including emerging competitors in the Medicare program. We believe that barriers to entry in our markets are not substantial, so the addition of new competitors can occur relatively easily, and customers enjoy significant flexibility in moving between competitors. Contracts for the sale of commercial products are generally bid upon or renewed annually. While health plans compete on the basis of many factors, including service and the quality and depth of provider networks, we expect that price will continue to be a significant basis of competition. In addition to the challenge of controlling health care costs, we face intense competitive pressure to contain premium prices. Factors such as business consolidations, strategic alliances, legislative reform, and marketing practices create pressure to contain premium price increases, despite being faced with increasing medical costs.

Premium increases, introduction of new product designs, and our relationships with our providers in various markets, among other issues, could also affect our membership levels. Other actions that could affect membership levels include our possible exit from or entrance into Medicare or commercial markets, or the termination of a large contract.

If we do not compete effectively in our markets, if we set rates too high or too low in highly competitive markets to keep or increase our market share, if membership does not increase as we expect, if membership declines, or if we lose accounts with favorable medical cost experience while retaining or increasing membership in accounts with unfavorable medical cost experience, our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows may be materially adversely affected.

If we fail to effectively implement our operational and strategic initiatives, including our Medicare initiatives, our business may be materially adversely affected, which is of particular importance given the concentration of our revenues in Medicare products.

Our future performance depends in large part upon our management team’s ability to execute our strategy to position us for the future. This strategy includes opportunities created by the expansion of our Medicare

 

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programs, including our HMO and PPO products, as well as our stand-alone PDP products. We have made substantial investments in the Medicare program to enhance our ability to participate in these programs. Over the last few years we have increased the size of our Medicare geographic reach through expanded Medicare product offerings. We are offering both the stand-alone Medicare prescription drug coverage and Medicare Advantage health plan with prescription drug coverage in addition to our other product offerings. We offer the Medicare prescription drug plan in 50 states as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

The growth of our Medicare products is an important part of our business strategy. Any failure to achieve this growth may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, or cash flows. In addition, the expansion of our Medicare products in relation to our other businesses may intensify the risks to us inherent in Medicare products. There is significant concentration of our revenues in Medicare products, with approximately 65% of our total premiums and services revenue in 2011 generated from our Medicare products. These expansion efforts may result in less diversification of our revenue stream and increased risks associated with operating in a highly regulated industry, as discussed further below.

Recently enacted Health Insurance Reform Legislation created a federal Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office to serve dual eligibles. This Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office has initiated a series of state demonstration projects to experiment with better coordination of care between Medicare and Medicaid. Depending upon the results of those demonstration projects, CMS may change the way in which dual eligibles are serviced. If we are unable to implement our strategic initiatives to address the dual eligibles opportunity, or if our initiatives are not successful at attracting or retaining dual eligible members, our business may be materially adversely affected.

Additionally, our strategy includes the growth of our commercial products, such as ASO and individual products, introduction of new products and benefit designs, including HumanaVitality and other wellness products, expansion of our specialty products such as dental, vision and other supplemental products, the adoption of new technologies, development of adjacent businesses, and the integration of acquired businesses and contracts, including the 2010 acquisition of Concentra Inc.

There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully implement our operational and strategic initiatives, including outsourcing certain business functions, that are intended to position us for future growth or that the products we design will be accepted or adopted in the time periods assumed. Failure to implement this strategy may result in a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

If we fail to properly maintain the integrity of our data, to strategically implement new information systems, to protect our proprietary rights to our systems, or to defend against cybersecurity attacks, our business may be materially adversely affected.

Our business depends significantly on effective information systems and the integrity and timeliness of the data we use to run our business. Our business strategy involves providing members and providers with easy to use products that leverage our information to meet their needs. Our ability to adequately price our products and services, provide effective and efficient service to our customers, and to timely and accurately report our financial results depends significantly on the integrity of the data in our information systems. As a result of our past and on-going acquisition activities, we have acquired additional information systems. We took steps to reduce the number of systems we operate, have upgraded and expanded our information systems capabilities, and are gradually migrating existing business to fewer systems. Our information systems require an ongoing commitment of significant resources to maintain, protect, and enhance existing systems and develop new systems to keep pace with continuing changes in information processing technology, evolving industry and regulatory standards, and changing customer preferences. If the information we rely upon to run our businesses was found to be inaccurate or unreliable or if we fail to maintain effectively our information systems and data integrity, we could have operational disruptions, have problems in determining medical cost estimates and establishing appropriate pricing, have customer and physician and other health care provider disputes, have regulatory or other legal problems, have increases in operating expenses, lose existing customers, have difficulty in attracting new customers, or suffer other adverse consequences.

 

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We depend on independent third parties for significant portions of our systems-related support, equipment, facilities, and certain data, including data center operations, data network, voice communication services and pharmacy data processing. This dependence makes our operations vulnerable to such third parties’ failure to perform adequately under the contract, due to internal or external factors. A change in service providers could result in a decline in service quality and effectiveness or less favorable contract terms which may adversely affect our operating results.

We rely on our agreements with customers, confidentiality agreements with employees, and our trade secrets and copyrights to protect our proprietary rights. These legal protections and precautions may not prevent misappropriation of our proprietary information. In addition, substantial litigation regarding intellectual property rights exists in the software industry, including litigation involving end users of software products. We expect software products to be increasingly subject to third-party infringement claims as the number of products and competitors in this area grows.

Our business plans also include becoming a quality e-business organization by enhancing interactions with customers, brokers, agents, providers and other stakeholders through web-enabled technology. Our strategy includes sales and distribution of health benefit products through the Internet, and implementation of advanced self-service capabilities, for internal and external stakeholders.

A cybersecurity attack that bypasses our information technology, or IT, security systems causing a security breach may lead to a material disruption of our information technology business systems and/or the loss of business information. If a cybersecurity attack were to be successful, we could be adversely affected due to the theft, destruction, loss, misappropriation or release of confidential data or intellectual property, operational or business delays resulting from the disruption of our IT systems, or negative publicity resulting in reputation or brand damage with our customers, brokers, agents, providers, and other stakeholders.

There can be no assurance that our IT process will successfully improve existing systems, develop new systems to support our expanding operations, integrate new systems, protect our proprietary information, defend against cybersecurity attacks, or improve service levels. In addition, there can be no assurance that additional systems issues will not arise in the future. Failure to adequately protect and maintain the integrity of our information systems and data, or to defend against cybersecurity attacks, may result in a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

Our business may be materially adversely impacted by CMS’s adoption of the new coding set for diagnoses.

CMS has adopted a new coding set for diagnoses, commonly known as ICD-10, which significantly expands the number of codes utilized. We may be required to incur significant expenses in implementing the new coding set. If we do not adequately implement the new coding set, our results of operations, financial position and cash flows may be materially adversely affected.

We are involved in various legal actions and governmental and internal investigations, including, without limitation, an ongoing internal investigation and litigation and government requests for information related to certain aspects of our Florida subsidiary operations, any of which, if resolved unfavorably to us, could result in substantial monetary damages. Increased litigation and negative publicity could increase our cost of doing business.

We are or may become a party to a variety of legal actions that affect our business, including employment and employment discrimination-related suits, employee benefit claims, breach of contract actions, securities laws claims, and tort claims.

 

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In addition, because of the nature of the health care business, we are subject to a variety of legal actions relating to our business operations, including the design, management, and offering of products and services. These include and could include in the future:

 

   

claims relating to the methodologies for calculating premiums;

 

   

claims relating to the denial of health care benefit payments;

 

   

claims relating to the denial or rescission of insurance coverage;

 

   

challenges to the use of some software products used in administering claims;

 

   

claims relating to our administration of our Medicare Part D offerings;

 

   

medical malpractice actions based on our medical necessity decisions or brought against us on the theory that we are liable for providers’ alleged malpractice;

 

   

claims arising from any adverse medical consequences resulting from our recommendations about the appropriateness of providers’ proposed medical treatment plans for patients;

 

   

allegations of anti-competitive and unfair business activities;

 

   

provider disputes over compensation and termination of provider contracts;

 

   

disputes related to ASO business, including actions alleging claim administration errors;

 

   

qui tam litigation brought by individuals who seek to sue on behalf of the government, alleging that we, as a government contractor, submitted false claims to the government;

 

   

claims related to the failure to disclose some business practices;

 

   

claims relating to customer audits and contract performance;

 

   

claims relating to dispensing of drugs associated with our in-house mail-order pharmacy; and

 

   

professional liability claims arising out of the delivery of healthcare and related services to the public, including urgent care.

In some cases, substantial non-economic or punitive damages as well as treble damages under the federal False Claims Act, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and other statutes may be sought.

While we currently have insurance coverage for some of these potential liabilities, other potential liabilities may not be covered by insurance, insurers may dispute coverage, or the amount of our insurance may not be enough to cover the damages awarded. In addition, some types of damages, like punitive damages, may not be covered by insurance. In some jurisdictions, coverage of punitive damages is prohibited. Insurance coverage for all or some forms of liability may become unavailable or prohibitively expensive in the future.

The health benefits industry continues to receive significant negative publicity reflecting the public perception of the industry. This publicity and perception have been accompanied by increased litigation, including some large jury awards, legislative activity, regulation, and governmental review of industry practices. These factors may adversely affect our ability to market our products or services, may require us to change our products or services, may increase the regulatory burdens under which we operate, and may require us to pay large judgments or fines. Any combination of these factors could further increase our cost of doing business and adversely affect our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

See “Legal Proceedings and Certain Regulatory Matters” in Note 15 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data. We cannot predict the outcome of these suits with certainty.

 

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As a government contractor, we are exposed to risks that may materially adversely affect our business or our willingness or ability to participate in government health care programs.

A significant portion of our revenues relates to federal and state government health care coverage programs, including the Medicare, Military, and Medicaid programs. These programs accounted for approximately 78% of our total premiums and services revenue for the year ended December 31, 2011. These programs involve various risks, as described further below.

 

   

At December 31, 2011, under our contracts with CMS we provided health insurance coverage to approximately 381,300 Medicare Advantage members in Florida. These contracts accounted for approximately 16% of our total premiums and services revenues for the year ended December 31, 2011. The loss of these and other CMS contracts or significant changes in the Medicare program as a result of legislative or regulatory action, including reductions in premium payments to us, or increases in member benefits without corresponding increases in premium payments to us may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

 

   

At December 31, 2011, our military services business primarily consisted of the TRICARE South Region contract which covers approximately 3.0 million beneficiaries. For the year ended December 31, 2011, premiums and services revenue associated with the TRICARE South Region contract accounted for approximately 9.8% of our total premiums and services revenue. The original 5-year South Region contract expired on March 31, 2009 and was extended through March 31, 2012. On February 25, 2011, the Department of Defense TRICARE Management Activity, or TMA, awarded the new TRICARE South Region contract to us, which we expect to take effect on April 1, 2012. The new 5-year South Region contract, which expires March 31, 2017, is subject to annual renewals on April 1 of each year during its term at the government’s option. We expect to account for revenues under the new TRICARE South contract net of estimated health care costs similar to an administrative services fee only agreement. As such, we expect a decline in TRICARE revenues for 2012 and an increase in our operating cost ratio as compared to 2011. Under the current TRICARE South Region contract, any variance from the negotiated target health care cost is shared with the federal government. Accordingly, events and circumstances not contemplated in the negotiated target health care cost amount may have a material adverse effect on us. These changes may include an increase or reduction in the number of persons enrolled or eligible to enroll due to the federal government’s decision to increase or decrease U.S. military deployments. The loss of the TRICARE South Region contract or, in the event government reimbursements were to decline from projected amounts, our failure to reduce the health care costs associated with these programs, may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

 

   

At December 31, 2011, under our contracts with the Puerto Rico Health Insurance Administration, or PRHIA, we provided health insurance coverage to approximately 529,300 Medicaid members in Puerto Rico. These contracts accounted for approximately 2% of our total premiums and services revenue for the year ended December 31, 2011.

Effective October 1, 2010, the PRHIA awarded us three contracts for the East, Southeast, and Southwest regions for a one year term with two options to extend the contracts for an additional term of up to one year, exercisable at the sole discretion of the PRHIA. The loss of these contracts or significant changes in the Puerto Rico Medicaid program as a result of legislative action, including reductions in premium payments to us, or increases in member benefits without corresponding increases in premium payments to us may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

 

   

There is a possibility of temporary or permanent suspension from participating in government health care programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, if we are convicted of fraud or other criminal conduct in the performance of a health care program or if there is an adverse decision against us under the federal False Claims Act. As a government contractor, we may be subject to qui tam litigation brought by individuals who seek to sue on behalf of the government, alleging that the government

 

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contractor submitted false claims to the government. Litigation of this nature is filed under seal to allow the government an opportunity to investigate and to decide if it wishes to intervene and assume control of the litigation. If the government does not intervene, the lawsuit is unsealed, and the individual may continue to prosecute the action on his or her own.

 

   

CMS uses a risk-adjustment model which apportions premiums paid to Medicare Advantage plans according to health severity. The risk-adjustment model pays more for enrollees with predictably higher costs. Under this model, rates paid to Medicare Advantage plans are based on actuarially determined bids, which include a process that bases our prospective payments on a comparison of our beneficiaries’ risk scores, derived from medical diagnoses, to those enrolled in the government’s original Medicare program. Under the risk-adjustment methodology, all Medicare Advantage plans must collect and submit the necessary diagnosis code information from hospital inpatient, hospital outpatient, and physician providers to CMS within prescribed deadlines. The CMS risk-adjustment model uses this diagnosis data to calculate the risk-adjusted premium payment to Medicare Advantage plans. We generally rely on providers to code their claim submissions with appropriate diagnoses, which we send to CMS as the basis for our payment received from CMS under the actuarial risk-adjustment model. We also rely on providers to appropriately document all medical data, including the diagnosis data submitted with claims.

CMS is continuing to perform audits of various companies’ selected Medicare Advantage contracts related to this risk adjustment diagnosis data. These audits are referred to herein as Risk-Adjustment Data Validation Audits, or RADV audits. RADV audits review medical record documentation in an attempt to validate provider coding practices and the presence of risk adjustment conditions which influence the calculation of premium payments to Medicare Advantage plans. To date, six Humana contracts have been selected by CMS for RADV audits for the 2007 contract year, consisting of one “pilot” audit and five “targeted” audits for Humana plans.

