10-K 1 d10k.htm ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL REPORT
Table of Contents

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM 10-K

 

x   ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2002

 

COMMISSION FILE NO. 000-23087

 


 

AMERIGROUP CORPORATION

 

4425 Corporation Lane

Virginia Beach, VA 23462

(757) 490-6900

www.amerigroupcorp.com

 

Delaware

 

54-1739323

(State or Other Jurisdiction of

Incorporation or Organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 


 

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

 

Title of each class


 

Name of each exchange on which registered


Common Stock, $.01 par value

(20,613,652 shares outstanding

as of February 28, 2003)

 

New York Stock Exchange

 


 

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  x    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 the 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  10-K.    ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    Yes  x    No  ¨

 

The aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates at June 28, 2002 was $459,961,833.

 

Document Incorporated by Reference


Part III of this Report incorporates by reference information from the definitive

Proxy Statement for the Registrant’s 2003 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

 


Table of Contents

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

           

Page No.


    

PART I.

      

Item 1.

  

Business

    

3

Item 2.

  

Properties

    

22

Item 3.

  

Legal Proceedings

    

22

Item 4.

  

Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

    

22

    

PART II.

      

Item 5.

  

Market for our Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters

    

24

Item 6.

  

Selected Financial Data

    

26

Item 7.

  

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

    

27

Item 7A.

  

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

    

35

Item 8.

  

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

    

47

Item 9.

  

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

    

89

    

PART III.

      

Item 10.

  

Directors and Executive Officers of the Company

    

89

Item 11.

  

Executive Compensation

    

89

Item 12.

  

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management

    

89

Item 13.

  

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

    

89

Item 14.

  

Controls and Procedures

    

89

Item 15.

  

Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules and Reports on Form 8-K

    

90

 

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PART I

 

ITEM 1.    Business

 

Overview

 

We are a multi-state managed health care company focused on serving people who receive health care benefits through public-sponsored programs, including Medicaid, State Children’s Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, and FamilyCare. We believe that we are better qualified and positioned than many of our competitors to meet the unique needs of our target populations because of our focus on providing managed care to these populations, our medical management programs, and our community-based education and outreach programs. Unlike many managed care organizations that attempt to serve the general commercial population, as well as Medicare and Medicaid populations, we are focused exclusively on the Medicaid, SCHIP and FamilyCare populations. We do not offer Medicare or commercial products. In general, as compared to commercial or Medicare populations, our target population is younger, accesses health care in an inefficient manner, and has a greater percentage of medical expenses related to obstetrics, diabetes, circulatory and respiratory conditions. We design our programs to address the particular needs of our members, for whom we facilitate access to health care benefits pursuant to agreements with the applicable regulatory authority. We combine medical, social and behavioral health services to help our members obtain quality health care in an efficient manner.

 

Our success in establishing and maintaining strong relationships with state governments, providers and members has enabled us to obtain new contracts and to establish a leading market position in many of the markets we serve. Providers are hospitals, physicians and ancillary medical programs which provide medical services to our members. Members are said to be “enrolled” with our health plans to receive benefits. Accordingly, our total membership is generally referred to as our enrollment. As of December 31, 2002, we provided an array of products to members in Texas, New Jersey, Maryland, the District of Columbia and Chicago, Illinois for approximately 591,000 members. Effective January 1, 2003, we acquired PHP Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiary Physicians Health Plans, Inc., (together PHP), in Florida. We operate in Florida under the name AMERIGROUP Florida, Inc. With the acquisition of PHP, we began providing our products to approximately 193,000 additional members on January 1, 2003. 

 

We were incorporated in Delaware on December 9, 1994 as AMERICAID Community Care by a team of experienced senior managers led by Jeffrey L. McWaters, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. During 1994 through 1995, we were involved primarily in financial planning, recruiting and training personnel, developing products and markets and negotiating contracts with various state governments. During 1996, we began enrolling Medicaid members in our Fort Worth, Texas, New Jersey and Chicago, Illinois plans and in 1997, we obtained a contract and began enrolling members in our Houston, Texas plan. In 1998, we acquired the New Jersey Medicaid contract rights and other related assets from Oxford Health Plans (NJ), Inc. In 1999, we began operating in Maryland and the District of Columbia, and obtained a contract and began enrolling members in our Dallas plan. Our operations in Maryland and the District of Columbia are the result of acquiring contract rights from Prudential Health Care. Effective January 1, 2003, we began operations in Florida as a result of an acquisition.

 

Market Opportunity

 

Emergence of managed care

 

Health care in the United States has grown from a $27 billion industry in 1960 to a highly-regulated market of approximately $1.4 trillion in 2001, according to the federal government’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS. CMS projects total U.S. health care spending will grow by 7.3% annually over the next eleven years, implying that health care expenditures will reach approximately $3.1 trillion by 2012. In response to the dramatic increases in health care-related costs in the late 1960s, Congress enacted the Federal Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973, a statute designed to encourage the establishment and expansion of care and cost management. The private sector responded to this legislation by forming health maintenance organizations, or HMOs. HMOs were intended to address the needs of employers, insurers, government entities

 

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and health care providers who sought a cost-effective alternative to traditional indemnity insurance. Since the establishment of HMOs, enrollment has increased more than twelve-fold from 6 million in 1976 to nearly 76.1 million in 2002. Over that time, many HMOs have been formed to focus on a specific or specialty population of health care such as commercial plans for employees, Medicare, Medicaid, dental care and behavioral health care. Additionally, HMOs have been formed in a variety of sizes, from small community-based plans to multi-state organizations.

 

Despite these efforts to organize care delivery, the costs associated with medical care have continued to increase. As a result, it has become increasingly important for HMOs to understand the populations they serve in order to develop an infrastructure and programs tailored to the medical and social profiles of their members.

 

Medicaid, SCHIP and FamilyCare Programs

 

Medicaid, a state administered program, was enacted in 1965 to make Federal matching funds available to all states for the delivery of health care benefits to eligible individuals, principally those with incomes below specified levels who meet other state specified requirements. Medicaid is structured to allow each state to establish its own eligibility standards, benefits package, payment rates and program administration under broad federal guidelines. By contrast, Medicare, in which we do not participate, is a program administered by the federal government and is made available to the aged and disabled. Some of the differences between Medicaid and Medicare are set forth below:

 

Medicaid

 

    state administered,

 

    state and matching federal funds,

 

    average age of our members is 14,

 

    25 million people in managed care in 2002,

 

    government funded prescription drug coverage, and

 

    mandatory managed care in most states.

 

Medicare

 

    federally operated,

 

    federal funds only,

 

    average age of members is over 70,

 

    5 million people in managed care in 2002,

 

    no government funded prescription drug coverage, and

 

    no mandatory managed care.

 

Most states determine threshold Medicaid eligibility by reference to other federal financial assistance programs including:

 

    Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, or TANF, and

 

    Supplemental Security Income, or SSI.

 

TANF provides assistance to low-income families with children and was adopted to replace the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program. SSI is a federal program that provides assistance to low-income aged, blind or disabled individuals. However, states can broaden eligibility criteria.

 

 

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SCHIP, developed in 1997, is a federal/state matching program which provides health care coverage to children not otherwise covered by Medicaid or other insurance programs. SCHIP enables a segment of the large uninsured population in the United States to receive health care benefits. States have the option of administering SCHIP through their Medicaid programs. SCHIP enrollment reached 5.3 million in 2002, an approximate 15% increase over 2001 enrollment figures.

 

FamilyCare programs have been established in several states including New Jersey and the District of Columbia. The New Jersey FamilyCare Health Coverage Act is a Medicaid expansion program providing health care access to an estimated 163,000 previously uninsured or underinsured New Jersey residents in 2003. New Jersey FamilyCare is a voluntary federal and state funded health insurance program created to help uninsured families, single adults and couples without dependent children obtain affordable health coverage. The FamilyCare program in the District of Columbia provides services to approximately 80,000 primarily low-income pregnant women, children and adults.

 

In 2002, according to information published by CMS, Medicaid covered more than 44 million individuals, as follows:

 

Number


  

Category


    

Federal assistance
program

reference


21.3 million

  

children

    

TANF

9.5 million

  

adults, mostly women

    

TANF

8.5 million

  

disabled

    

SSI

4.7 million

  

individuals over 64

    

SSI

 

Nationally, approximately 62% of Medicaid spending is directed toward hospital, physician and other acute care services, and the remaining approximately 38% is for nursing home and other long-term care. In general, inpatient and emergency room utilization tends to be higher within the Medicaid population than among the general population because of the inability to afford access to a primary care physician leading to the postponement of treatment until acute care is required.

 

The highest health care expenses for the non-elderly Medicaid population include:

 

    obstetrics,

 

    respiratory illness,

 

    diabetes,

 

    neonatal care,

 

    sickle cell disease and

 

    HIV/AIDS.

