While second-quarter 2020 earnings calls centered largely on
uncertainty related to the COVID-19 pandemic, insurers with a large Medicare
Advantage presence expressed satisfaction in membership growth so far this year
and confidence in their positioning for the 2021 Annual Election Period (AEP).
Reporting second quarter earnings on Aug. 5, Humana Inc.
exceeded analysts' expectations with adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of
$12.56 and other metrics that it attributed to customers delaying care due to
stay-at-home orders and pandemic-related concerns.
Similar to other insurers, the company saw utilization drop by
about 30% during the second half of March and into April, followed by a slight
rebound in June. The insurer's medical loss ratio (MLR) for the quarter was
76.4%, compared with 84.4% in the second quarter of 2019.
Humana also reported an 11% increase in individual MA membership
to 3.88 million as of June 30, with individual MA premiums rising 20% to $13
million.
Reporting adjusted EPS of $2.64, up 40% from $1.89 in the second
quarter of 2019, CVS
Health Corp. on Aug. 5 attributed earnings growth to the
impact of pandemic-related care deferrals on its Health Care Benefits segment,
which includes Aetna. MLR hit 70.3% for the second quarter of 2020, compared
with 84.0% in the second quarter of 2019.
Aetna reported that its commercial membership declined 2% from
the prior-year period. Offsetting those declines was the "continued
success of Medicare Advantage, which grew membership 2.6% sequentially,"
Chief Financial Officer Eva Boratto stated during an Aug. 5 earnings call.
Cigna Corp. on July
30 delivered adjusted EPS of $5.81 for the quarter, compared with $4.30 for the
comparable 2019 quarter, and consolidated revenue of $39.2 billion. Cigna
President and CEO David Cordani said that the company anticipates "another
year of attractive customer growth" for MA. Cigna had set a goal of
increasing its MA enrollment by 10% to 15% this year and is "tracking well
to that objective," he said.
Lastly, market leader UnitedHealth
Group on July 15 reported adjusted net EPS of $7.12, far
exceeding analysts' expectations of $5.28. MA membership as of June 30 was 5.6
million, up 0.5% from 5.57 million in the first quarter of 2020 and up 8% from
5.27 million in the second quarter of 2019.
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