On December 21, 2010, CMS posted a description of the agency’s proposed RADV sampling and payment adjustment calculation methodology to its website, and invited public comment, noting that CMS may revise its sampling and payment error calculation methodology based upon the comments received. We believe the audit and payment adjustment methodology proposed by CMS is fundamentally flawed and actuarially unsound. In essence, in making the comparison referred to above, CMS relies on two interdependent sets of data to set payment rates for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans: (1) fee for service (FFS) data from the government’s original Medicare program; and (2) MA data. The proposed methodology would review medical records for only one set of data (MA data), while not performing the same exercise on the other set (FFS data). However, because these two sets of data are inextricably linked, we believe CMS must audit and validate both of them before extrapolating any potential RADV audit results, in order to ensure that any resulting payment adjustment is accurate. We believe that the Social Security Act, under which the payment model was established, requires the consistent use of these data sets in determining risk-adjusted payments to MA plans. Furthermore, our payment received from CMS, as well as benefits offered and premiums charged to members, is based on bids that did not, by CMS design, include any assumption of retroactive audit payment adjustments. We believe that applying a retroactive audit adjustment after CMS acceptance of bids would improperly alter this process of establishing member benefits and premiums.

CMS has received public comments, including our comments and comments from other industry participants and the American Academy of Actuaries, which expressed concerns about the failure to appropriately compare the two sets of data. On February 3, 2011, CMS issued a statement that it was closely evaluating the comments it has received on this matter and anticipates making changes to the proposed methodology based on input it has received, although we are unable to predict the extent of changes that they may make.

We believe that the proposed methodology is actuarially unsound and in violation of the Social Security Act. We intend to defend that position vigorously. However, if CMS moves forward with implementation of the proposed methodology without changes to adequately address the data

 

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inconsistency issues described above, it would have a material adverse effect on our revenues derived from the Medicare Advantage program and, therefore, our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

 

   

Our CMS contracts which cover members’ prescription drugs under Medicare Part D contain provisions for risk sharing and certain payments for prescription drug costs for which we are not at risk. These provisions, certain of which are described below, affect our ultimate payments from CMS.

The premiums from CMS are subject to risk corridor provisions which compare costs targeted in our annual bids to actual prescription drug costs, limited to actual costs that would have been incurred under the standard coverage as defined by CMS. Variances exceeding certain thresholds may result in CMS making additional payments to us or require us to refund to CMS a portion of the premiums we received (known as a “risk corridor”). We estimate and recognize an adjustment to premiums revenue related to the risk corridor payment settlement based upon pharmacy claims experience. The estimate of the settlement associated with these risk corridor provisions requires us to consider factors that may not be certain, including member eligibility differences with CMS. Our estimate of the settlement associated with the Medicare Part D risk corridor provisions was a net payable of $329 million at December 31, 2011.

Reinsurance and low-income cost subsidies represent payments from CMS in connection with the Medicare Part D program for which we assume no risk. Reinsurance subsidies represent payments for CMS’s portion of claims costs which exceed the member’s out-of-pocket threshold, or the catastrophic coverage level. Low-income cost subsidies represent payments from CMS for all or a portion of the deductible, the coinsurance and co-payment amounts above the out-of-pocket threshold for low-income beneficiaries. Monthly prospective payments from CMS for reinsurance and low-income cost subsidies are based on assumptions submitted with our annual bid. A reconciliation and settlement of CMS’s prospective subsidies against actual prescription drug costs we paid is made after the end of the year.

Settlement of the reinsurance and low-income cost subsidies as well as the risk corridor payment is based on a reconciliation made approximately 9 months after the close of each calendar year. This reconciliation process requires us to submit claims data necessary for CMS to administer the program. Our claims data may not pass CMS’s claims edit processes due to various reasons, including discrepancies in eligibility or classification of low-income members. To the extent our data does not pass CMS’s claim edit processes, we may bear the risk for all or a portion of the claim which otherwise may have been subject to the risk corridor provision or payment which we would have otherwise received as a low-income or reinsurance claim. In addition, in the event the settlement represents an amount CMS owes us, there is a negative impact on our cash flows and financial condition as a result of financing CMS’s share of the risk. The opposite is true in the event the settlement represents an amount we owe CMS.

 

   

The Budget Control Act of 2011, enacted on August 2, 2011, increased the United States debt ceiling conditioned on deficit reductions to be achieved over the next ten years. The Budget Control Act of 2011 also established a twelve-member joint committee of Congress known as the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to propose legislation to reduce the United States federal deficit by $1.5 trillion for fiscal years 2012-2021. The failure of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to achieve a targeted deficit reduction by December 23, 2011 triggered an automatic reduction, including aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to providers of up to 2 percent per fiscal year. At this time it is unclear how this automatic reduction may be applied to various Medicare healthcare programs or the timing when such reductions may begin. We expect that if such reductions were to occur, there would be a corresponding substantial reduction in our obligations to providers. Due to the uncertainty around the timing or application of any such reductions, there can be no assurances that we could completely offset any reductions to the Medicare healthcare programs applied by the Budget Control Act of 2011.

 

   

With the assistance of outside counsel, we are conducting an ongoing internal investigation related to certain aspects of our Florida subsidiary operations, and have voluntarily self-reported the existence of

 

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this investigation to CMS, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. Matters under review include, without limitation, the relationships between certain of our Florida-based employees and providers in our Medicaid and/or Medicare networks, practices related to the financial support of non-profit or provider access centers for Medicaid enrollment and related enrollment processes, and loans to or other financial support of physician practices. We have reported to the regulatory authorities noted above on the progress of our investigation to date, and intend to continue to discuss with these authorities our factual findings as well as any remedial actions we may take. We may also face litigation or further government inquiry regarding certain aspects of the Medicare and Medicaid operations of certain of our Florida subsidiaries.

 

   

We are also subject to various other governmental audits and investigations. Under state laws, our HMOs and health insurance companies are audited by state departments of insurance for financial and contractual compliance. Our HMOs are audited for compliance with health services by state departments of health. Audits and investigations are also conducted by state attorneys general, CMS, the Office of the Inspector General of Health and Human Services, the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, and the Defense Contract Audit Agency. All of these activities could result in the loss of licensure or the right to participate in various programs, including a limitation on our ability to market or sell products, the imposition of fines, penalties and other civil and criminal sanctions, or changes in our business practices. The outcome of any current or future 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. Nevertheless, it is reasonably possible that the outcome of these matters may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows. Certain of these matters could also affect our reputation. In addition, disclosure of any adverse investigation or audit results or sanctions could negatively affect our industry or our reputation in various markets and make it more difficult for us to sell our products and services.

Recently enacted health insurance reform, including The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, including restricting revenue, enrollment and premium growth in certain products and market segments, restricting our ability to expand into new markets, increasing our medical and operating costs by, among other things, requiring a minimum benefit ratio on insured products (and particularly how the ratio may apply to Medicare plans), lowering our Medicare payment rates and increasing our expenses associated with a non-deductible federal premium tax and other assessments; financial position, including our ability to maintain the value of our goodwill; and cash flows. In addition, if the new non-deductible federal premium tax and other assessments, including a three-year commercial reinsurance fee, were imposed as enacted, and if we are unable to adjust our business model to address these new taxes and assessments, such as through the reduction of our operating costs, there can be no assurance that the non-deductible federal premium tax and other assessments would not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

In March 2010, the President signed into law The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (which we collectively refer to as the Health Insurance Reform Legislation) which enact significant reforms to various aspects of the U.S. health insurance industry. While regulations and interpretive guidance on some provisions of the Health Insurance Reform Legislation have been issued to date by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Labor, the Treasury Department, and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, there are many significant provisions of the legislation that will require additional guidance and clarification in the form of regulations and interpretations in order to fully understand the impacts of the legislation on our overall business, which we expect to occur over the next several years.

The provisions of the Health Insurance Reform Legislation include, among others, imposing significant new non-deductible federal premium taxes and other assessments on health insurers, limiting Medicare Advantage

 

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payment rates, stipulating a prescribed minimum ratio for the amount of premiums revenue to be expended on medical costs for insured products (and particularly how the ratio may apply to Medicare Advantage and possibly prescription drug plans), additional mandated benefits and guarantee issuance associated with commercial medical insurance, requirements that limit the ability of health plans to vary premiums based on assessments of underlying risk, and heightened scrutiny by state and federal regulators of our business practices, including our Medicare bid and pricing practices. The Health Insurance Reform Legislation also specifies required benefit designs, limits rating and pricing practices, encourages additional competition (including potential incentives for new market entrants), establishes state-based exchanges for individuals and small employers (with up to 100 employees) coupled with programs designed to spread risk among insurers, and expands eligibility for Medicaid programs. In addition, the law will significantly increase federal oversight of health plan premium rates and could adversely affect our ability to appropriately adjust health plan premiums on a timely basis. Financing for these reforms will come, in part, from material additional fees and taxes on us and other health insurers, health plans and individuals beginning in 2014, as well as reductions in certain levels of payments to us and other health plans under Medicare. Implementation dates of the provisions of the Health Insurance Reform Legislation generally vary from September 23, 2010 to as late as 2018.

Implementing regulations and related interpretive guidance continue to be issued on several significant provisions of the Health Insurance Reform Legislation. The implementation of the individual mandate as well as Medicaid expansion in the Health Insurance Reform Legislation are also being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking to have all or portions of the Health Insurance Reform Legislation declared unconstitutional. We cannot predict the results of these proceedings. Congress may also withhold the funding necessary to implement the Health Insurance Reform Legislation, or may attempt to replace the legislation with amended provisions or repeal it altogether. Given the breadth of possible changes and the uncertainties of interpretation, implementation, and timing of these changes, which we expect to occur over the next several years, the Health Insurance Reform Legislation could change the way we do business, potentially impacting our pricing, benefit design, product mix, geographic mix, and distribution channels. In particular, implementing regulations and related guidance are forthcoming on various aspects of the minimum benefit ratio requirement’s applicability to Medicare, including aggregation, credibility thresholds, and its possible application to prescription drug plans. The response of other companies to Health Insurance Reform Legislation and adjustments to their offerings, if any, could cause meaningful disruption in the local health care markets. Further, various health insurance reform proposals are also emerging at the state level. It is reasonably possible that the Health Insurance Reform Legislation and related regulations, as well as future legislative changes, in the aggregate may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, including restricting revenue, enrollment and premium growth in certain products and market segments, restricting our ability to expand into new markets, increasing our medical and operating costs, lowering our Medicare payment rates and increasing our expenses associated with the non-deductible federal premium tax and other assessments; our financial position, including our ability to maintain the value of our goodwill; and our cash flows. If we fail to effectively implement our operational and strategic initiatives with respect to the implementation of the Health Insurance Reform Legislation, our business may be materially adversely affected. In addition, if the new non-deductible federal premium tax and other assessments, including a three-year commercial reinsurance fee, were imposed as enacted, and if we are unable to adjust our business model to address these new taxes and assessments, such as through the reduction of our operating costs, there can be no assurance that the non-deductible federal premium tax and other assessments would not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

Our business activities are subject to substantial government regulation. New laws or regulations, or changes in existing laws or regulations or their manner of application, could increase our cost of doing business and may adversely affect our business, profitability, financial condition, and cash flows.

The health care industry in general and health insurance are subject to substantial federal and state government regulation:

 

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Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act)

The use of individually identifiable health data by our business is regulated at federal and state levels. These laws and rules are changed frequently by legislation or administrative interpretation. Various state laws address the use and maintenance of individually identifiable health data. Most are derived from the privacy provisions in the federal Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA. HIPAA includes administrative provisions directed at simplifying electronic data interchange through standardizing transactions, establishing uniform health care provider, payer, and employer identifiers, and seeking protections for confidentiality and security of patient data. The rules do not provide for complete federal preemption of state laws, but rather preempt all inconsistent state laws unless the state law is more stringent.

These regulations set standards for the security of electronic health information. Violations of these rules could subject us to significant criminal and civil penalties, including significant monetary penalties. Compliance with HIPAA regulations requires significant systems enhancements, training and administrative effort. HIPAA can also expose us to additional liability for violations by our business associates (e.g., entities that provide services to health plans).

The HITECH Act, one part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, significantly broadened the scope of the privacy and security regulations of HIPAA. Among other requirements, the HITECH Act mandates individual notification in the event of a breach of unsecured, individually identifiable health information, provides enhanced penalties for HIPAA violations, and grants enforcement authority to states’ Attorneys General in addition to the HHS Office of Civil Rights. On October 30, 2009, HHS issued an Interim Final Rule implementing amendments to the enforcement regulations under HIPAA. On July 14, 2010, HHS issued a Proposed Rule containing modifications to privacy standards, security standards, and enforcement actions. In addition, HHS is currently in the process of finalizing regulations addressing security breach notification requirements. HHS initially released an Interim Final Rule for breach notification requirements on August 24, 2009. HHS then drafted a Final Rule which was submitted to Office of Management and Budget but subsequently withdrawn by HHS on July 29, 2010. Currently, the Interim Final Rule remains in effect but the withdrawal suggests that when HHS issues the Final Rule, the requirements for how covered entities should respond in the event of a potential security breach involving protected health information are likely to be more onerous than those contained in the Interim Final Rule.

In addition, there are numerous federal and state laws and regulations addressing patient and consumer privacy concerns, including unauthorized access or theft of personal information. State statutes and regulations vary from state to state and could impose additional penalties. Violations of HIPAA or applicable federal or state laws or regulations could subject us to significant criminal or civil penalties, including significant monetary penalties. Compliance with HIPAA and other privacy regulations requires significant systems enhancements, training and administrative effort. An investigation or initiation of civil or criminal actions could have a material adverse effect on our business reputation.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)

On February 17, 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, or ARRA, was enacted into law. In addition to including a temporary subsidy for health care continuation coverage issued pursuant to the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, or COBRA, ARRA also expands and strengthens the privacy and security provisions of HIPAA and imposes additional limits on the use and disclosure of protected health information, or PHI. Among other things, ARRA requires us and other covered entities to report any unauthorized release or use of or access to PHI to any impacted individuals and to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in those instances where the unauthorized activity poses a significant risk of financial, reputational or other harm to the individuals, and to notify the media in any states where 500 or more people are impacted by any unauthorized release or use of or access to PHI. ARRA also requires business associates to

 

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comply with certain HIPAA provisions. ARRA also establishes higher civil and criminal penalties for covered entities and business associates who fail to comply with HIPAA’s provisions and requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to issue regulations implementing its privacy and security enhancements.