 

In 2002, the Federal government spent $147.5 billion on Medicaid and states spent an additional $111.0 billion. Government estimates indicate that total Medicaid outlays may reach $285 billion by fiscal year 2003, with an additional $4.8 billion spent on SCHIP programs. Key factors driving Medicaid spending include:

 

    number of eligible individuals who enroll,

 

    price of medical and long-term care services,

 

    use of covered services,

 

    state decisions regarding optional services and optional eligibility groups, and

 

    effectiveness of programs to reduce costs of providing benefits, including managed care.

 

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Medicaid Funding

 

The Federal government pays a share of the medical assistance expenditures under each state’s Medicaid program. That share, known as the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, or FMAP, is determined annually by a formula that compares the state’s average per capita income level with the national average per capita income level. Thus, states with higher per capita income levels are reimbursed a smaller share of their costs than states with lower per capita income levels. The FMAP cannot be lower than 50% or higher than 83%. In 2003, the FMAPs varied from 50% in 12 states and 5 territories to 76.6% in Mississippi, and averaged 59.9% overall. In addition, the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 permanently raised the FMAP for the District of Columbia from 50% to 70%. The states’ fiscal 2003 FMAPs for the markets in which we have contracts are:

 

State


  

FMAP


 

New Jersey

  

50.0

%

Texas

  

60.0

%

Maryland

  

50.0

%

Illinois

  

50.0

%

District of Columbia

  

70.0

%

Florida

  

58.8

%

 

The Federal government also matches administrative costs, generally about 50%, although higher percentages are paid for certain activities and functions, such as development of automated claims processing systems. Federal payments have no set limits (other than for SCHIP programs) but rather are made on a matching basis. In 2001, 41% of total federal funds provided to states were spent on Medicaid, the highest category of federal funds provided to states.

 

State governments pay the share of Medicaid and SCHIP costs not paid by the Federal government. Some states require counties to pay part of the state’s share of Medicaid costs. In 2001, Medicaid was the second largest category of state spending, following spending on elementary and secondary education, and made up over 20% of total state spending.

 

Federal law establishes general rules governing how states administer their Medicaid and SCHIP programs. Within those rules, states have considerable flexibility, including flexibility in how they set most provider prices and service utilization controls. Generally, state Medicaid budgets are developed and approved annually by the state governor and the legislature and Medicaid expenditures are monitored during the year against budgeted amounts. Federal law requires states to offer at least two HMOs in any urban market with mandatory HMO enrollment. If Medicaid HMO market departures result in only one or no HMOs in an urban area, the affected state must also offer the fee-for-service Medicaid program.

 

Under the Health Insurance Flexibility and Accountability Demonstration Program (HIFA), states can seek waivers from specific provisions of Federal Medicaid requirements to increase the number of individuals with health coverage through current Medicaid and SCHIP resource levels. Currently, ten states are involved either in approved waiver programs or pending applications. The Bush Administration has emphasized providing coverage to populations with income below 200 percent of the Federal poverty level.

 

Medicaid Managed Care

 

Historically, the traditional Medicaid programs made payments directly to providers after delivery of care. Under this approach, recipients received care from disparate sources, as opposed to being cared for in a systematic way. As a result, care for routine needs was often accessed through emergency rooms or not at all.

 

The delivery of episodic health care under the traditional Medicaid program limited the ability of the states to provide quality care, implement preventive measures and control health care costs. Federal Medicaid spending

 

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grew at an average annual rate of 19.6% between 1988 and 1993, prior to the widespread use of managed care for Medicaid benefits.

 

Over the past decade, in response to rising health care costs and in an effort to ensure quality health care, the Federal government has expanded the ability of state Medicaid agencies to explore, and, in some cases, mandate the use of managed care for Medicaid beneficiaries. If Medicaid managed care is not mandatory, individuals entitled to Medicaid may choose either the traditional Medicaid program or a managed care plan, if available. According to information published by CMS, from 1993 to 1998, managed care enrollment among Medicaid beneficiaries increased more than three-fold. All of the markets in which we operate, except Chicago, Illinois, have a state-mandated Medicaid managed care program in place.

 

The AMERIGROUP Approach

 

Unlike many managed care organizations that attempt to serve the general population, as well as Medicare and Medicaid populations, we are focused exclusively on serving people who receive health care benefits through public-sponsored programs. We do not offer Medicare or commercial products. Our success in establishing and maintaining strong relationships with state governments, providers and members has enabled us to obtain new contracts and to establish a strong market position in the markets we serve. We have been able to accomplish this by addressing the various needs of these three constituent groups.

 

State Governments

 

We have been successful in bidding for contracts and implementing new products because of our ability to facilitate access to quality health care services in a cost-effective manner. Our education and outreach programs, our disease and medical management programs and our information systems benefit the communities we serve while providing the state governments with predictability of cost. Our education and outreach programs are designed to decrease the use of emergency care services as the primary access to health care through the provision of programs like member health education seminars and system-wide 24-hour on-call nurses. Our information systems are designed to measure and track our performance enabling us to demonstrate the effectiveness of our programs to the government. While we promote ourselves directly in applying for new contracts or seeking to add new benefit plans, we believe that our ability to obtain additional contracts and expand our service areas within a state results primarily from our demonstrating prior success in facilitating access to quality care while reducing and managing costs and our customer-focused approach to working with state governments. We believe we will also benefit from this experience when bidding for and acquiring contracts in new state markets.

 

Providers

 

In each of the communities where we operate, we have established extensive provider networks and have been successful in continuing to establish new provider relationships. We have accomplished this by working closely with physicians to help them operate efficiently by providing financial, statistical and utilization information, physician and patient educational programs and disease and medical management programs, as well as adhering to a prompt payment policy. In addition, as we increase our market penetration, we provide our physicians with a growing base of potential patients in the markets they serve. This network of providers and relationships assists us in implementing preventive care methods, managing costs and improving access to health care for members. We believe that our experience working and contracting with Medicaid providers will give us a competitive advantage in entering new markets. While we do not directly market to or through our providers, they are important in helping us attract new members and retain existing members.

 

Communities

 

We focus on the members we serve and the communities where they live. Many of our employees, including the sales force and outreach staff, are a part of the communities we serve. We are active in our members’

 

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communities through education and outreach programs. We often provide programs in our members’ physician office, churches and community centers. Upon entering a new market, we use these programs and other advertising to create brand awareness and loyalty in the community.

 

Members

 

In both signing up new members and retaining existing members, we focus on our understanding of the unique needs of the Medicaid, SCHIP and FamilyCare populations. We have developed a system that provides our members with easy access to appropriate care. We supplement this care with community-based education and outreach programs designed to improve the well-being of our members. These programs not only help our members control and manage their medical care, but also have been proven to decrease the incidence of emergency room care, which is traumatic for the individual and expensive and inefficient for the health care system. We also help our members access prenatal care which improves outcomes for our members and is less costly than unmanaged care. As our presence in a market matures, these programs, and other value added services, help us build and maintain membership levels.

 

Strategy

 

Our objective is to become the leading managed care organization in the United States focused on serving people who receive health care benefits through public-sponsored programs. To achieve this objective we intend to:

 

Increase our membership in existing markets through internal growth and acquisitions.    We intend to increase our membership in existing markets through development and implementation of community-specific products, alliances with key providers, sales and marketing efforts and acquisitions. We facilitate access to a broad continuum of health care supported by numerous services such as neonatal intensive care and high-risk pregnancy programs. These products and services are developed and administered by us but are also designed to attract and retain our providers, who are critical to our overall success. Through strategic and selective contracting with providers, we are able to customize our provider networks to meet the unique clinical, cultural and socio-economic needs of our members. Our providers often are located in the inner-city neighborhoods where our members live, thereby providing accessibility to, and an understanding of, the needs of our members. For example, in our voluntary Chicago market, we have a sales force to recruit potential members who are currently in the traditional Medicaid system. The overall effect of this comprehensive approach reinforces our broad brand-name recognition as a leading managed health care company serving people who receive public-sponsored health care benefits, while complying with state mandated marketing guidelines. We may also choose to increase membership by acquiring Medicaid contracts and other related assets from competitors in our existing markets.

 

Expand into new markets for our services through acquisitions and development of new operations.    Since 1996, we have developed markets in Texas, New Jersey and Chicago, Illinois and acquired businesses in New Jersey, Maryland, Texas, Florida and the District of Columbia. We intend to evaluate potential new markets using our established government relationships and our historical experience in managing Medicaid populations. Our management team is experienced in identifying markets for development of new operations, including complementary businesses, identifying and executing acquisitions and integrating these businesses into our existing operations. Furthermore, our information technology systems and processes are designed to be scalable and replicable, which should enable us to access the critical information needed to effectively manage a new market.

 

Capitalize on our experience working with state governments.    We continually strive to be an industry-recognized leader in government relations and an important resource to our state government customers. For example, we have a dedicated legislative affairs team with experience at the Federal, state and local levels. We are, and intend to continue to be, an active and leading participant in the formulation and development of new policies and programs for public-sponsored health care benefits. This also enables us to competitively expand our service areas and to implement new products.

 

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Focus on our “medical home” concept to provide quality, cost-effective health care.    We believe that the care the Medicaid population has historically received can be characterized as uncoordinated, episodic and short-term focused. In the long term, this approach is less desirable for the patient and more expensive for the state.

 

Our approach to serving the Medicaid and historically uninsured populations is based on offering a comprehensive range of medical and social services intended to improve the well-being of the member while lowering the overall cost of providing benefits. Unlike traditional Medicaid, each of our members has a primary contact, usually a primary care physician, to coordinate and administer the provision of care, as well as enhanced benefits, such as 24-hour on-call nurses. We refer to this coordinated approach as a medical home.

 

Utilize population specific disease management programs and related techniques to improve quality and reduce costs.    An integral part of our medical home concept is continual quality management. To help the physician improve the quality of care and improve the health status of our members, we have developed a number of programs and procedures to address high frequency, chronic or high-cost conditions, such as pregnancy, respiratory conditions, diabetes, sickle cell and congestive heart failure. Our procedures include case and disease management, pre-admission certification, concurrent review of hospital admissions, discharge planning, retrospective review of claims, outcome studies and management of inpatient, ambulatory and alternative care. These policies and programs are designed to consistently provide high quality care and cost-effective service to our members.

 

Products

 

We have developed several products through which we offer a range of health care services. These products are also community-based and seek to address the social and economic issues faced by the populations we serve. Additionally, we seek to establish strategic relationships with prestigious medical centers, children’s hospitals and federally qualified health centers to assist in implementing our products and medical management programs within the communities we serve. Our health plans cover various services that vary by state and may include:

 

    primary and specialty physician care,

 

    inpatient and outpatient hospital care,

 

    emergency and urgent care,

 

    prenatal care,

 

    laboratory and x-ray services,

 

    home health and durable medical equipment,

 

    behavioral health services and substance abuse,

 

    long-term and nursing home care,

 

    24-hour on-call nurses,

 

    vision care and exam allowances,

 

    dental care,

 

    chiropractic care,

 

    podiatry,

 

    prescriptions and limited over-the-counter drugs,

 

    assistance with obtaining transportation for office or health education visits,

 

    memberships in the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs, and

 

    welcome calls and health status calls to coordinate care.

 

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Our products, which we may offer under different names in different markets, focus on specific populations within the Medicaid, FamilyCare and SCHIP programs. The average premiums for our products vary significantly due to differences in the benefits offered and underlying medical conditions in the populations covered.

 

AMERICAID, our principal product, is our family-focused Medicaid managed health care product designed for the TANF population that consists primarily of low-income children and their mothers. Historically, most of our members used the AMERICAID product. We currently offer our AMERICAID product in all markets we serve. As of December 31, 2002, we had approximately 394,000 AMERICAID members. Effective January 1, 2003, the acquisition of PHP added approximately 116,000 AMERICAID members to our enrollment.

 

AMERIKIDS is our managed health care product for uninsured children not eligible for Medicaid. This product is designed for children in the SCHIP initiative. We began offering AMERIKIDS in Maryland and Washington, D.C. when we acquired Prudential’s contract rights and other related assets in those areas in 1999. We began offering AMERIKIDS in New Jersey and Texas in 2000. As of December 31, 2002, we had approximately 125,000 members in our AMERIKIDS product. Effective January 1, 2003, the acquisition of PHP added approximately 59,000 AMERIKIDS members to our enrollment.

 

AMERIPLUS is our managed health care product for SSI recipients. This population consists of the low-income aged, blind and disabled. We began offering this product in 1998 and currently offer it in New Jersey, Maryland and Houston. We expect our AMERIPLUS membership to grow as more states include SSI benefits in mandatory managed care programs. As of December 31, 2002, we had approximately 46,000 AMERIPLUS members. Effective January 1, 2003, the acquisition of PHP added approximately 18,000 AMERIPLUS members to our enrollment. Included in this number are approximately 350 members added through a Florida program called SummitCare. SummitCare is a pilot program designed by the state of Florida to help seniors live safely in their homes as an alternative to nursing home care.

 

AMERIFAM is our FamilyCare managed health care product designed for uninsured segments of the population other than SCHIP eligibles. AMERIFAM’s current focus is the families of our SCHIP and Medicaid children. We offer this product in Washington, D.C. and New Jersey where the program covers parents of SCHIP and Medicaid children. As of December 31, 2002, we had approximately 26,000 AMERIFAM members.

 

As of December 31, 2002, of our 591,000 members, 92% were enrolled in TANF, SCHIP and FamilyCare programs. The remaining 8% were enrolled in SSI programs. Of these SSI enrollees, approximately 5,000 were members to whom we provided limited administrative services but did not provide health benefits.

 

Disease and Medical Management Programs

 

We provide specific disease and medical management programs designed to meet the special health care needs of our members with chronic illnesses, to manage excessive costs and to improve the overall health of our members. We currently offer disease and medical management programs in areas such as neonatal, high-risk pregnancy, asthma and other respiratory conditions, congestive heart failure, sickle cell disease, diabetes and HIV. These programs focus on preventing acute occurrences associated with chronic conditions by identifying at risk members, monitoring their conditions and pro-actively managing their care. We also employ tools such as utilization review and pre-certification to reduce the excessive costs often associated with uncoordinated health care programs.

 

Marketing and Educational Programs

 

An important aspect of our comprehensive approach to health care delivery is our marketing and educational programs, which we administer system-wide for our providers and members. We often provide these programs in members’ homes, churches and community centers. The programs we have developed are specifically designed to increase awareness of various diseases, conditions and methods of prevention in a manner that supports the providers, while meeting the unique needs of our members. For example, we conduct health promotion events in

 

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physicians’ offices that target respiratory conditions, immunization and other health issues. Direct provider marketing is supported by traditional marketing venues such as direct mail, telemarketing, and television, radio and cooperative advertising with participating medical groups.

 

We believe that we can also increase and retain membership through marketing and education initiatives. We have a dedicated staff who actively support and educate prospective and existing members and community organizations. Through programs such as Safe Kids, and My Baby and Me, a prenatal program for pregnant moms and their babies, we promote a healthy lifestyle, safety and good nutrition to our members. In addition to these personal health-related programs, we remain committed to the communities we serve.

 

We have developed specific strategies for building relationships with key community organizations, which helps enhance community support for our products and improve service to members. We regularly participate in local events and festivals and organize community health fairs to promote healthy lifestyle practices. As important, our associates help support community groups by serving board members and volunteers. In the aggregate, these activities serve to act as not only as a referral channel but also reinforce the AMERIGROUP brand and foster member loyalty.

 

In several markets, we provide value-added benefits as a means to attract and retain members. These benefits include free memberships to the local Boys and Girls Clubs and vouchers for over-the-counter medications. We believe that our comprehensive approach to health care positions us well to serve our members, their providers and the communities in which they both live and work.

 

Community Partners

 

We believe community focus and understanding are important to attracting and retaining members. To assist in establishing our community presence in a new market, we seek to establish relationships with prestigious medical centers, children’s hospitals and federally qualified health centers to offer our products and programs. For example, we have strategic relationships with Cook Children’s Health Care System in Fort Worth, Texas and Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in Houston, Texas, granting us the right to actively market their names and logos in advertising of our Medicaid products. A Cook Children’s affiliate, the Cook Children’s Physician Network, is our exclusive provider of pediatric health care services to members age 15 and under in this service delivery area.

 

Provider Network

 

We facilitate access to health care services to our members through mutually non-exclusive contracts with primary care physicians, specialists, ancillary providers and hospitals. Either prior to or concurrently with bidding for new contracts, we establish a provider network in each of our service areas. The following table shows the total approximate number of primary care physicians, specialists and hospitals participating in our network for December 2002:

 

    

Service Areas


    

Texas


  

New Jersey


  

Mid-
Atlantic

(Maryland
and D.C.)


  

Chicago


  

Total


  

Florida(1)


Primary care physicians

  

1,300

  

1,800

  

1,500

  

450

  

5,050

  

1,300

Specialists

  

3,500

  

3,800

  

6,000

  

600

  

13,900

  

4,200

Hospitals

  

70

  

70

  

50

  

20

  

210

  

80

Ancillary providers

  

600

  

450

  

350

  

400

  

1,800

  

900


(1)   Effective January 1, 2003 we began Florida operations through the acquisition of PHP. Our provider network for Florida became effective on January 1, 2003 with the acquisition of PHP. Accordingly, our Florida network is not included in our participating network total for December 2002.

 

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The primary care physician, or PCP, is a critical component in care delivery, and also in the management of costs and the attraction and retention of new members. PCPs include family and general practitioners, pediatricians, internal medicine physicians and OB/GYNs. These physicians provide preventive and routine health care services and are responsible for making referrals to specialists, hospitals and other providers. Health care services provided directly by primary care physicians include the treatment of illnesses not requiring referrals, periodic physician examinations, routine immunizations, well child care and other preventive health care services.