Workers’ Compensation Laws and Regulations

In performing services for the workers’ compensation industry through our subsidiary Concentra Inc., we must comply with applicable state workers’ compensation laws. Workers’ compensation laws generally require employers to assume financial responsibility for medical costs, lost wages, and related legal costs of work-related illnesses and injuries. These laws generally establish the rights of workers to receive benefits and to appeal benefit denials, prohibit charging medical co-payments or deductibles to employees, may restrict employers’ rights to select healthcare providers or direct an injured employee to a specific provider to receive non-emergency workers’ compensation medical care, and may include special requirements for physicians providing non-emergency care for workers’ compensation patients, including requiring registration with the state agency governing workers’ compensation, as well as special continuing education and training, licensing and other regulatory requirements. To the extent that we are governed by these regulations, we may be subject to additional licensing requirements, financial oversight, and procedural standards for beneficiaries and providers.

Corporate Practice of Medicine and Other Laws

As a corporate entity, Humana Inc. is not licensed to practice medicine. Many states in which we operate through our subsidiary Concentra Inc. limit the practice of medicine to licensed individuals or professional organizations comprised of licensed individuals, and business corporations generally may not exercise control over the medical decisions of physicians. Statutes and regulations relating to the practice of medicine, fee-splitting between physicians and referral sources, and similar issues vary widely from state to state. Under management agreements between Concentra and its affiliated physician-owned professional groups, these groups retain sole responsibility for all medical decisions, as well as for hiring and managing physicians and other licensed healthcare providers, developing operating policies and procedures, implementing professional standards and controls, and maintaining malpractice insurance. We believe that our health services operations, including arrangements with Concentra’s affiliated professional groups, comply with applicable state statutes regarding corporate practice of medicine, fee-splitting, and similar issues. However, any enforcement actions by governmental officials alleging non-compliance with these statutes, which could subject us to penalties or restructuring or reorganization of our business, may result in a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, or cash flows.

Anti-Kickback, Physician Self-Referral, and Other Fraud and Abuse Laws

A federal law commonly referred to as the “Anti-Kickback Statute” prohibits the offer, payment, solicitation, or receipt of any form of remuneration to induce, or in return for, the referral of Medicare or other governmental health program patients or patient care opportunities, or in return for the purchase, lease, or order of items or services that are covered by Medicare or other federal governmental health programs. Because the prohibitions contained in the Anti-Kickback Statute apply to the furnishing of items or services for which payment is made in “whole or in part,” the Anti-Kickback Statute could be implicated if any portion of an item or service we provide is covered by any of the state or federal health benefit programs described above. Violation of these provisions constitutes a felony criminal offense and applicable sanctions could include exclusion from the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Section 1877 of the Social Security Act, commonly known as the “Stark Law,” prohibits physicians, subject to certain exceptions described below, from referring Medicare or Medicaid patients to an entity providing “designated health services” in which the physician, or an immediate family member, has an ownership or investment interest or with which the physician, or an immediate family member, has entered into a compensation arrangement. These prohibitions, contained in the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, commonly known as “Stark II,” amended prior federal physician self-referral legislation known as “Stark I” by

 

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expanding the list of designated health services to a total of 11 categories of health services. The professional groups with which we are affiliated provide one or more of these designated health services. Persons or entities found to be in violation of the Stark Law are subject to denial of payment for services furnished pursuant to an improper referral, civil monetary penalties, and exclusion from the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Many states also have enacted laws similar in scope and purpose to the Anti-Kickback Statute and, in more limited instances, the Stark Law, that are not limited to services for which Medicare or Medicaid payment is made. In addition, most states have statutes, regulations, or professional codes that restrict a physician from accepting various kinds of remuneration in exchange for making referrals. These laws vary from state to state and have seldom been interpreted by the courts or regulatory agencies. In states that have enacted these statutes, we believe that regulatory authorities and state courts interpreting these statutes may regard federal law under the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law as persuasive.

We believe that our operations comply with the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Stark Law, and similar federal or state laws addressing fraud and abuse. These laws are subject to modification and changes in interpretation, and are enforced by authorities vested with broad discretion. We continually monitor developments in this area. If these laws are interpreted in a manner contrary to our interpretation or are reinterpreted or amended, or if new legislation is enacted with respect to healthcare fraud and abuse, illegal remuneration, or similar issues, we may be required to restructure our affected operations to maintain compliance with applicable law. There can be no assurances that any such restructuring will be possible or, if possible, would not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, or cash flows.

Environmental

We are subject to various federal, state, and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health and the environment, including those governing the management and disposal of infectious medical waste and other waste generated at our subsidiary Concentra’s occupational healthcare centers and the cleanup of contamination. If an environmental regulatory agency finds any of our facilities to be in violation of environmental laws, penalties and fines may be imposed for each day of violation and the affected facility could be forced to cease operations. We could also incur other significant costs, such as cleanup costs or claims by third parties, as a result of violations of, or liabilities under, environmental laws. Although we believe that our environmental practices, including waste handling and disposal practices, are in material compliance with applicable laws, future claims or violations, or changes in environmental laws, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

State Regulation of Insurance-Related Products

Laws in each of the states (and Puerto Rico) in which we operate our HMOs, PPOs and other health insurance-related services regulate our operations including: licensing requirements, policy language describing benefits, mandated benefits and processes, entry, withdrawal or re-entry into a state or market, rate increases, delivery systems, utilization review procedures, quality assurance, complaint systems, enrollment requirements, claim payments, marketing, and advertising. The HMO, PPO, and other health insurance-related products we offer are sold under licenses issued by the applicable insurance regulators.

Our licensed subsidiaries are also subject to regulation under state insurance holding company and Puerto Rico regulations. These regulations generally require, among other things, prior approval and/or notice of new products, rates, benefit changes, and certain material transactions, including dividend payments, purchases or sales of assets, intercompany agreements, and the filing of various financial and operational reports.

Certain of our subsidiaries operate in states that regulate the payment of dividends, loans, or other cash transfers to Humana Inc., our parent company, and require minimum levels of equity as well as limit investments to approved securities. The amount of dividends that may be paid to Humana Inc. by these subsidiaries, without prior approval by state regulatory authorities, is limited based on the entity’s level of statutory income and statutory capital and surplus. In most states, prior notification is provided before paying a dividend even if approval is not required.

 

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Although minimum required levels of equity are largely based on premium volume, product mix, and the quality of assets held, minimum requirements can vary significantly at the state level. Our state regulated subsidiaries had aggregate statutory capital and surplus of approximately $4.7 billion and $4.3 billion as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively, which exceeded aggregate minimum regulatory requirements. The amount of dividends that may be paid to our parent company in 2012 without prior approval by state regulatory authorities is approximately $970 million in the aggregate. This compares to dividends that were able to be paid in 2011 without prior regulatory approval of approximately $740 million.

Any failure to manage operating costs could hamper profitability.

The level of our operating costs impacts our profitability. While we proactively attempt to effectively manage such expenses, increases or decreases in staff-related expenses, additional investment in new products (including our opportunities in the Medicare programs), greater emphasis on small group and individual health insurance products, investments in health and well-being product offerings, expansion into new specialty markets, acquisitions, new taxes and assessments, including the new non-deductible federal premium tax and other assessments under Health Insurance Reform Legislation, such as the three-year commercial reinsurance fee, and implementation of regulatory requirements may occur from time to time.

There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully contain our operating costs in line with our membership and this may result in a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

Any failure by us to manage acquisitions and other significant transactions successfully may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

As part of our business strategy, we frequently engage in discussions with third parties regarding possible investments, acquisitions, strategic alliances, joint ventures, and outsourcing transactions and often enter into agreements relating to such transactions in order to further our business objectives. In order to pursue this strategy successfully, we must identify suitable candidates for and successfully complete transactions, some of which may be large and complex, and manage post-closing issues such as the integration of acquired companies or employees. Integration and other risks can be more pronounced for larger and more complicated transactions, or if multiple transactions are pursued simultaneously. In 2011, we acquired MD Care, Inc. and Anvita, Inc., and in 2010, we acquired Concentra Inc. The failure to successfully integrate acquired entities and businesses or failure to produce results consistent with the financial model used in the analysis of our acquisitions may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows. If we fail to identify and complete successfully transactions that further our strategic objectives, we may be required to expend resources to develop products and technology internally. We may also be at a competitive disadvantage or we may be adversely affected by negative market perceptions, any of which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

If we fail to develop and maintain satisfactory relationships with the providers of care to our members, our business may be adversely affected.

We contract with physicians, hospitals and other providers to deliver health care to our members. Our products encourage or require our customers to use these contracted providers. These providers may share medical cost risk with us or have financial incentives to deliver quality medical services in a cost-effective manner.

In any particular market, providers could refuse to contract with us, demand to contract with us, demand higher payments, or take other actions that could result in higher health care costs for us, less desirable products for customers and members or difficulty meeting regulatory or accreditation requirements. In some markets, some providers, particularly hospitals, physician specialty groups, physician/hospital organizations, or multi-specialty physician groups, may have significant market positions and negotiating power. In addition, physician

 

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or practice management companies, which aggregate physician practices for administrative efficiency and marketing leverage, may compete directly with us. If these providers refuse to contract with us, use their market position to negotiate favorable contracts or place us at a competitive disadvantage, our ability to market products or to be profitable in those areas may be adversely affected.

In some situations, we have contracts with individual or groups of primary care physicians for an actuarially determined, fixed, per-member-per-month fee under which physicians are paid an amount to provide all required medical services to our members. This type of contract is referred to as a “capitation” contract. The inability of providers to properly manage costs under these capitation arrangements can result in the financial instability of these providers and the termination of their relationship with us. In addition, payment or other disputes between a primary care provider and specialists with whom the primary care provider contracts can result in a disruption in the provision of services to our members or a reduction in the services available to our members. The financial instability or failure of a primary care provider to pay other providers for services rendered could lead those other providers to demand payment from us even though we have made our regular fixed payments to the primary provider. There can be no assurance that providers with whom we contract will properly manage the costs of services, maintain financial solvency or avoid disputes with other providers. Any of these events may have a material adverse effect on the provision of services to our members and our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

Our pharmacy business is highly competitive and subjects us to regulations in addition to those we face with our core health benefits businesses.

Our pharmacy business competes with locally owned drugstores, retail drugstore chains, supermarkets, discount retailers, membership clubs, and Internet companies as well as other mail-order and long-term care pharmacies. Our pharmacy business also subjects us to extensive federal, state, and local regulation. The practice of pharmacy is generally regulated at the state level by state boards of pharmacy. Many of the states where we deliver pharmaceuticals, including controlled substances, have laws and regulations that require out-of-state mail-order pharmacies to register with that state’s board of pharmacy. In addition, some states have proposed laws to regulate online pharmacies, and we may be subject to this legislation if it is passed. Federal agencies further regulate our pharmacy operations. Pharmacies must register with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and individual state controlled substance authorities in order to dispense controlled substances. In addition, the FDA inspects facilities in connection with procedures to effect recalls of prescription drugs. The Federal Trade Commission also has requirements for mail-order sellers of goods. The U.S. Postal Service, or USPS, has statutory authority to restrict the transmission of drugs and medicines through the mail to a degree that may have an adverse effect on our mail-order operations. The USPS historically has exercised this statutory authority only with respect to controlled substances. If the USPS restricts our ability to deliver drugs through the mail, alternative means of delivery are available to us. However, alternative means of delivery could be significantly more expensive. The Department of Transportation has regulatory authority to impose restrictions on drugs inserted in the stream of commerce. These regulations generally do not apply to the USPS and its operations. In addition, we are subject to CMS rules regarding the administration of our PDP plans and intercompany pricing between our PDP plans and our pharmacy business.

We are also subject to risks inherent in the packaging and distribution of pharmaceuticals and other health care products, and the application of state laws related to the operation of internet and mail-order pharmacies. The failure to adhere to these laws and regulations may expose our pharmacy subsidiary to civil and criminal penalties.

Changes in the prescription drug industry pricing benchmarks may adversely affect our financial performance.

Contracts in the prescription drug industry generally use certain published benchmarks to establish pricing for prescription drugs. These benchmarks include average wholesale price, which is referred to as “AWP,” average selling price, which is referred to as “ASP,” and wholesale acquisition cost. Recent events have raised

 

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uncertainties as to whether payors, pharmacy providers, pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, and others in the prescription drug industry will continue to utilize AWP as it has previously been calculated, or whether other pricing benchmarks will be adopted for establishing prices within the industry. Legislation may lead to changes in the pricing for Medicare and Medicaid programs. Regulators have conducted investigations into the use of AWP for federal program payment, and whether the use of AWP has inflated drug expenditures by the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Federal and state proposals have sought to change the basis for calculating payment of certain drugs by the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Adoption of ASP in lieu of AWP as the measure for determining payment by Medicare or Medicaid programs for the drugs sold in our mail-order pharmacy business may reduce the revenues and gross margins of this business which may result in a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

If we do not continue to earn and retain purchase discounts and volume rebates from pharmaceutical manufacturers at current levels, our gross margins may decline.

We have contractual relationships with pharmaceutical manufacturers or wholesalers that provide us with purchase discounts and volume rebates on certain prescription drugs dispensed through our mail-order and specialty pharmacies. These discounts and volume rebates are generally passed on to clients in the form of steeper price discounts. Changes in existing federal or state laws or regulations or in their interpretation by courts and agencies or the adoption of new laws or regulations relating to patent term extensions, and purchase discount and volume rebate arrangements with pharmaceutical manufacturers, may reduce the discounts or volume rebates we receive and materially adversely impact our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

Our ability to obtain funds from our subsidiaries is restricted.

Because we operate as a holding company, we are dependent upon dividends and administrative expense reimbursements from our subsidiaries to fund the obligations of Humana Inc., our parent company. These subsidiaries generally are regulated by states’ Departments of Insurance. We are also required by law to maintain specific prescribed minimum amounts of capital in these subsidiaries. The levels of capitalization required depend primarily upon the volume of premium generated. A significant increase in premium volume will require additional capitalization from our parent company. In most states, we are required to seek prior approval by these state regulatory authorities before we transfer money or pay dividends from these subsidiaries that exceed specified amounts, or, in some states, any amount. In addition, we normally notify the state Departments of Insurance prior to making payments that do not require approval. In the event that we are unable to provide sufficient capital to fund the obligations of Humana Inc., our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows may be materially adversely affected.