 

Specialists provide medical care to members generally upon referral by the primary care physicians. However, we have identified specialists that are part of the ongoing care of our members, such as allergists, oncologists and surgeons, which our members may access directly without first obtaining a PCP referral. Our contracts with both the primary care physicians and specialists usually are for one- to two-year periods and automatically renew for successive one-year periods subject to termination by us for cause, if necessary, based on provider conduct or other appropriate reasons. The contracts generally can be canceled by either party upon 90 to 120 days prior written notice.

 

Our contracts with hospitals are usually for one- to two-year periods and automatically renew for successive one-year periods. Generally, our hospital contracts may be terminated by either party without cause with 90 to 150 days prior written notice. Pursuant to the contract, the hospital is paid for all pre-authorized medically necessary inpatient and outpatient services and all covered emergency and medical screening services provided to members. With the exception of emergency services, most inpatient hospital services require advance approval from the member’s primary care physician and our medical department. We require hospitals in our network to participate in utilization review and quality assurance programs.

 

We have also contracted with other ancillary providers for physical therapy, mental health and chemical dependency care, home health care, vision care, diagnostic laboratory tests, x-ray examinations, ambulance services and durable medical equipment. Additionally, we have contracted with dental vendors that provide routine dental care in markets where routine dental care is a covered benefit and with a national pharmacy benefit manager that provides a local pharmacy network in our markets where pharmacy is a covered benefit.

 

In order to ensure the quality of our medical care providers, we credential and re-credential our providers using standards that are supported by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Additionally, we provide feedback and evaluations on quality and medical management to them in order to improve the quality of care provided, increase their support of our programs and enhance our ability to attract and retain providers.

 

Provider Payment Methods

 

Fee-for-Service.    This is a reimbursement mechanism which pays providers based upon services performed. For the year ended December 31, 2002, approximately 94.1% of our payments for direct health benefits were on a fee-for-service reimbursement basis, including fees paid to third-party vendors for ancillary services such as pharmacy, mental health, dental and vision benefits. The primary fee-for-service arrangements are maximum allowable fee schedule, per diem, percent of charges or any combination thereof. The following is a description of each of these mechanisms:

 

Maximum Allowable Fee Schedule.    Providers are paid the lesser of billed charges or a specified fixed payment for a covered service. The maximum allowable fee schedule is developed using, among other indicators, the state fee-for-service Medicaid program fee schedule, Medicare fee schedules, medical costs trends and market conditions. Adjustments to the fee schedules are not mandated in the provider contracts, but adjusted at our discretion, using the above indicators.

 

Per Diem and Case Rates.    Hospital facility costs are typically reimbursed at negotiated per diem or case rates, which vary by level of care within the hospital setting. Lower rates are paid for lower intensity services, such as a low birth weight newborn baby who stays in the hospital a few days longer than the mother, compared to higher rates for a neo-natal intensive care unit stay for a baby born with severe developmental disabilities.

 

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Percent of Charges.    We contract with providers to pay them an agreed-upon percent of their standard charges for covered services. This is typically done where hospitals are reimbursed under the state fee-for-service Medicaid program on a percent of charges basis.

 

Capitation.    Some of our primary care physicians and specialists are paid on a fixed-fee per member basis, also known as capitation. Our arrangements with other providers for vision, dental, home health, laboratory, durable medical equipment, mental health and chemical dependency services may also be capitated.

 

We review the fees paid to providers periodically and make adjustments as necessary. Generally, the contracts with the providers do not allow for automatic annual increases in payments. Among the factors generally considered in adjustments are changes to state Medicaid fee schedules, competitive environment, current market conditions, anticipated utilization patterns and projected medical expenses. In order to enable us to better monitor quality and meet our state contractual encounter reporting obligations, it is our intention to increase the number of providers we pay on a fee-for-service basis and reduce the number of capitation contracts we have. States use the encounter data to monitor quality of care to members and to set premium rates.

 

Our Health Plans

 

We have five active health plan subsidiaries offering health care services in Texas, New Jersey, Florida, Maryland, the District of Columbia and Chicago, Illinois. We have never been denied a contract renewal from the jurisdictions in which we do business and we expect our relationship with these jurisdictions to continue. Each of our health plans have one or more contracts that expire at various times, as set forth below:

 

 

MARKET


  

PRODUCT


  

TERM END DATE


Texas

  

TANF, SSI, SCHIP

  

August 31, 2003

Florida

  

TANF, SSI

  

June 30, 2004

Florida

  

SCHIP

  

September 30, 2003 and 2006

Florida

  

Summit Care

  

June 30, 2003

New Jersey

  

TANF, SSI, SCHIP, FamilyCare

  

June 30, 2003

Maryland(a)

  

TANF, SSI, SCHIP

  

District of Columbia

  

TANF, SCHIP, FamilyCare

  

July 31, 2003

Illinois

  

TANF

  

June 30, 2003


(a)   Our Maryland contract does not have a set term. It can be terminated by either party upon 60 days notice.

 

Texas

 

Our Texas health plan, AMERIGROUP Texas, Inc., is licensed as an HMO and became operational in September 1996. Our current service areas include the cities of Fort Worth, Dallas and Houston and the surrounding counties. For December 2002, we had approximately 296,000 members in Texas, consisting of approximately 139,000 members in Houston, approximately 84,000 members in Dallas and approximately 73,000 members in Fort Worth. On January 1, 2002, we acquired the Medicaid line of business of MethodistCare Inc. (MethodistCare) in the Houston area. In August 2001, we acquired the Medicaid line of business of Humana Inc. (Humana) in the Houston area. We have the largest Medicaid membership in each of our Fort Worth and Houston markets. We have the second largest Medicaid membership in our Dallas market. We offer AMERICAID in each of our Texas markets and AMERIPLUS in Houston. In May 2000, we began offering AMERIKIDS in Dallas and Houston. Our TANF contract in Fort Worth, our TANF and SCHIP contracts in Dallas and our TANF, SCHIP and SSI contracts in Houston expire on August 31, 2003.

 

Florida

 

Our Florida health plan, AMERIGROUP Florida, Inc., is licensed as an HMO and became operational in January 2003 with the acquisition of PHP. Our current service areas include the metropolitan areas of Miami/Ft.

 

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Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa. Our current service areas include 12 counties in Florida. We did not have any membership for December 2002. Effective January 1, 2003, upon the acquisition of PHP, we had approximately 193,000 members, consisting of approximately 37,000 members in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, 47,000 members in Orlando and 109,000 members in Tampa. Our TANF contracts expire June 30, 2004 and our SummitCare and SSI contracts expire June 30, 2003. Our Florida SCHIP contracts are entered into on a county by county basis. The SCHIP contracts, which expire at different times based on the county, expire September 30, 2003 and 2006.

 

New Jersey

 

Our New Jersey health plan, AMERIGROUP New Jersey, Inc., is licensed as an HMO and became operational in February 1996. Our current service areas include 20 of the 21 counties in New Jersey. For December 2002, we had approximately 99,000 members in New Jersey. We have the third largest Medicaid membership in New Jersey. We offer AMERICAID, AMERIPLUS, AMERIKIDS and AMERIFAM in New Jersey. Our contract with New Jersey expires on June 30, 2003.

 

Maryland

 

Our Maryland health plan, AMERIGROUP Maryland, Inc. is authorized to operate as a managed care organization in Maryland and became operational in June 1999. Our current service areas include 20 of the 24 counties in Maryland. For December 2002, we had approximately 125,000 members in Maryland. In May 2001, the state of Maryland transitioned to us approximately 17,000 additional members from another Medicaid MCO in receivership. We have the largest Medicaid membership in Maryland. We offer AMERICAID, AMERIPLUS and AMERIKIDS in Maryland. Our contract in Maryland does not have a set term. It can be terminated by either party upon 60 days prior notice.

 

District of Columbia

 

AMERIGROUP Maryland, Inc. is also licensed as an HMO in the District of Columbia and became operational there in August 1999. For December 2002, we had approximately 37,000 members in the District of Columbia. Effective July 1, 2002, we acquired the Medicaid line of business of Capital Community Health Plan (CCHP) in Washington D.C. We have the largest Medicaid membership in the District of Columbia. We offer AMERICAID, AMERIKIDS and AMERIFAM in the District of Columbia. Our contract with the District of Columbia expires on July 31, 2003.

 

Chicago, Illinois

 

Our Chicago, Illinois health plan, AMERIGROUP Illinois, Inc., is licensed as an HMO and became operational in April 1996. Our current service area includes the counties of Cook and DuPage in the Chicago area. In Chicago, enrollment in a Medicaid managed care plan is voluntary. For December 2002, we had approximately 34,000 members in Chicago. We have the largest Medicaid health plan membership in Cook County. We offer AMERICAID in the Chicago area. Our contract in Illinois, which can be terminated by either party with 90 days written notice, expires June 30, 2003.