Downgrades in our debt ratings, should they occur, may adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Claims paying ability, financial strength, and debt ratings by recognized rating organizations are an increasingly important factor in establishing the competitive position of insurance companies. Ratings information is broadly disseminated and generally used throughout the industry. We believe our claims paying ability and financial strength ratings are an important factor in marketing our products to certain of our customers. Our 7.20% and 8.15% senior notes are subject to an interest rate adjustment if the debt ratings assigned to the notes are downgraded (or subsequently upgraded) and contain a change of control provision that may require us to purchase the notes under certain circumstances. In addition, our debt ratings impact both the cost and availability of future borrowings. Each of the rating agencies reviews its ratings periodically and there can be no assurance that current ratings will be maintained in the future. Our ratings reflect each rating agency’s opinion of our financial strength, operating performance, and ability to meet our debt obligations or obligations to policyholders, but are not evaluations directed toward the protection of investors in our common stock and should not be relied upon as such.

 

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Historically, rating agencies take action to lower ratings due to, among other things, perceived concerns about liquidity or solvency, the competitive environment in the insurance industry, the inherent uncertainty in determining reserves for future claims, the outcome of pending litigation and regulatory investigations, and possible changes in the methodology or criteria applied by the rating agencies. In addition, rating agencies have come under recent regulatory and public scrutiny over the ratings assigned to various fixed-income products. As a result, rating agencies may (i) become more conservative in their methodology and criteria, (ii) increase the frequency or scope of their credit reviews, (iii) request additional information from the companies that they rate, or (iv) adjust upward the capital and other requirements employed in the rating agency models for maintenance of certain ratings levels.

We believe that some of our customers place importance on our credit ratings, and we may lose customers and compete less successfully if our ratings were to be downgraded. In addition, our credit ratings affect our ability to obtain investment capital on favorable terms. If our credit ratings were to be lowered, our cost of borrowing likely would increase, our sales and earnings could decrease, and our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows may be materially adversely affected.

Changes in economic conditions may adversely affect our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

The U.S. economy continues to experience a period of slow economic growth and high unemployment. We have closely monitored the impact that this volatile economy is having on our operations. Workforce reductions have caused corresponding membership losses in our fully-insured commercial group business. Continued weakness in the U.S. economy, and any continued high unemployment, may materially adversely affect our medical membership, results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

Additionally, the continued weakness of the U.S. economy has adversely affected the budget of individual states and of the federal government. This could result in attempts to reduce payments in our federal and state government health care coverage programs, including the Medicare, military services, and Medicaid programs, and could result in an increase in taxes and assessments on our activities. Although we could attempt to mitigate or cover our exposure from such increased costs through, among other things, increases in premiums, there can be no assurance that we will be able to mitigate or cover all of such costs which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

In addition, general inflationary pressures may affect the costs of medical and other care, increasing the costs of claims expenses submitted to us.

The securities and credit markets may experience volatility and disruption, which may adversely affect our business.

Volatility or disruption in the securities and credit markets could impact our investment portfolio. We evaluate our investment securities for impairment on a quarterly basis. This review is subjective and requires a high degree of judgment. For the purpose of determining gross realized gains and losses, the cost of investment securities sold is based upon specific identification. For debt securities held, we recognize an impairment loss in income when the fair value of the debt security is less than the carrying value and we have the intent to sell the debt security or it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the debt security before recovery of our amortized cost basis, or if a credit loss has occurred. When we do not intend to sell a security in an unrealized loss position, potential other-than-temporary impairments are considered using variety of factors, including the length of time and extent to which the fair value has been less than cost; adverse conditions specifically related to the industry, geographic area or financial condition of the issuer or underlying collateral of a security; payment structure of the security; changes in credit rating of the security by the rating agencies; the volatility of the fair value changes; and changes in fair value of the security after the balance sheet date. For debt securities, we take into account expectations of relevant market and economic data. We continuously review our investment portfolios and there is a continuing risk that declines in fair value may occur and additional material realized losses from sales or other-than- temporary impairments may be recorded in future periods.

 

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Certain European Union member states have total fiscal obligations greater than their respective gross domestic products. This imbalance has caused investor concern over such countries ability to continue to service their debt and foster economic growth. Currently, the European debt crisis has caused credit spreads to widen and liquidity to tighten in the fixed income debt markets. A weaker European economy may transcend Europe, cause investors to lose confidence in the safety and soundness of European financial institutions and the stability of European member economies, and likewise adversely affect U.S.-based financial institutions, the stability of the global financial markets, and the U.S. economy. We have no direct exposure to sovereign issuances of Spain, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, or Greece.

We believe our cash balances, investment securities, operating cash flows, and funds available under our credit agreement or from other public or private financing sources, taken together, provide adequate resources to fund ongoing operating and regulatory requirements, future expansion opportunities, and capital expenditures in the foreseeable future, and to refinance or repay debt. However, continuing adverse securities and credit market conditions may significantly affect the availability of credit. While there is no assurance in the current economic environment, we have no reason to believe the lenders participating in our credit agreement will not be willing and able to provide financing in accordance with the terms of the agreement.

Our access to additional credit will depend on a variety of factors such as market conditions, the general availability of credit, both to the overall market and our industry, our credit ratings and debt capacity, as well as the possibility that customers or lenders could develop a negative perception of our long or short-term financial prospects. Similarly, our access to funds could be limited if regulatory authorities or rating agencies were to take negative actions against us. If a combination of these factors were to occur, we may not be able to successfully obtain additional financing on favorable terms or at all.

Given the current economic climate, our stock and the stocks of other companies in the insurance industry may be increasingly subject to stock price and trading volume volatility.

Over the past three years, the stock markets have experienced significant price and trading volume volatility. Company-specific issues and market developments generally in the insurance industry and in the regulatory environment may have contributed to this volatility. Our stock price has fluctuated and may continue to materially fluctuate in response to a number of events and factors, including:

 

   

the enactment of, and the potential for additional, health insurance reform;

 

   

general economic conditions;

 

   

quarterly variations in operating results;

 

   

natural disasters, terrorist attacks and epidemics;

 

   

changes in financial estimates and recommendations by securities analysts;

 

   

operating and stock price performance of other companies that investors may deem comparable;

 

   

press releases or negative publicity relating to our competitors or us or relating to trends in our markets;

 

   

regulatory changes and adverse outcomes from litigation and government or regulatory investigations;

 

   

sales of stock by insiders;

 

   

changes in our credit ratings;

 

   

limitations on premium levels or the ability to raise premiums on existing policies;

 

   

increases in minimum capital, reserves, and other financial strength requirements; and

 

   

limitations on our ability to repurchase our common stock.

These factors could materially reduce our stock price. In addition, broad market and industry fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance.

 

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

 

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

Our principal executive office is located in the Humana Building, 500 West Main Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202. In addition to this property, our other principal operating facilities are located in Louisville, Kentucky; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Tampa Bay, Florida; Cincinnati, Ohio; and San Juan, Puerto Rico, all of which are used for customer service, enrollment, and claims processing. Our Louisville and Green Bay facilities also house other corporate functions.

We own or lease these principal operating facilities in addition to other administrative market offices and medical centers. The following table lists the location of properties we owned or leased, including our principal operating facilities, at December 31, 2011:

 

     Medical
Centers
     Administrative
Offices
        
     Owned      Leased      Owned      Leased      Total  

Florida

     9         69         2         68         148   

Texas

     6         38         2         36         82   

California

     —           21         —           14         35   

Georgia

     1         16         —           16         33   

Colorado

     —           17         —           8         25   

Michigan

     —           22         —           3         25   

Ohio

     —           8         —           17         25   

Arizona

     1         14         —           7         22   

Illinois

     —           14         —           8         22   

Kentucky

     —           2         9         11         22   

Tennessee

     —           9         —           11         20   

Missouri

     —           14         —           5         19   

New Jersey

     —           16         —           3         19   

Pennsylvania

     —           13         —           5         18   

South Carolina

     —           2         8         8         18   

Maryland

     —           11         —           5         16   

Nevada

     —           10         —           6         16   

Louisiana

     —           4         —           11         15   

Wisconsin

     —           8         1         6         15   

North Carolina

     —           8         —           6         14   

Puerto Rico

     —           —           —           14         14   

Virginia

     —           9         —           5         14   

Oklahoma

     —           7         —           5         12   

Alabama

     —           1         —           10         11   

Connecticut

     —           10         —           —           10   

Indiana

     —           3         —           7         10   

Others

     —           47         —           52         99   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     17         393         22         347         779   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Of the medical centers included in the table above, we no longer operate approximately 60 of these facilities but rather lease or sublease them to their provider operators.

 

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

We are party to a variety of legal actions in the ordinary course of business, certain of which may be styled as class-action lawsuits, including employment litigation, claims of medical malpractice, bad faith, nonacceptance or termination of providers, anticompetitive practices, improper rate setting, failure to disclose network discounts and various other provider arrangements, general contractual matters, intellectual property matters, and challenges to subrogation practices. See “Legal Proceedings and Certain Regulatory Matters” in Note 15 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data. We cannot predict the outcome of these suits with certainty.

 

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

 

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PART II

 

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

 

a) Market Information

Our common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol HUM. The following table shows the range of high and low closing sales prices as reported on the New York Stock Exchange Composite Price for each quarter in the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010:

 

     High      Low  

Year Ended December 31, 2011

     

First quarter

   $ 69.94       $ 55.04   

Second quarter

   $ 82.55       $ 69.35   

Third quarter

   $ 83.55       $ 65.65   

Fourth quarter

   $ 89.83       $ 68.43   

Year Ended December 31, 2010

     

First quarter

   $ 51.94       $ 45.35   

Second quarter

   $ 49.49       $ 43.56   

Third quarter

   $ 52.78       $ 44.34   

Fourth quarter

   $ 60.64       $ 49.29   

 

b) Holders of our Capital Stock

As of January 31, 2012, there were approximately 4,100 holders of record of our common stock and approximately 22,600 beneficial holders of our common stock.

 

c) Dividends

In April 2011, our Board of Directors approved the initiation of a quarterly cash dividend policy. Declaration and payment of future dividends is at the discretion of our Board of Directors, and may be adjusted as business or market conditions change.

The following table provides details of dividends declared in 2011:

 

Record

Date

    Payment
Date
    Amount per
Share
    Total
Amount
 
     
                  (in millions)  
  6/30/2011        7/28/2011      $ 0.25      $ 41   
  9/30/2011        10/28/2011      $ 0.25      $ 41   
  12/30/2011        1/31/2012      $ 0.25      $  41   

 

d) Equity Compensation Plan

The information required by this part of Item 5 is incorporated herein by reference from our Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders scheduled to be held on April 26, 2012 appearing under the caption “Equity Compensation Plan Information” of such Proxy Statement.

 

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e) Stock Performance

The following graph compares the performance of our common stock to the Standard & Poor’s Composite 500 Index (“S&P 500”) and the Morgan Stanley Health Care Payer Index (“Peer Group”) for the five years ended December 31, 2011. The graph assumes an investment of $100 in each of our common stock, the S&P 500, and the Peer Group on December 31, 2006.

 

LOGO

 

     12/31/06      12/31/07      12/31/08      12/31/09      12/31/10      12/31/11  

HUM

   $ 100       $ 136       $ 67       $ 79       $ 99       $ 158   

S&P 500

   $ 100       $ 104       $ 64       $ 79       $ 89       $ 89   

Peer Group

   $ 100       $ 116       $ 53       $ 81       $ 93       $ 125   

 

f) Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

In April 2011, the Board of Directors replaced its previously approved share repurchase authorization of up to $250 million with a new authorization for repurchases of up to $1 billion of our common shares exclusive of shares repurchased in connection with employee stock plans. The new authorization will expire June 30, 2013. Under the new share repurchase authorization, shares may be purchased from time to time at prevailing prices in the open market by block purchases, or in privately-negotiated transactions, subject to certain regulatory restrictions on volume, pricing, and timing. During 2011, we repurchased 0.8 million shares in open market transactions for $53 million at an average price of $63.73 under the previously approved share repurchase authorization and we repurchased 5.9 million shares in open market transactions for $439 million at an average price of $74.01 under the new authorization. As of February 6, 2012, the remaining authorized amount under the new authorization totaled $561 million.

In connection with employee stock plans, we acquired 0.8 million common shares for $49 million in 2011.

 

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

 

    2011 (a)     2010 (b)     2009     2008 (c)     2007 (d)  
    (dollars in millions, except per common share results)  

Summary of Operating Results:

         

Revenues:

         

Premiums

  $ 35,106      $ 32,712      $ 29,927        $ 28,065      $ 24,434   

Services

    1,360        555        520        468        405   

Investment income

    366        329        296        220        314   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenues

    36,832        33,596        30,743        28,753        25,153   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating expenses:

         

Benefits

    28,823        27,117        24,784        23,730        20,246   

Operating costs

    5,395        4,380        4,014        3,740        3,372   

Depreciation and amortization

    270        245        237        210        177   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

    34,488        31,742        29,035        27,680        23,795   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income from operations

    2,344        1,854        1,708        1,073        1,358   

Interest expense

    109        105        106        80        69   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

    2,235        1,749        1,602        993        1,289   

Provision for income taxes

    816        650        562        346        455   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income

  $ 1,419      $ 1,099      $ 1,040      $ 647      $ 834   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Basic earnings per common share

  $ 8.58      $ 6.55      $ 6.21      $ 3.87      $ 5.00   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted earnings per common share

  $ 8.46      $ 6.47      $ 6.15      $ 3.83      $ 4.91   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Dividends declared per common share

  $ 0.75      $ 0.00      $ 0.00      $ 0.00      $ 0.00   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Financial Position:

         

Cash and investments

  $ 10,830      $ 10,046      $ 9,111      $ 7,186      $ 6,691   

Total assets

    17,708        16,103        14,153        13,042        12,879   

Benefits payable

    3,754        3,469        3,222        3,206        2,697   

Debt

    1,659        1,669        1,678        1,937        1,688   

Stockholders’ equity

    8,063        6,924        5,776        4,457        4,029   

Cash flows from operations

  $ 2,079      $ 2,242      $ 1,422      $ 982      $ 1,224   

Key Financial Indicators:

         

Benefit ratio

    82.1     82.9     82.8     84.6     82.9

Operating cost ratio

    14.8     13.2     13.2     13.1     13.6

Membership by Segment:

         

Retail segment:

         

Medical membership

    4,673,900        3,542,200        3,729,400        4,764,900        4,780,200   

Specialty membership

    782,500        510,000        297,300        324,600        299,400   

Employer Group segment:

         

Medical membership

    2,794,900        3,009,500        3,117,800        3,358,400        3,256,400   

Specialty membership

    6,532,600        6,517,500        6,761,900        6,244,100        6,305,200   

Other Businesses:

         

Medical membership

    3,715,800        3,734,900        3,486,800        3,488,900        3,470,100   

Consolidated:

         

Total medical membership

    11,184,600        10,286,600        10,334,000        11,612,200        11,506,700   

Total specialty membership

    7,315,100        7,027,500        7,059,200        6,568,700        6,604,600   

 

(a) Includes the acquired operations of Anvita, Inc. from December 6, 2011 and MD Care, Inc. from December 30, 2011. Also includes the benefit of $205 million ($130 million after tax, or $0.77 per diluted common share) of favorable prior-period medical claims reserve development.

 

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(b) Includes the acquired operations of Concentra Inc. from December 21, 2010. Also includes the benefit of $231 million ($146 million after tax, or $0.86 per diluted common share) of favorable prior-period medical claims reserve development, as well as an expense of $147 million ($93 million after tax, or $0.55 per diluted common share) for the write-down of deferred acquisition costs associated with our individual commercial medical policies and an expense of $139 million ($88 million after tax, or $0.52 per diluted common share) associated with reserve strengthening for our closed block of long-term care policies acquired in connection with the 2007 acquisition of KMG America Corporation.
(c) Includes the acquired operations of UnitedHealth Group’s Las Vegas, Nevada individual SecureHorizons Medicare Advantage HMO business from April 30, 2008, the acquired operations of OSF Health Plans, Inc. from May 22, 2008, the acquired operations of Metcare Health Plans, Inc. from August 29, 2008, and the acquired operations of PHP Companies, Inc. (d/b/a Cariten Healthcare) from October 31, 2008.
(d) Includes the acquired operations of DefenseWeb Technologies, Inc. from March 1, 2007, the acquired operations of CompBenefits Corporation from October 1, 2007, and the acquired operations of KMG America Corporation from November 30, 2007. Also includes the benefit of $69 million ($43 million after tax, or $0.25 per diluted share) related to our 2006 Medicare Part D reconciliation with CMS and the settlement of some TRICARE contractual provisions related to prior years.

 

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Executive Overview

General

Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Humana is a leading health care company that offers a wide range of insurance products and health and wellness services that incorporate an integrated approach to lifelong well-being. By leveraging the strengths of our core businesses, we believe that we can better explore opportunities for existing and emerging adjacencies in health care that can further enhance wellness opportunities for the millions of people across the nation with whom we have relationships.

Our industry relies on two key statistics to measure performance. The benefit ratio, which is computed by taking total benefit expenses as a percentage of premiums revenue, represents a statistic used to measure underwriting profitability. The operating cost ratio, which is computed by taking total operating costs as a percentage of total revenue less investment income, represents a statistic used to measure administrative spending efficiency.

2011 Business Segment Realignment

During the first quarter of 2011, we realigned our business segments to reflect our evolving business model. As a result, we reassessed and changed our operating and reportable segments in the first quarter of 2011 to reflect management’s view of the business and to align our external financial reporting with our new operating and internal financial reporting model. Historical segment information has been retrospectively adjusted to reflect the effect of this change. Our new reportable segments and the basis for determining those segments are discussed below.

Business Segments

We currently manage our business with three reportable segments: Retail, Employer Group, and Health and Well-Being Services. In addition, we include businesses that are not individually reportable because they do not meet the quantitative thresholds required by generally accepted accounting principles in an Other Businesses category. These segments are based on a combination of the type of health plan customer and adjacent businesses centered on well-being solutions for our health plans and other customers, as described below. These segment groupings are consistent with information used by our Chief Executive Officer to assess performance and allocate resources.

The Retail segment consists of Medicare and commercial fully-insured medical and specialty health insurance benefits, including dental, vision, and other supplemental health and financial protection products, marketed directly to individuals. The Employer Group segment consists of Medicare and commercial fully-insured medical and specialty health insurance benefits, including dental, vision, and other supplemental health and financial protection products, as well as administrative services only products marketed to employer groups. The Health and Well-Being Services segment includes services offered to our health plan members as well as to third parties that promote health and wellness, including primary care, pharmacy, integrated wellness, and home care services. The Other Businesses category consists of our Military services, primarily our TRICARE South Region contract, Medicaid, and closed-block long-term care businesses as well as our contract with CMS to administer the LI-NET program.

The results of each segment are measured by income before income taxes. Transactions between reportable segments consist of sales of services rendered by our Health and Well-Being Services segment, primarily pharmacy and behavioral health services, to our Retail and Employer Group customers. Intersegment sales and expenses are recorded at fair value and eliminated in consolidation. Members served by our segments often

 

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utilize the same provider networks, enabling us in some instances to obtain more favorable contract terms with providers. Our segments also share indirect costs and assets. As a result, the profitability of each segment is interdependent. We allocate most operating expenses to our segments. Assets and certain corporate income and expenses are not allocated to the segments, including the portion of investment income not supporting segment operations, interest expense on corporate debt, and certain other corporate expenses. These items are managed at the corporate level. These corporate amounts are reported separately from our reportable segments and included with intersegment eliminations.

Seasonality

Our Retail segment offers Medicare stand-alone prescription drug plans, or PDPs, under the Medicare Part D program. These plans provide varying degrees of coverage. Our quarterly Retail segment earnings and operating cash flows are impacted by the Medicare Part D benefit design and changes in the composition of our membership. The Medicare Part D benefit design results in coverage that varies as a member’s cumulative out-of-pocket costs pass through successive stages of a member’s plan period which begins annually on January 1 for renewals. These plan designs generally result in us sharing a greater portion of the responsibility for total prescription drug costs in the early stages and less in the latter stages. As a result, the PDP benefit ratio generally decreases as the year progresses. In addition, the number of low-income senior members as well as year-over-year changes in the mix of membership in our stand-alone PDP products affects the quarterly benefit ratio pattern.

Our Employer Group segment also experiences seasonality in the benefit ratio pattern. However, the effect is opposite of the Retail segment, with the Employer Group’s benefit ratio increasing as fully-insured members progress through their annual deductible and maximum out-of-pocket expenses.

2011 Highlights

Consolidated

 

   

Our strategy and commitment to the Medicare programs have led to significant growth as discussed in our Retail segment discussion below.

 

   

As more fully described herein under the section titled “Benefit Expense Recognition” actuarial standards require the use of assumptions based on moderately adverse experience, which generally results in favorable reserve development, or reserves that are considered redundant. When we recognize a release of the redundancy, we disclose the amount that is not in the ordinary course of business. We experienced favorable prior-period medical claims reserve development not in the ordinary course of business, primarily in our Retail and Employer Group segments, of approximately $205 million in the aggregate, or $0.77 per diluted common share, for the year ended December 31, 2011 as compared to $231 million in the aggregate, or $0.86 per diluted common share, for the year ended December 31, 2010. Any discussion of favorable prior-period medical claims reserve development in our results of operation discussion that follows refers to amounts that were not in the ordinary course of business.

 

   

In April 2011, our Board of Directors approved the initiation of a quarterly cash dividend policy and we subsequently declared cash dividends of $0.25 per share to stockholders of record on each of June 30, 2011, September 30, 2011, and December 30, 2011.

 

   

In addition, in April 2011, the Board of Directors replaced its previously approved share repurchase authorization of up to $250 million with a new authorization for repurchases of up to $1 billion. The new authorization will expire June 30, 2013. As of February 6, 2012, the remaining authorized amount under the new authorization totaled $561 million.

 

   

Comparisons to 2010 are impacted by the $147 million write-down of deferred acquisition costs associated with our individual commercial medical policies during the year ended December 31, 2010

 

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as well as the net charge of $139 million due to reserve strengthening for our closed block of long-term care policies as discussed more fully in Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

Retail Segment

 

   

On February 17, 2012, CMS issued its Advance Notice for methodological changes for 2013 Medicare Advantage capitation rates and Part C and Part D payment policies. We believe the Advance Notice indicates our payment rates from CMS will remain relatively unchanged from those for 2012, with the exception of the impact of any automatic rate reductions that would occur as a result of the Budget Control Act of 2011. These potential automatic rate reductions were not addressed in the Advance notice, but we believe they would be primarily passed through as provider payment reductions from us. (For additional information, please refer to the risk factor entitled, “As a government contractor, we are exposed to risks that may materially affect our business or our willingness or ability to participate in government health care programs.”) However, the Advance Notice is subject to comment, and the final rates will not be published until the first Monday in April 2012. Nevertheless, we believe we can effectively design Medicare Advantage products based upon this level of rate increase while continuing to remain competitive compared to both the combination of original Medicare with a supplement policy as well as other Medicare Advantage competitors within our industry. In addition, we will continue to pursue our cost-reduction and outcome-enhancing strategies, including care coordination and disease management, which we believe will mitigate the adverse effects of the rates on our Medicare Advantage members. Nonetheless, there can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully execute operational and strategic initiatives with respect to changes in the Medicare Advantage program. Failure to execute these strategies may result in a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

 

   

Individual Medicare Advantage membership of 1,640,300 at December 31, 2011 increased 179,600 members, or 12.3%, from 1,460,700 at December 31, 2010 primarily due to a successful enrollment season associated with the 2011 plan year. January 2012 individual Medicare Advantage membership of approximately 1,813,000 increased nearly 173,000 members, or approximately 11%, from December 31, 2011, reflecting another successful enrollment season.

 

   

Individual Medicare stand-alone PDP membership of 2,540,400 at December 31, 2011 increased 870,100 members, or 52.1%, from 1,670,300 at December 31, 2010 primarily due to sales of our new lowest premium national stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan co-branded with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the Humana Walmart-Preferred Rx Plan, that we began offering for the 2011 plan year. January 2012 individual Medicare stand-alone PDP membership grew to approximately 2,825,000, increasing nearly 285,000 members, or approximately 11%, from December 31, 2011, also reflecting another successful selling season for the co-branded Humana Walmart-Preferred Rx Plan.

 

   

Comparisons to 2010 within the Retail segment are impacted by the $147 million write-down of deferred acquisition costs associated with our individual commercial medical policies during the year ended December 31, 2010 as discussed above.

 

   

On December 6, 2011, we acquired Anvita, Inc., or Anvita, a San Diego-based health care analytics company. The Anvita acquisition provides scalable analytics solutions that produce clinical insights which we believe will enhance our ability to improve the quality and lower the cost of health care for our members and customers.

 

   

Effective December 30, 2011, we acquired the California-based Medicare Advantage HMO MD Care, Inc., or MD Care. This acquisition expanded our Medicare footprint in California and grew our Medicare enrollment by approximately 12,100 members.

 

   

During the second half of 2011, we entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Arcadian Management Services, Inc., which serves Medicare Advantage HMO members in 15 U.S. states,

 

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offering us an opportunity to further expand our Medicare footprint and grow our Medicare enrollment. The closing of this acquisition is subject to regulatory approval.

Health and Well-Being Services Segment

 

   

During the second half of 2011, we entered into a definitive agreement to acquire SeniorBridge, a chronic-care provider providing in-home care for seniors that will expand our existing clinical and home health capabilities and strengthen our offerings for members with complex chronic-care needs. The closing of this acquisition is subject to regulatory approval.

 

   

In 2011, we launched HumanaVitality, a joint venture with Discovery Holdings Ltd., providing our members with access to a science-based, actuarially driven wellness and loyalty program that features a wide range of well-being tools and rewards that are customized to an individual’s needs and wants.

Other Businesses

 

   

Comparisons to 2010 within Other Businesses are impacted by the net charge of $139 million due to reserve strengthening for our closed block of long-term care policies during the year ended December 31, 2010 as discussed above.

 

   

As more fully discussed in Note 15 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data. On February 25, 2011, the Department of Defense TRICARE Management Activity, or TMA, awarded the new TRICARE South Region contract to us, which we expect to take effect on April 1, 2012. The new 5-year South Region contract, which expires March 31, 2017, is subject to annual renewals on April 1 of each year during its term at the government’s option.

Health Insurance Reform

In March 2010, the President signed into law The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (which we collectively refer to as the Health Insurance Reform Legislation) which enact significant reforms to various aspects of the U.S. health insurance industry. While regulations and interpretive guidance on some provisions of the Health Insurance Reform Legislation have been issued to date by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Labor, the Treasury Department, and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, there are many significant provisions of the legislation that will require additional guidance and clarification in the form of regulations and interpretations in order to fully understand the impacts of the legislation on our overall business, which we expect to occur over the next several years.

Implementation dates of the Health Insurance Reform Legislation vary from September 23, 2010 to as late as 2018. The following outlines certain provisions of the Health Insurance Reform Legislation:

 

   

Changes effective for plan years which began on or after September 23, 2010 included: elimination of pre-existing condition limits for enrollees under age 19, elimination of certain annual and lifetime caps on the dollar value of benefits, expansion of dependent coverage to include adult children until age 26, a requirement to provide coverage for preventive services without cost to members, new claim appeal requirements, and the establishment of an interim high risk program for those unable to obtain coverage due to a pre-existing condition or health status.

 

   

Effective January 1, 2011, minimum benefit ratios were mandated for all commercial fully-insured medical plans in the large group (85%), small group (80%), and individual (80%) markets, with annual rebates to policyholders if the actual benefit ratios, calculated in a manner prescribed by HHS, do not meet these minimums. Certain states were approved to apply an individual threshold lower than the 80% requirement temporarily to avoid market disruption. In 2011, we accrued for rebates, based on the

 

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manner prescribed by HHS, with initial rebate payments to be made in mid-2012. Our benefit ratios reported herein, calculated from financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, differ from the benefit ratios calculated as prescribed by HHS under the Health Insurance Reform Legislation. The more noteworthy differences include the fact that the benefit ratio calculations prescribed by HHS are calculated separately by state and legal entity; reflect actuarial adjustments where the membership levels are not large enough to create credible size; exclude some of our health insurance products; include taxes and fees as reductions of premium; treat changes in reserves differently than GAAP; and classify rebate amounts as additions to incurred claims as opposed to adjustments to premiums for GAAP reporting.