 

Quality Management

 

We have a comprehensive quality management plan designed to improve access to cost-effective quality care. We have developed policies and procedures to ensure that the health care services provided by our health plans meet the professional standards of care established by the industry and the medical community. These procedures include:

 

   

Analysis of health care utilization data.    To avoid duplication of services or medications, in conjunction with the primary care physicians, health care utilization data is analyzed and, through comparative provider data and periodic meetings with physicians, we identify areas in which a

 

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physician’s utilization rate differs significantly from the rates of other physicians. On the basis of this analysis, we suggest opportunities for improvement and following up with the primary care physician to monitor utilization.

 

    Medical care satisfaction studies.    We evaluate the quality and appropriateness of care provided to our health plan members by reviewing health care utilization data and responses to member and physician questionnaires and grievances.

 

    Clinical care oversight.    Each of our health plans has a medical advisory committee comprised of physician representatives and chaired by the plan’s medical director. This committee reviews credentialing, approves clinical protocols and practice guidelines and evaluates new physician group candidates. Based on regular reviews, the medical directors who head these committees develop recommendations for improvements in the delivery of medical care.

 

    Quality improvement plan.    A quality improvement plan is implemented in each of our health plans and is governed by a quality management committee. The quality management committee is comprised of senior management at our health plans, who review and evaluate the quality of our health services and are responsible for the development of quality improvement plans spanning both clinical quality and customer service quality. These plans are developed from provider and membership feedback, satisfaction surveys and results of action plans. Our corporate quality improvement council oversees and meets regularly with our health plan quality management committees to help ensure that we have a coordinated, quality-focused approach relating to our members, providers and state governments.

 

Management Information Systems

 

The ability to access data and translate it into meaningful information is essential to our being able to operate across a multi-state service area in a cost effective manner. Our centralized computer-based information systems support our core processing functions under a set of integrated databases and are designed to be both replicable and scalable to accommodate internal growth and growth from acquisitions. This integrated approach helps to assure that consistent sources of claim and member information are provided across all of our health plans. We use these systems for billing, claims processing, utilization management, marketing and sales tracking, financial and management accounting, medical cost trending, reporting, planning and analysis. The systems also support our internal member and provider service functions, including on-line access to member eligibility verification, primary care physician membership roster and claims status.

 

Competition

 

Our principal competitors for state contracts, members and providers consist of the following types of organizations:

 

    Primary Care Case Management Programs, or PCCMs—Programs established by the states through contracts with primary care providers to provide primary care services to the Medicaid recipient, as well as provide limited oversight over other services.

 

    Commercial HMOs—National and regional commercial managed care organizations that have Medicaid and Medicare members in addition to members in private commercial plans.

 

    Medicaid HMOs—Managed care organizations that focus solely on serving people who receive health care benefits through Medicaid.

 

We will continue to face varying levels of competition as we expand in our existing service areas or enter new markets. In Chicago, where enrollment in a managed care plan is voluntary, we also compete for members with the traditional means for accessing care, including hospitals and other health care providers. Health care reform proposals may cause a number of commercial managed care organizations already in our service areas to

 

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decide to enter or exit the Medicaid market. However, the licensing requirements and bidding and contracting procedures in some states present barriers to entry into the Medicaid managed health care industry.

 

We have two competitors in Fort Worth, six competitors in Houston and two competitors in Dallas. In each of our Fort Worth and Houston markets, we have the largest Medicaid membership. In our Dallas market, we have the second largest Medicaid membership. We have four competitors and the third largest Medicaid membership in New Jersey. We have five competitors and the largest Medicaid membership in Maryland. We have three competitors and the largest Medicaid membership in the District of Columbia. We have four competitors and the largest Medicaid health plan membership in Cook County, Illinois. We have eleven competitors in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, five competitors in Orlando and five competitors in Tampa. We have the largest Medicaid membership in the Orlando and Tampa markets and the fourth largest Medicaid membership in our Miami/Ft. Lauderdale market.

 

We compete with other managed care organizations for state contracts, as well as to attract new members and retain existing members. States generally use either a formal proposal process reviewing many bidders or award individual contracts to qualified applicants that apply for entry to the program. In order to be awarded a state contract, state governments consider many factors, which include providing quality care, satisfying financial requirements, demonstrating an ability to deliver services, and establishing networks and infrastructure. People who wish to enroll in a managed health care plan or to change health care plans typically choose a plan based on the service offered, ease of access to services, a specific provider being part of the network and the availability of supplemental benefits.

 

In addition to competing for members, we compete with other managed care organizations to enter into contracts with independent physicians, physician groups and other providers. We believe the factors that providers consider in deciding whether to contract with us include potential member volume, reimbursement rates, our medical management programs, timeliness of reimbursement and administrative service capabilities.

 

Regulation

 

Our health care operations are regulated at both state and federal levels. Government regulation of the provision of health care products and services is a changing area of law that varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Regulatory agencies generally have discretion to issue regulations and interpret and enforce laws and rules. Changes in applicable laws and rules also may occur periodically.

 

HMOs and managed care organizations

 

Our five health plan subsidiaries are authorized to operate as an HMO in each of Texas, New Jersey, Florida, the District of Columbia and Illinois, and as a managed care organization, or MCO, in Maryland. In each of the jurisdictions in which we operate, we are regulated by the relevant health, insurance and/or human services departments that oversee the activities of HMOs and MCOs providing or arranging to provide services to Medicaid enrollees.

 

The process for obtaining the authorization to operate as an HMO or MCO is lengthy and complicated, and requires demonstration to the regulators of the adequacy of the health plan’s organizational structure, financial resources, utilization review, quality assurance programs and complaint procedures. Both under state HMO and MCO statutes and state insurance laws, our health plan subsidiaries must comply with minimum net worth requirements and other financial requirements, such as minimum capital, deposit and reserve requirements. Insurance regulations may also require the prior state approval of acquisitions of other managed care organizations’ businesses and the payment of dividends, as well as notice requirements for loans or the transfer of funds. Each of our subsidiaries is also subject to periodic reporting requirements. In addition, each health plan must meet numerous criteria to secure the approval of state regulatory authorities before implementing operational changes, including the development of new product offerings and, in some states, the expansion of service areas.

 

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Medicaid

 

Medicaid was established under the U.S. Social Security Act. It is state-operated and implemented. Each state:

 

    establishes its own eligibility standards,

 

    determines the type, amount, duration and scope of services,

 

    sets the rate of payment for services, and

 

    administers its own program.

 

Medicaid policies for eligibility, services, rates and payment are complex, and vary considerably among states, and the state policies change from time to time.

 

States are also permitted by the federal government to seek waivers from requirements of the Social Security Act. The waivers most relevant to us are the Section 1915(b) freedom of choice waivers that enable:

 

    mandating Medicaid enrollment into managed care,

 

    the utilization of a central broker for enrollment into plans,

 

    the use of cost savings to provide additional services, and

 

    limiting the number of providers for additional services.

 

Waivers are approved for two-year periods and can be renewed on an ongoing basis if the state applies. A 1915(b) waiver cannot negatively impact beneficiary access or quality of care and must be cost-effective. Managed care initiatives may be state-wide and required for all classes of Medicaid eligible recipients, or can be limited to service areas and classes of recipients. All jurisdictions in which we operate, except Illinois, have some sort of mandatory Medicaid program. However, under the waivers pursuant to which the mandatory programs have been implemented, there must be at least two managed care plans operating from which Medicaid eligible recipients may choose.

 

Many states, including Maryland, operate under a Section 1115 demonstration rather than a 1915(b) waiver. This is a more expansive form of waiver that enables the state to have a Medicaid program that is more broad than typically permitted under the Social Security Act. For example, Maryland’s 1115 waiver allows it to include more individuals in its managed care program than typically allowed under Medicaid.

 

In all the states in which we operate, we must enter into a contract with the state’s Medicaid regulator in order to be a Medicaid managed care organization. States generally use either a formal proposal process, reviewing many bidders, or award individual contracts to qualified applicants that apply for entry to the program. Although other states have done so in the past and may do so in the future, currently Texas, Florida and the District of Columbia are the only jurisdictions in which we operate that use competitive bidding processes.

 

The contractual relationship with the state is generally for a period of one to two years and renewable on an annual or biannual basis. The contracts with the states and regulatory provisions applicable to us generally set forth in great detail the requirements for operating in the Medicaid sector including provisions relating to:

 

    eligibility, enrollment and disenrollment processes,

 

    covered services,

 

    eligible providers,

 

    subcontractors,

 

    record-keeping and record retention,

 

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    periodic financial and informational reporting,

 

    quality assurance,

 

    marketing,

 

    financial standards,

 

    timeliness of claims’ payment,

 

    health education and wellness and prevention programs,

 

    safeguarding of member information,

 

    fraud and abuse detection and reporting,

 

    grievance procedures, and

 

    organization and administrative systems.

 

A health plan’s compliance with these requirements is subject to monitoring by the state regulator and by CMS. A health plan is subject to periodic comprehensive quality assurance evaluation by a third party reviewing organization and generally by the insurance department of the jurisdiction that licenses the health plan. A health plan must also submit quarterly and annual statutory financial statements and utilization reports, as well as many other reports.

 

Federal Regulation

 

HIPAA

 

In 1996, Congress enacted the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA. The Act is designed to improve the portability and continuity of health insurance coverage and simplify the administration of health insurance. Among other things, HIPAA’s administrative simplification provisions entail new regulations relating to standards for electronic transactions and code sets; privacy of health information; security of health care information; national provider identifiers; and national employer identifiers. Separate regulations have been issued in final form relating to privacy, standard transactions and security. We must comply by April 2003 for privacy rules, October 2003 for standard transaction rules and April 2005 for the security rules. These rules are described in more detail below.

 

In August 2000, the Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, issued new standards for submitting electronic claims and other administrative health care transactions. The new standards were designed to streamline the processing of claims, reduce the volume of paperwork and provide better service. The administrative and financial health care transactions covered include:

 

    health claims and equivalent encounter information,

 

    enrollment and disenrollment in a health plan,

 

    eligibility for a health plan,

 

    health care payment and remittance advice,

 

    health plan premium payments,

 

    health care claim status, and

 

    referral certification and authorization.

 

Like many other health care organizations, we filed for an extension. Health care organizations that did not file for an extension were required to comply with the new standards by October 2002. The regulation’s requirements apply only when a transaction is transmitted using “electronic media.” Because “electronic media”

 

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is defined broadly to include “transmissions that are physically moved from one location to another using magnetic tape, disk or compact disk media,” many communications will be considered electronically transmitted. In addition, health plans will be required to have the capacity to accept and send all standard transactions in a standardized electronic format. The regulation sets forth other rules that apply specifically to health plans as follows:

 

    a plan may not delay processing of a standard transaction (that is, it must complete transactions using the new standards at least as quickly as it had prior to implementation of the new standards),

 

    there should be “no degradation in the transmission of, receipt of, processing of, and response to” a standard transaction as compared to the handling of a non-standard transaction,

 

    if a plan uses a health care clearinghouse to process a standard request, the other party to the transaction may not be charged more or otherwise disadvantaged as a result of using the clearinghouse,

 

    a plan may not reject a standard transaction on the grounds that it contains data that is not needed or used by the plan,

 

    a plan may not adversely affect (or attempt to adversely affect) the other party to a transaction for requesting a standard transaction, and

 

    if a plan coordinates benefits with another plan, then upon receiving a standard transaction, it must store the coordination of benefits data required to forward the transaction to the other plan.

 

One of our early concerns regarding how this regulation directly affects the manner in which we conduct business is the inconsistency between the regulation’s requirements and the widespread use of non-standard, non-national codes (generally referred to as “local codes”) in health care transactions. The use of local codes is particularly prevalent in Medicaid transactions. We cannot be sure that this will be resolved before the regulation’s implementation date. In order to prepare for our compliance with the regulatory requirements we have prepared a “gap analysis” that consists of:

 

    an inventory of existing applications that either produce or process transactions that are within the scope of the regulation,

 

    identification of the data elements currently used by these applications,

 

    a comparison of these legacy data elements to the standard data elements for the same transaction and an analysis of the differences between the two, and

 

    a determination of the impact of the gaps and differences identified.

 

As a result of this study, we have developed a remediation plan to eliminate the gaps and differences, which we are currently implementing.

 

On December 28, 2000, HHS published a regulation setting forth new standards for protecting the privacy of personal health records. The regulation became effective on April 14, 2001 and compliance will be required by April 14, 2003. The new regulation is designed to protect member information, medical records and other personal health information kept and used by health care providers, hospitals, health plans and health insurers, and health care clearinghouses. The new standards:

 

    limit the routine and non-routine use and release of private health information,

 

    give patients new rights to access their designated record set, which includes but is not limited to, eligibility, case management and claims information. In most instances, patients and members have a right to know who has accessed their records,

 

    limit most disclosures of health information to the minimum needed for the intended purpose,

 

    establish procedures to ensure the protection of private health information,

 

    establish new criminal and civil sanctions for improper use or disclosure, and

 

    establish new requirements for access to records by researchers and others.

 

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The preemption provisions of the regulation provide that federal law will preempt a contrary state law, unless the state law related to the privacy of health information is more stringent than the federal law. However, a state (or any person) may submit a request to the Secretary of HHS that a provision of state law be excepted from the preemption rules. The Secretary may grant an exception if one or more of a number of conditions are met, including:

 

    the state law is necessary to prevent fraud and abuse related to the provision of and payment for health care,

 

    the state law will ensure appropriate state regulation of insurance and health plans,

 

    the state law is necessary to state reporting on health care delivery or costs, or

 

    the state law serves a compelling need related to public health, safety or welfare.

 

The fact that either state or Federal rules may supersede the other depending on the nature of the particular requirement will require interpretations for which there is likely to be little precedent. We have completed an assessment of the programs and systems that we will need to implement in order to comply with the new regulations by April 14, 2003. In order to comply with the requirements, we will have to employ additional or different programs and systems. We had expenditures of approximately $2.5 million for HIPAA compliance in 2002 and expect an additional $4.0 million in 2003. We expect to be fully compliant by the required compliance dates. Further, compliance with these regulations will require changes to many of the procedures we currently use to conduct our business, which may lead to additional costs that we have not yet identified. We do not know whether, or the extent to which, we will be able to recover from the states our costs of complying with these new regulations.

 

On February 20, 2003, HHS published its final security regulations, substantially modifying draft regulations originally published in 1998. The security rule applies only to protected health information in electronic form, and is specifically concerned with security information systems. The new rule:

 

    Establishes 22 standards establishing administrative, physical and technical requirements for safeguarding the security of protected health information,

 

    Requires a risk assessment and implementation of a risk management plan to achieve required safeguards for each standard,

 

    Provides specifications, i.e., specific actions or processes needed for 16 of the 22 standards and

 

    Supplements and adds specificity to privacy rule requirements for safeguarding personal health information.

 

While we fully expect to be compliant with the security rule by the April 2005 compliance date, we have not yet determined the specific acts, costs or risks involved in achieving such timely compliance.

 

New Medicaid Managed Care Regulations

 

On January 19, 2001, HHS issued new Medicaid managed care regulations to implement certain provisions of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, or BBA. These provisions would permit states to require certain Medicaid beneficiaries to enroll in managed care programs, give states more flexibility to develop their managed care programs and provide certain new protections for Medicaid beneficiaries. CMS delayed the rule’s effective date three times. The rule became effective on August 13, 2002. States have until August 13, 2003 to bring their Medicaid managed care programs into compliance with the requirements of the rule.

 

The rule implements BBA provisions intended to (1) give states the flexibility to enroll certain Medicaid recipients in managed care plans without a federal waiver if the state provides the recipients with a choice of managed care plans; (2) establish protections for members in areas such as quality assurance, grievance rights and coverage of emergency services; and (3) eliminate certain requirements viewed by the states as impediments to the growth of managed care programs, such as the enrollment composition requirement, the right to disenroll without cause at any time, and the prohibition against enrollee cost-sharing. The rule also establishes requirements intended to ensure that state Medicaid managed care capitation rates are actuarially sound.

 

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According to HHS, this requirement eliminates the generally outdated regulatory ceiling on what states may pay managed care plans, a particularly important provision as more state Medicaid programs include people with chronic illnesses and disabilities in managed care.

 

Although some of the states in which we operate have already implemented requirements similar to those provided for in the rule, each of the states is currently assessing additional modifications required to fully comply with the rule. Changes to the regulations affecting our business, including these proposed regulations, could increase our health care costs and administrative expenses, reduce our reimbursement rates, and otherwise adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

 

Medicaid Reform

 

As part of the President’s 2004 Budget submission to Congress, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson announced principles for Medicaid reform. The secretary’s proposal would establish two capped allotments for the states combining both Medicaid and SCHIP funds, one for acute care and one for long-term care. Under this proposal, all mandatory populations and benefits would continue to be covered as required under current law. States, however, would be given flexibility for optional populations and benefits. The proposal would be revenue-neutral over a ten-year period, although states would see an additional $13 billion over the first 7 years, with corresponding funding reductions in years eight through ten.

 

The proposal is meant to provide increased flexibility to the states in managing their Medicaid and SCHIP programs, in particular in the design of benefit packages for optional populations. It is uncertain if such a proposal will be implemented by Congress and what its impact might be overall on the Medicaid and SCHIP programs, given that the proposal has only recently been announced and includes only broad details of a proposal. At the National Governors’ Association Meeting in late February, governors declined to endorse the proposal but instead created a task force to work with the Bush Administration in fashioning a proposal acceptable to the states. Congress is expected to begin a series of hearings on Medicaid and the Bush Administration’s Medicaid reform proposal this spring.