 

   

Medicare Advantage payment benchmarks for 2011 were frozen at 2010 levels and beginning in 2012, additional cuts to Medicare Advantage plan payments will begin to take effect (plans will receive a range of 95% in high-cost areas to 115% in low-cost areas of Medicare fee-for-service rates), with changes being phased-in over two to six years, depending on the level of payment reduction in a county. In addition, beginning in 2011, the gap in coverage for Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage began to incrementally close.

 

   

Beginning in 2014, the Health Insurance Reform Legislation requires: all individual and group health plans to guarantee issuance and renew coverage without pre-existing condition exclusions or health-status rating adjustments; the elimination of annual limits on coverage on certain plans; the establishment of state-based exchanges for individuals and small employers (with up to 100 employees) coupled with programs designed to spread risk among insurers; the introduction of standardized plan designs based on set actuarial values; the establishment of a minimum benefit ratio of 85% for Medicare plans; and insurance industry assessments, including an annual premium-based assessment and a three-year commercial reinsurance fee. The annual premium-based assessment levied on the insurance industry is $8 billion in 2014 with increasing annual amounts thereafter and is not deductible for income tax purposes, which will significantly increase our effective income tax rate in 2014. In December 2011, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, or NAIC, issued proposed guidance indicating the insurance industry premium-based assessment may require accrual and associated subsidiary funding consideration in 2013 instead of 2014. This proposed NAIC guidance is contradictory to final GAAP guidance issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, in July 2011, which indicates the insurance industry premium-based assessment should be accrued beginning in 2014, the year in which it is payable. Refer to Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

The Health Insurance Reform Legislation also specifies required benefit designs, limits rating and pricing practices, encourages additional competition (including potential incentives for new market entrants) and expands eligibility for Medicaid programs. In addition, the law will significantly increase federal oversight of health plan premium rates and could adversely affect our ability to appropriately adjust health plan premiums on a timely basis. Financing for these reforms will come, in part, from material additional fees and taxes on us and other health insurers, health plans and individuals beginning in 2014, as well as reductions in certain levels of payments to us and other health plans under Medicare as described herein.

In addition, certain provisions in the Health Insurance Reform Legislation tie Medicare Advantage premiums to the achievement of certain quality performance measures (Star Ratings). Beginning in 2012, Medicare Advantage plans with an overall Star Rating of three or more stars (out of five) will be eligible for a quality bonus in their basic premium rates. Initially quality bonuses were limited to the few plans that achieved four or more stars as an overall rating, but CMS has expanded the quality bonus to three Star plans for a three year period through 2014. Recent Star Ratings issued by CMS indicated that 98% of our Medicare Advantage members are now in plans that will qualify for quality bonus payments in 2013. Notwithstanding successful efforts to improve our Star Ratings and other quality measures for 2012 and 2013 and the continuation of such efforts, there can be no assurances that we will be successful in maintaining or improving our Star Ratings in

 

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future years. Accordingly, our plans may not be eligible for full level quality bonuses, which could adversely affect the benefits such plans can offer, reduce membership, and/or reduce profit margins.

As discussed above, implementing regulations and related interpretive guidance continue to be issued on several significant provisions of the Health Insurance Reform Legislation. The implementation of the individual mandate as well as Medicaid expansion in the Health Insurance Reform Legislation are also being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking to have all or portions of the Health Insurance Reform Legislation declared unconstitutional. We cannot predict the results of these proceedings. Congress may also withhold the funding necessary to implement the Health Insurance Reform Legislation, or may attempt to replace the legislation with amended provisions or repeal it altogether. Given the breadth of possible changes and the uncertainties of interpretation, implementation, and timing of these changes, which we expect to occur over the next several years, the Health Insurance Reform Legislation could change the way we do business, potentially impacting our pricing, benefit design, product mix, geographic mix, and distribution channels. In particular, implementing regulations and related guidance are forthcoming on various aspects of the minimum benefit ratio requirement’s applicability to Medicare, including aggregation, credibility thresholds, and its possible application to prescription drug plans. The response of other companies to the Health Insurance Reform Legislation and adjustments to their offerings, if any, could cause meaningful disruption in the local health care markets. Further, various health insurance reform proposals are also emerging at the state level. It is reasonably possible that the Health Insurance Reform Legislation and related regulations, as well as future legislative changes, in the aggregate may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, including restricting revenue, enrollment and premium growth in certain products and market segments, restricting our ability to expand into new markets, increasing our medical and operating costs, lowering our Medicare payment rates and increasing our expenses associated with the non-deductible federal premium tax and other assessments; our financial position, including our ability to maintain the value of our goodwill; and our cash flows. If the new non-deductible federal premium tax and other assessments, including a three-year commercial reinsurance fee, were imposed as enacted, and if we are unable to adjust our business model to address these new taxes and assessments, such as through the reduction of our operating costs, there can be no assurance that the non-deductible federal premium tax and other assessments would not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

We intend for the discussion of our financial condition and results of operations that follows to assist in the understanding of our financial statements and related changes in certain key items in those financial statements from year to year, including the primary factors that accounted for those changes. Transactions between reportable segments consist of sales of services rendered by our Health and Well-Being Services segment, primarily pharmacy and behavioral health services, to our Retail and Employer Group customers and are described in Note 16 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

 

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Comparison of Results of Operations for 2011 and 2010

Certain financial data on a consolidated basis and for our segments was as follows for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010:

Consolidated

 

           Change  
     2011     2010     Dollars     Percentage  
     (dollars in millions, except per
common share results)
       

Revenues:

        

Premiums:

        

Retail

   $ 21,402      $ 19,052      $ 2,350        12.3

Employer Group

     8,877        9,080        (203     (2.2 )% 

Other Businesses

     4,827        4,580        247        5.4
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total premiums

     35,106        32,712        2,394        7.3
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Services:

        

Retail

     16        11        5        45.5

Employer Group

     356        395        (39     (9.9 )% 

Health and Well-Being Services

     903        34        869        nm   

Other Businesses

     85        115        (30     (26.1 )% 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total services

     1,360        555        805        145.0
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Investment income

     366        329        37        11.2
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenues

     36,832        33,596        3,236        9.6
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating expenses:

        

Benefits

     28,823        27,117        1,706        6.3

Operating costs

     5,395        4,380        1,015        23.2

Depreciation and amortization

     270        245        25        10.2
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     34,488        31,742        2,746        8.7
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income from operations

     2,344        1,854        490        26.4

Interest expense

     109        105        4        3.8
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

     2,235        1,749        486        27.8

Provision for income taxes

     816        650        166        25.5
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income

   $ 1,419      $ 1,099      $ 320        29.1
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted earnings per common share

   $ 8.46      $ 6.47      $ 1.99        30.8

Benefit ratio (a)

     82.1     82.9       (0.8 )% 

Operating cost ratio (b)

     14.8     13.2       1.6

Effective tax rate

     36.5     37.2       (0.7 )% 

 

(a) Represents total benefit expenses as a percentage of premiums revenue.
(b) Represents total operating costs as a percentage of total revenues less investment income.

nm – not meaningful

Summary

Net income was $1.4 billion, or $8.46 per diluted common share, in 2011 compared to $1.1 billion, or $6.47 per diluted common share, in 2010 primarily due to improved operating performance in the Retail and Health and Well-Being Services segments and the negative impact of certain charges described below on 2010 results that did not recur in 2011. Share repurchase activity also contributed to the year-over-year increase in diluted

earnings per common share. Our diluted earnings per common share include the beneficial impact of favorable

 

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prior-period medical claims reserve development of approximately $0.77 per diluted common share for 2011 compared to $0.86 per diluted common share for 2010. Net income for the 2010 period also included the negative impact of a $147 million ($0.55 per diluted common share) write-down of deferred acquisition costs associated with our individual commercial medical policies in our Retail Segment, and a net charge of $139 million ($0.52 per diluted common share) for reserve strengthening associated with our closed block of long-term care policies in our Other Businesses as discussed in Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

Premiums Revenue

Consolidated premiums increased $2.4 billion, or 7.3%, from 2010 to $35.1 billion for 2011, primarily due to an increase in Retail segment premiums, partially offset by a decline in Employer Group segment premiums. The increase in Retail segment premiums primarily resulted from higher average individual Medicare Advantage membership. The decrease in Employer Group segment premiums primarily resulted from lower average fully-insured commercial group medical membership. Average membership is calculated by summing the ending membership for each month in a period and dividing the result by the number of months in a period. Premiums revenue reflects changes in membership and increases in average per member premiums. Items impacting average per member premiums include changes in premium rates as well as changes in the geographic mix of membership, the mix of product offerings, and the mix of benefit plans selected by our membership.

Services Revenue

Consolidated services revenue increased $805 million, or 145.0%, from 2010 to $1.4 billion for 2011, primarily due to an increase in primary care services revenue in our Health and Well-Being Services segment, primarily as a result of the acquisition of Concentra on December 21, 2010.

Investment Income

Investment income totaled $366 million for 2011, an increase of $37 million from 2010, primarily reflecting higher interest rates as well as higher average invested balances as a result of the reinvestment of operating cash flows.

Benefit Expenses

Consolidated benefit expenses were $28.8 billion for 2011, an increase of $1.7 billion, or 6.3%, from 2010. The increases were primarily due to a $1.8 billion, or 11.3%, year-over-year increase in Retail segment benefit expenses in 2011, primarily driven by an increase in the average number of Medicare members, partially offset by a decline in Employer Group segment benefit expenses.

The consolidated benefit ratio for 2011 was 82.1%, declining 80 basis points from the 2010 benefit ratio of 82.9%, primarily driven by a decline in the Retail segment benefit ratio and a net charge for reserve strengthening associated with our closed block of long-term care policies in our Other Businesses in 2010 that did not recur in 2011.

Operating Costs

Our segments incur both direct and shared indirect operating costs. We allocate the indirect costs shared by the segments primarily as a function of revenues. As a result, the profitability of each segment is interdependent.

Consolidated operating costs increased $1.0 billion, or 23.2%, during 2011 compared to 2010, primarily due an increase in operating costs in our Health and Well-Being Segment as a result of the acquisition of Concentra on December 21, 2010, as well as an increase in operating costs in our Retail segment as a result of increased expenses associated with servicing higher average Medicare Advantage membership. Operating costs for 2010 include $147 million for the write-down of deferred acquisition costs associated with our individual commercial medical policies in our Retail Segment.

 

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The consolidated operating cost ratio for 2011 was 14.8%, increasing 160 basis points from the 2010 operating cost ratio of 13.2%. The $147 million write-down of deferred acquisition costs in 2010 increased the operating cost ratio 50 basis points for 2010. Excluding the impact of the write-down of deferred acquisition costs in 2010, the increase primarily reflects the greater percentage of our revenues derived from Concentra, acquired December 21, 2010, in our Health and Well-Being Services segment, which carries a higher operating cost ratio on external revenues than our other segments, as well as an increase in the Retail and Employer Group segment operating cost ratios.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization for 2011 totaled $270 million, an increase of $25 million, or 10.2%, from 2010, primarily reflecting depreciation and amortization expense associated with our Concentra operations, acquired on December 21, 2010.

Interest Expense

Interest expense was $109 million for 2011, compared to $105 million for 2010, an increase of $4 million, or 3.8%.

Income Taxes

Our effective tax rate during 2011 was 36.5% compared to the effective tax rate of 37.2% in 2010. The higher tax rate for 2010 primarily was due to the cumulative adjustment associated with estimating the retrospective aspect of new limitations on the deductibility of annual compensation in excess of $500,000 per employee as mandated by the Health Insurance Reform Legislation. See Note 10 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for a complete reconciliation of the federal statutory rate to the effective tax rate.

Retail Segment

 

            Change  
     2011      2010      Members      Percentage  

Membership:

           

Medical membership:

           

Individual Medicare Advantage

     1,640,300         1,460,700         179,600         12.3 

Individual Medicare stand-alone PDP

     2,540,400         1,670,300         870,100         52.1 
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total individual Medicare

     4,180,700         3,131,000         1,049,700         33.5 

Individual commercial

     493,200         411,200         82,000         19.9 
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total individual medical members

     4,673,900         3,542,200         1,131,700         31.9 
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Individual specialty membership (a)

     782,500         510,000         272,500         53.4 
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(a) Specialty products include dental, vision, and other supplemental health and financial protection products. Members included in these products may not be unique to each product since members have the ability to enroll in multiple products.

 

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           Change  
     2011     2010     Dollars      Percentage  
     (in millions)         

Premiums and Services Revenue:

         

Premiums:

         

Individual Medicare Advantage

   $ 18,100      $ 16,265      $ 1,835         11.3 

Individual Medicare stand-alone PDP

     2,317        1,959        358         18.3 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total individual Medicare

     20,417        18,224        2,193         12.0 

Individual commercial

     861        746        115         15.4 

Individual specialty

     124        82        42         51.2 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total premiums

     21,402        19,052        2,350         12.3 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Services

     16        11        5         45.5 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total premiums and services revenue

   $ 21,418      $ 19,063      $ 2,355         12.4 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

   $ 1,587      $ 1,289      $ 298         23.1 

Benefit ratio

     81.2     82.0        (0.8  )% 

Operating cost ratio

     11.2     11.1        0.1 

Pretax Results

 

   

Retail segment pretax income was $1.6 billion in 2011, an increase of $298 million, or 23.1%, from $1.3 billion in 2010, primarily driven by higher average individual Medicare membership and a lower benefit ratio, partially offset by a higher operating cost ratio, discussed below. Pretax income for 2010 included the negative impact of a $147 million write-down of deferred acquisition costs associated with our individual commercial medical policies. In addition, the Retail segment’s pretax income for 2011 included the beneficial effect of an estimated $147 million in favorable prior-period medical claims reserve development versus $198 million in 2010.

Enrollment

 

   

Individual Medicare Advantage membership increased 179,600 members, or 12.3%, from December 31, 2010 to December 31, 2011 due to a successful enrollment season associated with the 2011 plan year as well as age-in enrollment throughout the year. Individual Medicare Advantage membership at December 31, 2011 included approximately 12,100 members acquired with our acquisition of MD Care as of December 30, 2011.