 

Patients’ Rights Legislation

 

The United States Congress has considered several versions of patients’ rights legislation in previous sessions. Though no bill has been introduced in the 108th Congress, it is likely to be an issue considered later in the session. This legislation could expand our potential exposure to lawsuits and increase our regulatory compliance costs. Depending on the final form of any patients’ rights legislation, such legislation could, among other things, expose us to liability for economic and punitive damages for making determinations that deny benefits or delay beneficiaries’ receipt of benefits as a result of our medical necessity or other coverage determinations. There are significant differences between the Senate, House of Representatives and the Bush Administration’s position, which could again delay any final bill. We cannot predict whether patients’ rights legislation will be enacted into law or, if enacted, what final form such legislation might take.

 

Other Fraud and Abuse Laws

 

Investigating and prosecuting health care fraud and abuse has become a top priority for law enforcement entities. The funding of such law enforcement efforts has increased in the past few years and these increases are expected to continue. The focus of these efforts has been directed at participants in public government health care programs such as Medicaid. These regulations and contractual requirements applicable to participants in these programs are complex and changing. We have re-emphasized our regulatory compliance efforts for these programs, but ongoing vigorous law enforcement and the highly technical regulatory scheme mean that compliance efforts in this area will continue to require substantial resources.

 

Customers

 

At December 31, 2002, we served members who received health care benefits through our nine contracts with the regulatory entities in the jurisdictions in which we operate, four of which individually accounted for 10% or more of our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2002, with the largest of these contracts representing approximately 26% of our revenues. We have contracts with the states of Texas, Maryland and New Jersey which individually account for 10% or more of our revenues. Effective January 1, 2003, we began serving members who receive health benefits through an additional seven contracts with the regulatory entities in Florida.

 

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Employees

 

As of December 31, 2002, we had approximately 1,900 employees. Our employees are not represented by a union. We believe our relationships with our employees are good. We added approximately 400 additional employees effective January 1, 2003 from the acquisition of PHP in Florida.

 

Available Information

 

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and all amendments to these reports and other information with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). We make available free of charge on or through our website at http://www.amerigroupcorp.com our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Further, we will provide, without charge upon written request, a copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports. Requests for copies should be addressed to Investor Relations, Amerigroup Corporation, 4425 Corporation Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23462.

 

ITEM 2.    Properties

 

We do not own any real property. We lease office space in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where our headquarters are located, and in each of the health plan locations. We are obligated by various insurance and Medicaid regulatory authorities to have offices in the service areas where we provide Medicaid benefits.

 

ITEM 3.    Legal Proceedings

 

We are from time to time the subject matter of, or involved in, legal proceeding including claims for reimbursements by providers. We believe that any liability or loss resulting from such matters will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations.

 

ITEM 4.    Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.

 

None.

 

Executive Officers of the Company

 

Our executive officers, their ages and positions as of February 28, 2003, are as follows:

 

Name


  

Age


  

Position


Jeffrey L. McWaters

  

46

  

Chairman of the Board of Directors and

Chief Executive Officer

Scott M. Tabakin

  

44

  

Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

Lorenzo Childress, Jr., M.D.

  

56

  

Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer

Theodore M. Wille, Jr.

  

55

  

Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer

Sherri E. Lee

  

51

  

Senior Vice President, Treasurer

Stanley F. Baldwin

  

54

  

Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

James E. Hargroves

  

60

  

Senior Vice President, Corporate Development

Herman Wright

  

49

  

Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer

Catherine S. Callahan

  

45

  

Senior Vice President, Administrative Services

Kathleen K. Toth

  

41

  

Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer

Scott S. Pickens

  

49

  

Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer

Nancy L. Grden

  

51

  

Senior Vice President, Planning and Development

John E. Littel

  

38

  

Vice President, Government Relations

 

Jeffrey L. McWaters has been our Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer since he founded our company in December 1994. From 1991 to 1994, Mr. McWaters served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Options Mental Health, a national managed behavioral health care company and prior to

 

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that, in various senior operating positions with EQUICOR-Equitable HCA Corporation and CIGNA HealthCare. Mr. McWaters is a member of the Board of Visitors of the College of William and Mary and a director of the American Association of Health Plans.

 

Scott M. Tabakin joined us as our Chief Financial Officer in 2001. Prior to joining us, Mr. Tabakin was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Beverly Enterprises, Inc., a publicly traded health care company, from 1996 to 2001. Mr. Tabakin served in various other senior officer positions at Beverly Enterprises Inc. from 1992 to 1996. Mr. Tabakin is a certified public accountant.

 

Lorenzo Childress, Jr., M.D. has served as our Chief Medical Officer since 1995. From 1992 to 1995, Dr. Childress was the Chief Operating Officer and Medical Director of Metro Medical Group, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Henry Ford Health System.

 

Theodore M. Wille, Jr. has served as our Chief Operating Officer since 1996. Mr. Wille served as Chief Operating Officer for the managed care division of Sentara Health System, a private health care system in Virginia, from 1991 until 1994 and President of Optima Health Plan from 1988 to 1996. Effective December 31, 2003, Mr. Wille intends to resign his position as COO and retire.

 

Stanley F. Baldwin has served as our General Counsel and Secretary since 1997. From 1994 to 1997, Mr. Baldwin was a Managing Director for Covington Group L.C., a private company that provided legal, management and other consulting services to indemnity insurance, managed care and health care provider clients. Prior to that, Mr. Baldwin held senior officer and General Counsel positions with EPIC Healthcare Group, Inc., EQUICOR-Equitable HCA Corporation and CIGNA Healthplans, Inc. Mr. Baldwin is a member of the Bar of Tennessee and the Bar of Texas.

 

Sherri E. Lee joined us in 1998 as our Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. In 2001, Ms. Lee resigned her position as Chief Financial Officer, but continues to serve as Treasurer. Prior to joining us, Ms. Lee was an adjunct instructor with Front Range Community College in Colorado from 1995 to 1998. Ms. Lee served as Executive Vice President-Finance of Pharmacy Corporation of America from 1991 to 1995. Prior to that, Ms. Lee was Senior Vice President and Controller for Beverly Enterprises, Inc. Ms. Lee is a certified public accountant.

 

James E. Hargroves has served as our head of Corporate Development since joining us in 1996. From 1994 to 1996, Mr. Hargroves was the President, founder and principal of Waterline Advisory Group, Inc., a corporate intermediary firm that provided merger and acquisition advisory services to health-related businesses, insurers, physicians and others.

 

Herman Wright joined us in 1998 as our Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to joining us, Mr. Wright served as the Vice President, Sales and Marketing for United Healthcare, Central Region, from 1995 to 1998.

 

Catherine S. Callahan joined us in 1999 and serves as our head of Administrative Services. From 1991 to 1999, Ms. Callahan was Chief Administrative Officer of FHC Health System.

 

Kathleen K. Toth joined us in 1995 and serves as our Chief Accounting Officer. Prior to joining us, Ms. Toth was the Vice President of Service Operations at Options Mental Health from 1992 to 1995. Ms. Toth also worked for CIGNA Healthplan of Texas, Inc. as Director of Financial Services and for EQUICOR Health Plan of Florida as a Controller from 1987 to 1992. Ms. Toth is a certified public accountant.

 

Scott S. Pickens joined us in 2000 as our Chief Information Officer. Prior to joining, he served as Corporate Chief Information Officer of Health Answers, Inc. from April 1999 to June 2000, and as Chief Operating Officer for Consortium Health Plans from January 1995 to April 1999.

 

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Table of Contents

 

Nancy L. Grden joined us as our head of Planning and Development in 2001. Prior to joining us, Ms. Grden served as President and Founder of Avenir, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in new ventures, and as Chief Executive Officer for Lifescape, LLC, a web-based workplace services company, from 1998 to 2000. She previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for ValueOptions, a national managed behavioral health care company, from 1992 to 1998.

 

John E. Littel joined us in 2001 as our Vice President for Government Relations. Mr. Littel has served in a variety of positions in federal and state governments, including as Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia, where he was responsible for the state’s welfare reform and health care initiatives. Mr. Littel is a member of the Bar of Pennsylvania.

 

PART II

 

ITEM 5.    Market for Our Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters.

 

Effective January 3, 2003, the Common Stock of AMERIGROUP trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol “AGP.” Prior to trading on the NYSE, the Common Stock was traded on the Nasdaq National Market since our initial public offering (IPO) on November 6, 2001. Prior to the IPO, there was no established public trading market for any of our securities.

 

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the range of high and low closing sales price for the Common Stock as reported on the Nasdaq National Market.

 

2001


  

High


  

Low


First Quarter

  

 

—  

  

 

—  

Second Quarter

  

 

—  

  

 

—  

Third Quarter

  

 

—  

  

 

—  

Fourth Quarter (from November 6, 2001)

  

$

21.80

  

$

18.10

2002


         

First Quarter

  

$

29.50

  

$

21.00

Second Quarter

  

$

35.10

  

$

23.60

Third Quarter

  

$

33.55

  

$

22.68

Fourth Quarter

  

$

33.79

  

$

26.39

December 31, 2002 Closing Sales Price

  

$30.31

 

On February 28, 2003, the last reported sales price of the Common Stock was $25.69 per share as reported on the NYSE. As of February 28, 2003, we had approximately 68 shareholders of record.