 

   

Individual Medicare stand-alone PDP membership increased 870,100 members, or 52.1%, from December 31, 2010 to December 31, 2011 primarily from higher gross sales year-over-year, particularly due to our low-price-point Humana Walmart-Preferred Rx Plan that we began offering for the 2011 plan year, supplemented by dual eligible and age-in enrollments throughout the year.

 

   

Individual specialty membership increased 272,500, or 53.4%, from December 31, 2010 to December 31, 2011 primarily driven by increased sales in dental offerings.

Premiums revenue

 

   

Retail segment premiums increased $2.4 billion, or 12.3%, from 2010 to 2011 primarily due to a 10.3% increase in average individual Medicare Advantage membership. Individual Medicare stand-alone PDP premiums revenue increased $358 million, or 18.3%, in 2011 compared to 2010 primarily due to a 41.9% increase in average individual PDP membership, partially offset by a decrease in individual Medicare stand-alone PDP per member premiums. This was primarily a result of sales of our low-price-point Humana Walmart-Preferred Rx Plan that we began offering for the 2011 plan year.

 

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Benefit expenses

 

   

The Retail segment benefit ratio decreased 80 basis points from 82.0% in 2010 to 81.2% in 2011. The decline primarily reflects a lower Medicare Advantage benefit ratio due to lower cost trends arising out of our cost-reduction and outcome-enhancing strategies, including care coordination and disease management, as well as a significant increase in our individual Medicare stand-alone PDP membership in 2011 that carries a lower benefit ratio, partially offset by lower favorable prior-period medical claims reserve development in 2011 than in 2010. Favorable reserve development decreased the Retail segment benefit ratio by approximately 70 basis points in 2011 versus approximately 100 basis points in 2010.

Operating costs

 

   

The Retail segment operating cost ratio of 11.2% for 2011 increased 10 basis points from 11.1% for 2010. The $147 million write-down of deferred acquisition costs in 2010 increased the operating cost ratio 80 basis points in 2010. Excluding the impact of the write-down of deferred acquisition costs, the increase in the operating cost ratio year-over-year primarily reflects increased expenses associated with the Medicare sales season for 2012 offerings which began a month earlier than in the prior year and staffing necessary to service anticipated Medicare membership additions. Further, a higher percentage of membership in individual Medicare stand-alone PDP products contributed to the higher operating cost ratio, in light of the Humana Walmart-Preferred Rx Plan, first offered in 2011, which carries a higher operating cost ratio than other Medicare products.

Employer Group Segment

 

            Change  
     2011      2010      Members     Percentage  

Membership:

          

Medical membership:

          

Fully-insured commercial group

     1,180,200         1,252,200         (72,000     (5.7 )% 

ASO

     1,292,300         1,453,600         (161,300     (11.1 )% 

Group Medicare Advantage

     290,600         273,100         17,500        6.4

Medicare Advantage ASO

     27,600         28,200         (600     (2.1 )% 
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total group Medicare Advantage

     318,200         301,300         16,900        5.6
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Group Medicare stand-alone PDP

     4,200         2,400         1,800        75.0
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total group Medicare

     322,400         303,700         18,700        6.2
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total group medical members

     2,794,900         3,009,500         (214,600     (7.1 )% 
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Group specialty membership (a)

     6,532,600         6,517,500         15,100        0.2
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(a) Specialty products include dental, vision, and other supplemental health and financial protection products. Members included in these products may not be unique to each product since members have the ability to enroll in multiple products.

 

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           Change  
     2011     2010     Dollars     Percentage  
     (in millions)        

Premiums and Services Revenue:

        

Premiums:

        

Fully-insured commercial group

   $ 4,782      $ 5,169      $ (387     (7.5 )% 

Group Medicare Advantage

     3,152        3,021        131        4.3

Group Medicare stand-alone PDP

     8        5        3        60.0
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total group Medicare

     3,160        3,026        134        4.4

Group specialty

     935        885        50        5.6
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total premiums

     8,877        9,080        (203     (2.2 )% 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Services

     356        395        (39     (9.9 )% 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total premiums and services revenue

   $ 9,233      $ 9,475      $ (242     (2.6 )% 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

   $ 242      $ 288      $ (46     (16.0 )% 

Benefit ratio

     82.4     82.4       0.0

Operating cost ratio

     17.8     17.5       0.3

Pretax Results

 

   

Employer Group segment pretax income decreased $46 million, or 16%, to $242 million in 2011 primarily due to the impact of minimum benefit ratios required under the Health Insurance Reform Legislation which became effective in 2011. The Employer Group segment’s pretax income for 2011 included the beneficial effect of an estimated $52 million in favorable prior-period medical claims reserve development versus $33 million in 2010.

Enrollment

 

   

Fully-insured commercial group medical membership decreased 72,000 members, or 5.7%, from December 31, 2010 to December 31, 2011 primarily due to continued pricing discipline in a highly competitive environment for large group business partially offset by small group business membership gains.

 

   

Group ASO commercial medical membership decreased 161,300 members, or 11.1%, from December 31, 2010 to December 31, 2011 primarily due to continued pricing discipline in a highly competitive environment for self-funded accounts.

Premiums revenue

 

   

Employer Group segment premiums decreased by $203 million, or 2.2%, from 2010 to $8.9 billion for 2011 primarily due to lower average commercial group medical membership year-over-year and rebates associated with minimum benefit ratios required under the Health Insurance Reform Legislation which became effective in 2011, partially offset by an increase in group Medicare Advantage membership. Rebates result in the recognition of lower premiums revenue, as amounts are set aside for payments to commercial customers during the following year.

Benefit expenses

 

   

The Employer Group segment benefit ratio of 82.4% for 2011 was unchanged from 2010 due to offsetting factors. Factors increasing the 2011 ratio compared to the 2010 ratio include growth in our group Medicare Advantage products which generally carry a higher benefit ratio than our fully-insured commercial group products and the effect of rebates accrued in 2011 associated with the minimum benefit ratios required under the Health Insurance Reform Legislation. Factors decreasing the 2011

 

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ratio compared to the 2010 ratio include the beneficial effect of higher favorable prior-period medical claims reserve development in 2011 versus 2010 and lower utilization of benefits in our commercial group products in 2011. Fully-insured group Medicare Advantage members represented 10.4% of total Employer Group segment medical membership at December 31, 2011 compared to 9.1% at December 31, 2010. Favorable reserve development decreased the Employer Group segment benefit ratio by approximately 60 basis points in 2011 versus 40 basis points in 2010.

Operating costs

 

   

The Employer Group segment operating cost ratio of 17.8% for 2011 increased 30 basis points from 17.5% for 2010 primarily reflecting the impact of lower premiums revenue due to the minimum benefit ratio regulatory requirements which became effective in 2011.

Health and Well-Being Services Segment

 

           Change  
     2011     2010     Dollars     Percentage  
     (in millions)        

Revenues:

        

Services:

        

Primary care services

   $ 880      $ 21      $ 859        nm   

Integrated wellness services

     12        13        (1     (7.7 )% 

Pharmacy solutions

     11        0        11        100 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total services revenues

     903        34        869        nm   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Intersegment revenues:

        

Pharmacy solutions

     9,886        8,410        1,476        17.6

Primary care services

     185        170        15        8.8

Integrated wellness services

     175        167        8        4.8

Home care services

     84        39        45        115.4
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total intersegment revenues

     10,330        8,786        1,544        17.6
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total services and intersegment revenues

   $ 11,233      $ 8,820      $ 2,413        27.4
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

   $ 353      $ 219      $ 134        61.2

Operating cost ratio

     96.1     97.2       (1.1 )% 

nm – not meaningful

Pretax results

 

   

Health and Well-Being Services segment pretax income increased $134 million, or 61.2%, from 2010 to $353 million in 2011 primarily due to growth in our pharmacy solutions business together with the addition of the Concentra business, acquired on December 21, 2010.

Services revenue

 

   

Primary care services revenue increased $859 million from 2010 to $880 million in 2011 primarily due to the acquisition of Concentra on December 21, 2010.

Intersegment revenues

 

   

Intersegment revenues increased $1.5 billion, or 17.6%, from 2010 to $10.3 billion for 2011 primarily due to growth in our pharmacy solutions business as it serves our growing membership, particularly Medicare stand-alone PDP.

 

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Operating costs

 

   

The Health and Well-Being Services segment operating cost ratio decreased 110 basis points from 2010 to 96.1% for 2011 reflecting scale efficiencies associated with growth in our pharmacy solutions business together with the addition of our acquired Concentra operations which carry a lower operating cost ratio than other lines of business in this segment.

Other Businesses

Pretax income for our Other Businesses of $84 million for 2011 compared to pretax losses of $2 million for 2010. Pretax losses for 2010 include the impact of a net charge of $139 million associated with reserve strengthening for our closed block of long-term care policies. Excluding this charge, the year-over-year decline primarily reflects a decrease in pretax income associated with our contract with CMS to administer the LI-NET program.

Comparison of Results of Operations for 2010 and 2009

Certain financial data on a consolidated basis and for our segments was as follows for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009:

Consolidated

 

                Change  
        2010             2009             Dollars         Percentage  
    (dollars in millions, except per common share results)        

Revenues:

       

Premiums:

       

Retail

  $ 19,052      $ 18,349      $ 703        3.8

Employer Group

    9,080        7,466        1,614        21.6

Other Businesses

    4,580        4,112        468        11.4
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total premiums

    32,712        29,927        2,785        9.3
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Services:

       

Retail

    11        10        1        10.0

Employer Group

    395        370        25        6.8

Health and Well-Being Services

    34        17        17        100.0

Other Businesses

    115        123        (8     (6.5 )% 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total services

    555        520        35        6.7
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Investment income

    329        296        33        11.1
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenues

    33,596        30,743        2,853        9.3
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating expenses:

       

Benefits

    27,117        24,784        2,333        9.4

Operating costs

    4,380        4,014        366        9.1

Depreciation and amortization

    245        237        8        3.4
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

    31,742        29,035        2,707        9.3
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income from operations

    1,854        1,708        146        8.5

Interest expense

    105        106        (1     (0.9 )% 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

    1,749        1,602        147        9.2

Provision for income taxes

    650        562        88        15.7
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income

  $ 1,099      $ 1,040      $ 59        5.7
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted earnings per common share

  $ 6.47      $ 6.15      $ 0.32        5.2

Benefit ratio (a)

    82.9     82.8       0.1

Operating cost ratio (b)

    13.2     13.2       0.0

Effective tax rate

    37.2     35.1       2.1

 

(a) Represents total benefit expenses as a percentage of premiums revenue.
(b) Represents total operating costs as a percentage of total revenues less investment income.

 

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Summary

Net income was $1.1 billion, or $6.47 per diluted common share, in 2010 compared to $1.0 billion, or $6.15 per diluted common share, in 2009 primarily as a result of an increase in average Medicare Advantage membership and favorable prior-period medical claims reserve development in 2010 in both our Retail and Employer Group segments. Our diluted earnings per common share for 2010 include the beneficial impact of favorable prior-period medical claims reserve development of approximately $0.86 per diluted common share. These increases were partially offset by a $147 million ($0.55 per diluted common share) write-down of deferred acquisition costs associated with our individual commercial medical policies in our Retail segment and a net charge of $139 million ($0.52 per diluted common share) for reserve strengthening associated with our closed block of long-term care policies in our Other Businesses in 2010 as discussed in Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data. Net income for 2009 also included the favorable impact of the reduction of the liability for unrecognized tax benefits ($0.10 per diluted common share) as a result of Internal Revenue Service audit settlements.

Premiums revenue

Consolidated premiums increased $2.8 billion, or 9.3%, from 2009 to $32.7 billion for 2010. The increase primarily was due to higher premiums revenue in the Employer Group and Retail segments primarily as a result of higher average Medicare Advantage membership and an increase in per member premiums, as well as increased premiums for Other Businesses as a result of our new contract with CMS to administer the LI-NET program in 2010.

Services Revenue

Consolidated services revenue increased $35 million, or 6.7%, from 2009 to $555 million for 2010, primarily due to an increase in services revenue in our Employer Group segment primarily as a result of a new group Medicare ASO account in 2010 partially offset by a decline in commercial ASO membership, as well as an increase in primary care services revenue in our Health and Well-Being Services segment primarily as a result of the acquisition of Concentra on December 21, 2010.

Investment Income

Investment income totaled $329 million for 2010, an increase of $33 million from $296 million for 2009, primarily reflecting higher average invested balances as a result of the reinvestment of operating cash flows, partially offset by lower interest rates.

Benefit Expenses

Consolidated benefit expenses were $27.1 billion for 2010, an increase of $2.3 billion, or 9.4%, from $24.8 billion for 2009. The increase primarily was driven by an increase in the average number of Medicare Advantage members.

The consolidated benefit ratio for 2010 was 82.9%, essentially unchanged, increasing only 10 basis points from the 2009 benefit ratio of 82.8%.

Operating Costs

Our segments incur both direct and shared indirect operating costs. We allocate the indirect costs shared by the segments primarily as a function of revenues. As a result, the profitability of each segment is interdependent.

Consolidated operating costs increased $366 million, or 9.1%, during 2010 compared to 2009, primarily due to the $147 million write-down of deferred acquisition costs associated with our individual commercial medical

 

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policies in 2010, increased Medicare investment spending for our 2011 offerings, and operating costs associated with servicing higher average Medicare Advantage membership, partially offset by a decrease in the number of our employees as a result of our administrative cost reduction strategies, including planned workforce reductions in 2010. Excluding employees added with the acquisition of Concentra on December 21, 2010, the number of employees decreased by 800 to 27,300 at December 31, 2010 from 28,100 at December 31, 2009, or 2.8%, as we aligned the size of our workforce with our membership.

The consolidated operating cost ratio for 2010 of 13.2% remained unchanged from the 2009 ratio as an increase in the Retail segment operating cost ratio was offset by declines in the Employer Group and Health and Well-Being Services segment operating cost ratios.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization for 2010 totaled $245 million compared to $237 million for 2009, an increase of $8 million, or 3.4%, primarily reflecting depreciation expense associated with capital expenditures.

Interest Expense

Interest expense was $105 million for 2010, compared to $106 million for 2009, a decrease of $1 million, or 0.9%.

Income Taxes

Our effective tax rate during 2010 was 37.2% compared to the effective tax rate of 35.1% in 2009. The increase from 2009 to 2010 primarily was due to the reduction of the $17 million liability for unrecognized tax benefits as a result of audit settlements which reduced the effective income tax rate by 1.0% during 2009. In addition, the tax rate for 2010 reflects the estimated impact of new limitations on the deductibility of annual compensation in excess of $500,000 per employee as mandated by recent health insurance reforms. See Note 10 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8. – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for a complete reconciliation of the federal statutory rate to the effective tax rate.

Retail Segment

 

            Change  
     2010      2009      Members     Percentage  

Membership:

          

Medical membership:

          

Individual Medicare Advantage

     1,460,700         1,406,600         54,100        3.8

Individual Medicare stand-alone PDP

     1,670,300         1,925,400         (255,100     (13.2 )% 
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total individual Medicare

     3,131,000         3,332,000         (201,000     (6.0 )% 

Individual commercial

     411,200         397,400         13,800        3.5
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total individual medical members

     3,542,200         3,729,400         (187,200     (5.0 )% 
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Individual specialty membership (a)

     510,000         297,300         212,700        71.5
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(a) Specialty products include dental, vision, and other supplemental health and financial protection products. Members included in these products may not be unique to each product since members have the ability to enroll in multiple products.

 

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           Change  
     2010     2009     Dollars     Percentage  
     (dollars in millions)        

Premiums and Services Revenue:

        

Premiums:

        

Individual Medicare Advantage

   $ 16,265      $ 15,333      $ 932        6.1

Individual Medicare stand-alone PDP

     1,959        2,323        (364     (15.7 )% 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total individual Medicare

     18,224        17,656        568        3.2

Individual commercial

     746        638        108        16.9

Individual specialty

     82        55        27        49.1
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total premiums

     19,052        18,349        703        3.8
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Services

     11        10        1        10.0
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total premiums and services revenue

   $ 19,063      $ 18,359      $ 704        3.8
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

   $ 1,289      $ 1,359      $ (70     (5.2 )% 

Benefit ratio

     82.0     81.7       0.3

Operating cost ratio

     11.1     10.8       0.3

Pretax Results

 

   

Retail segment pretax income was $1.3 billion in 2010, a decrease of $70 million, or 5.2%, from 2009 primarily due to the negative impact of a $147 million write-down of deferred acquisition costs associated with our individual commercial medical policies in 2010 and a decline in average individual Medicare stand-alone PDP membership from 2009 to 2010, partially offset by the beneficial impact of an estimated $198 million in favorable prior-period medical claims reserve development in 2010.

Enrollment

 

   

Individual Medicare Advantage membership increased 54,100 members, or 3.8%, from December 31, 2009 to December 31, 2010, with sales of our PPO products driving the majority of the increase.

 

   

Individual Medicare stand-alone PDP membership decreased 255,100 members, or 13.2%, from December 31, 2009 to December 31, 2010 primarily from our competitive positioning as we realigned stand-alone PDP premium and benefit designs to correspond with our historical prescription drug claims experience.

 

   

Individual specialty membership increased 212,700, or 71.5%, from December 31, 2009 to December 31, 2010, primarily driven by increased sales in dental and vision offerings.

Premiums revenue

 

   

Retail segment premiums increased $703 million, or 3.8%, from 2009 to 2010 primarily due to higher average individual Medicare Advantage membership and an increase in per member premiums, partially offset by a decline in average individual stand-alone PDP membership. Individual Medicare Advantage premiums revenue increased $932 million, or 6.1%, from 2009 to 2010. Average individual Medicare Advantage membership increased 4.4% in 2010 compared to 2009. Individual Medicare Advantage per member premiums increased approximately 1.6% during 2010 compared to 2009. Individual Medicare stand-alone PDP premiums revenue decreased $364 million, or 15.7%, from 2009 to 2010 primarily due to a 14.8% decrease in average individual PDP membership.

Benefit expenses

 

   

The Retail segment benefit ratio increased 30 basis points from 81.7% in 2009 to 82.0% in 2010 primarily driven by a 40 basis point increase in the Medicare benefit ratio primarily as a result of

 

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higher average membership in products that generally carry higher benefit ratios, partially offset by favorable prior-period medical claims reserve development. This favorable development decreased the Retail segment benefit ratio by approximately 100 basis points in 2010.

Operating costs

 

   

The Retail segment operating cost ratio of 11.1% for 2010 increased 30 basis points from 10.8% for 2009. The $147 million write-down of deferred acquisition costs in 2010 increased the operating cost ratio 80 basis points. Excluding the impact of the write-down of deferred acquisition costs, the decrease in the operating cost ratio year-over-year primarily reflects efficiency gains associated with servicing higher average individual Medicare Advantage membership as well as our continued focus on administrative cost reductions, partially offset by increased Medicare investment spending for our 2011 offerings.

Employer Group Segment

 

            Change  
     2010      2009      Members     Percentage  

Membership:

          

Medical membership:

          

Fully-insured commercial group

     1,252,200         1,442,100         (189,900     (13.2 )% 

ASO

     1,453,600         1,571,300         (117,700     (7.5 )% 

Group Medicare Advantage

     273,100         101,900         171,200        168.0

Medicare Advantage ASO

     28,200         0         28,200        100.0
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total group Medicare Advantage

     301,300         101,900         199,400        195.7
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Group Medicare stand-alone PDP

     2,400         2,500         (100     (4.0 )% 
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total group Medicare

     303,700         104,400         199,300        190.9
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total group medical members

     3,009,500         3,117,800         (108,300     (3.5 )% 
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Group specialty membership (a)

     6,517,500         6,761,900         (244,400     (3.6 )% 
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(a) Specialty products include dental, vision, and other supplemental health and financial protection products. Members included in these products may not be unique to each product since members have the ability to enroll in multiple products.

 

           Change  
     2010     2009     Dollars     Percentage  
     (in millions)        

Premiums and Services Revenue:

        

Premiums:

        

Fully-insured commercial group

   $ 5,169      $ 5,547      $ (378     (6.8 )% 

Group Medicare Advantage

     3,021        1,080        1,941        179.7

Group Medicare stand-alone PDP

     5        5        0        0.0
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total group Medicare

     3,026        1,085        1,941        178.9

Group specialty

     885        834        51        6.1
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total premiums

     9,080        7,466        1,614        21.6
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Services

     395        370        25        6.8
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total premiums and services revenue

   $ 9,475      $ 7,836      $ 1,639        20.9
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) before income taxes

   $ 288      $ (13   $ 301        nm   

Benefit ratio

     82.4     84.2       (1.8 )% 

Operating cost ratio

     17.5     19.5       (2.0 )% 

nm – not meaningful

 

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Pretax Results

 

   

Employer Group segment pretax income of $288 million in 2010 increased $301 million from 2009 primarily due to an increase in group Medicare Advantage membership, decreased utilization and our continued focus on pricing discipline primarily associated with our fully-insured commercial group products, as well as administrative cost reductions and the previously mentioned favorable prior-period medical claims reserve development. The Employer Group segment’s pretax income for 2010 included the beneficial effect of an estimated $33 million in favorable prior-period medical claims reserve development.

Enrollment

 

   

Fully-insured group Medicare Advantage membership increased 171,200 members from December 31, 2009 to December 31, 2010. Approximately 109,600 of the members were associated with a new contract added during the first quarter of 2010.

 

   

During 2010, we added 28,200 group Medicare Advantage ASO members due to a new account in 2010.

 

   

Fully-insured commercial group medical membership decreased 189,900 members, or 13.2%, from December 31, 2009 to December 31, 2010 primarily due to continued pricing discipline.

 

   

Group ASO commercial medical membership decreased 117,700 members, or 7.5%, from December 31, 2009 to December 31, 2010 primarily reflecting the loss of a large group account on July 1, 2010.

Premiums revenue

 

   

Employer Group segment premiums increased $1.6 billion, or 21.6%, from 2009 to 2010 primarily due to increased fully-insured group Medicare Advantage membership and an increase in fully-insured commercial group per member premiums, partially offset by a decline in fully-insured commercial group medical membership year-over-year. Per member premiums for commercial fully-insured group accounts increased 7.6% during 2010 compared to 2009.

Benefit expenses

 

   

The Employer Group segment benefit ratio of 82.4% for 2010 decreased 180 basis points from 84.2% for 2009 primarily due to medical trend that was lower than trend assumed in pricing as well as continued pricing discipline, in each case particularly for our commercial business, and favorable prior-period medical claims reserve development in 2010. These decreases were partially offset by growth in our group Medicare Advantage business which generally carries a higher benefit ratio than our fully-insured commercial group business. Medical trend was favorable, primarily affected by lower utilization of services as well as the use of services at lower levels of intensity than in the prior year. The favorable development decreased the Employer Group segment benefit ratio by approximately 40 basis points in 2010. Fully-insured group Medicare Advantage members represented 9.1% of total Employer Group segment medical membership at December 31, 2010 compared to 3.3% at December 31, 2009.

Operating costs

 

   

The Employer Group segment operating cost ratio of 17.5% for 2010 decreased 200 basis points from 19.5% for 2009 primarily reflecting administrative scale efficiencies associated with an increase in average fully-insured group Medicare Advantage membership and our continued focus on administrative cost reductions.

 

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Health and Well-Being Services Segment

 

           Change  
     2010     2009     Dollars     Percentage  
     (in millions)        

Revenues:

        

Services:

        

Primary care services

   $ 21      $ 3      $ 18        600.0

Integrated wellness services

     13        14        (1     (7.1 )% 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total services revenues

     34        17        17        100.0
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Intersegment revenues:

        

Pharmacy solutions

     8,410        8,630        (220     (2.5 )% 

Primary care services

     170        149        21        14.1

Integrated wellness services

     167        150        17        11.3

Home care services

     39        23        16        69.6
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total intersegment revenues

     8,786        8,952        (166     (1.9 )% 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total services and intersegment revenues

   $ 8,820      $ 8,969      $ (149     (1.7 )% 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

   $ 219      $ 183      $ 36        19.7

Operating cost ratio

     97.2     97.8       (0.6 )% 

Pretax results

 

   

Health and Well-Being Services segment pretax income increased $36 million, or 19.7%, from 2009 to $219 million in 2010 primarily due to growth in both our mail order pharmacy business and our CAC medical centers. The opening of our new facility for processing specialty prescription drugs in late 2009 and continued growth from our processing facility opened in 2008 contributed to the growth in our mail order business in 2010.

Services revenue

 

   

Services revenue increased $17 million, or 100.0%, from 2009 to $34 million in 2010 primarily due to an increase in primary care services revenue primarily as a result of the acquisition of Concentra on December 21, 2010.

Intersegment revenues

 

   

Intersegment revenues decreased $166 million, or 1.9%, from 2009 to $8.8 billion for 2010 primarily due to a decline in our pharmacy solutions business primarily as a result of a decrease in average Medicare stand-alone PDP membership from our competitive positioning as we realigned stand-alone PDP premium and benefit designs to correspond with our historical prescription drug claims experience.

Operating costs

 

   

The Health and Well-Being Services segment operating cost ratio decreased 60 basis points from 2009 to 97.2% for 2010 reflecting growth in our CAC medical centers as well as LifeSynch, our integrated behavioral health and wellness business, which carry lower operating cost ratios than other lines of business in this segment.

Other Businesses

Pretax losses for our Other Businesses of $2 million for 2010 compared to pretax income of $97 million for 2009. The decline in operating performance from 2009 to 2010 primarily resulted from a net charge of $139 million

 

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associated with reserve strengthening for our closed block of long-term care policies in 2010, partially offset by pretax income in 2010 associated with our new contract with CMS to administer the LI-NET program, under which we began providing services in the first quarter of 2010.

Liquidity

Our primary sources of cash include receipts of premiums, services revenues, and investment and other income, as well as proceeds from the sale or maturity of our investment securities and borrowings. Our primary uses of cash include disbursements for claims payments, operating costs, interest on borrowings, taxes, purchases of investment securities, acquisitions, capital expenditures, repayments on borrowings, dividends, and share repurchases. Because premiums generally are collected in advance of claim payments by a period of up to several months, our business normally should produce positive cash flows during periods of increasing premiums and enrollment. Conversely, cash flows would be negatively impacted during periods of decreasing premiums and enrollment. From period to period, our cash flows may also be affected by the timing of working capital items. The use of operating cash flows may be limited by regulatory requirements which require, among other items, that our regulated subsidiaries maintain minimum levels of capital and seek approval before paying dividends from the subsidiaries to the parent.

Cash and cash equivalents decreased to $1.4 billion at December 31, 2011 from $1.7 billion at December 31, 2010. The change in cash and cash equivalents for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 is summarized as follows:

 

     2011     2010     2009  
     (in millions)  

Net cash provided by operating activities

   $ 2,079      $ 2,242      $ 1,422   

Net cash used in investing activities

     (1,358     (1,811     (1,859

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

     (1,017     (371     80   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

(Decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents

   $ (296   $ 60      $ (357
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash Flow from Operating Activities

The change in operating cash flows over the three year period primarily results from the corresponding change in earnings, enrollment activity, and changes in working capital items as discussed below. Cash flows were positively impacted by Medicare enrollment gains in 2011 and 2010 because premiums generally are collected in advance of claim payments by a period of up to several months. Conversely, during 2009, cash flows were negatively impacted by the payment of run-off claims associated with enrollment losses in our stand-alone PDP business.

Comparisons of our operating cash flows also are impacted by other changes in our working capital. The most significant drivers of changes in our working capital are typically the timing of payments of benefit expenses and receipts for premiums. We illustrate these changes with the following summaries of benefits payable and receivables.

The detail of benefits payable was as follows at December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009:

 

                          Change  
     2011      2010      2009      2011      2010  
     (in millions)  

IBNR (1)

   $ 2,056       $ 2,051       $ 1,903       $ 5       $ 148   

Military services benefits payable (2)

     339         255         279         84         (24

Reported claims in process (3)

     376         137         358         239         (221

Other benefits payable (4)

     983         1,026         682         (43      344   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total benefits payable

   $ 3,754       $ 3,469       $ 3,222         285         247   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       

Payables from acquisition

              (29      0   
           

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total benefits payable

            $ 256       $ 247   
</