 

We have never paid or declared any cash dividends on our Common Stock and do not expect to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

 

In 2002, we issued options to purchase 1,077,893 shares of common stock to employees. All of these options were granted under AMERIGROUP’s 2000 Equity Incentive Plan, and were issued in reliance on Rule 701 under the Securities Act.

 

Use of Proceeds from Initial Public Offering

 

On November 9, 2001, we completed our initial public offering of 4,985,000 shares of common stock, including an over-allotment issuance of 585,000 shares. In addition, Jeffrey McWaters, as selling stockholder, sold 75,000 shares upon exercise of the over-allotment option. The shares of common stock sold in the offering were registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, on a Registration Statement on Form S-1,

 

24


Table of Contents

Registration number 333-37410, which was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 5, 2001. All of the 4,985,000 shares sold by AMERIGROUP, and the 75,000 shares sold by Mr. McWaters, were sold at a price of $17.00 per share. We did not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of Mr. McWaters’ shares. We received proceeds from the offering of approximately $77.2 million, net of $7.5 million in fees and expenses. We used proceeds from the offering to repay the balance of our long-term debt facility of approximately $4.4 million and to redeem the Series E mandatorily redeemable preferred stock for approximately $13.3 million. We have subsequently used proceeds from the offering to purchase certain assets of MethodistCare, Inc.’s Houston, Texas Medicaid line of business for approximately $1.2 million. In June 2002, we acquired certain assets of Capital Community Health Plan’s Medicaid line of business in Washington, D.C. for $7.0 million. The balance of approximately $51.3 million was placed in an escrow along with additional company funds at December 31, 2002 for the acquisition of PHP, which became effective January 1, 2003.

 

Banc of America Securities LLC, UBS Warburg LLC, CIBC World Markets Corp. and Stephens Inc. acted as representatives of the underwriters for the offering. Simultaneous with the consummation of the offering, each outstanding share of our Series A convertible preferred stock, Series B convertible preferred stock, Series C convertible preferred stock and Series D convertible preferred stock automatically converted into common stock, resulting in an additional 12,607,880 shares of common stock. Additionally, 1,123,823 shares of common stock were issued upon the exercise of all of the outstanding Series E warrants.

 

Forward-looking Statements

 

This Annual Report on Form 10-K, and other information we provide from time to time, contains certain “forward-looking” statements as that term is defined by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements regarding our expected future financial position, membership, results of operations or cash flows, our continued performance improvements, our ability to service our debt obligations and refinance our debt obligations, our ability to finance growth opportunities, our ability to respond to changes in government regulations and similar statements including, without limitation, those containing words such as “believes,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “estimates,” “intends,” “plans,” and other similar expressions are forward-looking statements.

 

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results in future periods to differ materially from those projected or contemplated in the forward-looking statements as a result of, but not limited to, the following factors:

 

    national, state and local economic conditions, including their effect on the rate increase process, timing of payments, as well as their effect on the availability and cost of labor, utilities and materials;

 

    the effect of government regulations and changes in regulations governing the health care industry, including our compliance with such regulations and their effect on certain of our unit cost and our ability to manage our medical costs;

 

    changes in Medicaid payment levels and methodologies and the application of such methodologies by the government;

 

    liabilities and other claims asserted against the company;

 

    our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel;

 

    our ability to maintain compliance with all minimum capital requirements;

 

    the availability and terms of capital to fund acquisitions and capital improvements;

 

    the competitive environment in which we operate;

 

    our ability to maintain and increase membership levels; and

 

    demographic changes.

 

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Table of Contents

 

Investors should also refer to the section entitled “Risk Factors” following section 7A entitled “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk” for a discussion of risk factors. Given these risks and uncertainties, we can give no assurances that any forward-looking statements will, in fact, transpire and, therefore, caution investors not to place undue reliance on them.

 

ITEM 6.     Selected Financial Data

 

The following selected consolidated financial data should be read in connection with the financial statements and related notes and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations appearing elsewhere in this Form 10-K. Selected financial data as of and for each of the years in the five-year period ended December 31, 2002 are derived from our consolidated financial statements, which have been audited by KPMG LLP, independent certified public accountants.

 

    

Year ended December 31,


 
    

2002


    

2001


    

2000


    

1999(a)


    

1998


 
    

(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)

 

Statements of Operations Data:

                                            

Revenues:

                                            

Premium

  

$

1,152,636

 

  

$

880,510

 

  

$

646,408

 

  

$

392,296

 

  

$

186,790

 

Investment income

  

 

8,026

 

  

 

10,664

 

  

 

13,107

 

  

 

6,404

 

  

 

3,389

 

    


  


  


  


  


Total revenues

  

 

1,160,662

 

  

 

891,174

 

  

 

659,515

 

  

 

398,700

 

  

 

190,179

 

Expenses:

                                            

Health benefits

  

 

933,591

 

  

 

709,034

 

  

 

523,566

 

  

 

334,192

 

  

 

155,877

 

Selling, general and administrative

  

 

133,409

 

  

 

109,822

 

  

 

85,114

 

  

 

52,846

 

  

 

29,166

 

Depreciation and amortization

  

 

13,149

 

  

 

9,348

 

  

 

6,275

 

  

 

3,635

 

  

 

1,197

 

Interest

  

 

791

 

  

 

763

 

  

 

781

 

  

 

811

 

  

 

483

 

    


  


  


  


  


Total expenses

  

 

1,080,940

 

  

 

828,967

 

  

 

615,736

 

  

 

391,484

 

  

 

186,723

 

    


  


  


  


  


Income before income taxes

  

 

79,722

 

  

 

62,207

 

  

 

43,779

 

  

 

7,216

 

  

 

3,456

 

Income tax (expense) benefit

  

 

(32,686

)

  

 

(26,127

)

  

 

(17,687

)

  

 

4,100

 

  

 

 

    


  


  


  


  


Net income

  

 

47,036

 

  

 

36,080

 

  

 

26,092

 

  

 

11,316

 

  

 

3,456

 

Accretion of redeemable preferred stock dividends

  

 

—  

 

  

 

(6,228

)

  

 

(7,284

)

  

 

(7,284

)

  

 

(6,126

)

    


  


  


  


  


Net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders

  

$

47,036

 

  

$

29,852

 

  

$

18,808

 

  

$

4,032

 

  

$

(2,670

)

    


  


  


  


  


Basic net income (loss) per share

  

$

2.33

 

  

$

8.08

 

  

$

23.62

 

  

$

7.11

 

  

$

(5.07

)

    


  


  


  


  


Weighted average number of shares outstanding

  

 

20,177,728

 

  

 

3,694,844

 

  

 

796,409

 

  

 

567,146

 

  

 

526,651

 

    


  


  


  


  


Diluted net income (loss) per share

  

$

2.19

 

  

$

2.08

 

  

$

1.55

 

  

$

0.66

 

  

$

(5.07

)

    


  


  


  


  


Weighted average number of shares and potential dilutive common shares outstanding

  

 

21,469,422

 

  

 

16,649,721

 

  

 

15,818,175

 

  

 

14,695,324

 

  

 

526,651

 

    


  


  


  


  


    

December 31,


 
    

2002


    

2001


    

2000


    

1999(a)


    

1998


 
    

(Dollars in thousands)

 

Balance Sheet Data:

                                            

Cash and cash equivalents and short and long-term investments

  

$

306,935

 

  

$

301,837

 

  

$

189,325

 

  

$

166,218

 

  

$

86,987

 

Total assets

  

 

578,484

 

  

 

406,942

 

  

 

268,126

 

  

 

222,321

 

  

 

101,369

 

Long-term debt (including current portion)

  

 

50,000

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

6,177

 

  

 

8,010

 

  

 

10,000

 

Total liabilities

  

 

339,103

 

  

 

223,426

 

  

 

185,191

 

  

 

166,426

 

  

 

78,551

 

Redeemable preferred stock

  

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

78,190

 

  

 

70,906

 

  

 

59,422

 

Stockholders’ equity (deficit)

  

 

239,381

 

  

 

183,516

 

  

 

4,745

 

  

 

(15,011

)

  

 

(36,604

)


(a)   Membership increased from 113,000 at December 31, 1998 to 268,000 at December 31, 1999 due to the purchase of the Maryland and the District of Columbia Medicaid contract rights and related assets from Prudential Health Care, adding approximately 91,000 members (which was accounted for as a purchase) with the balance of the increase due to internal growth from existing contracts.

 

26


Table of Contents

 

ITEM 7.    Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Results of Operations and Financial Condition

 

Overview

 

We are a multi-state managed health care company focused on serving people who receive health care benefits through public-sponsored programs, including Medicaid, SCHIP and FamilyCare. We were founded in December 1994 with the objective to become the leading managed care organization in the United States focused on serving people who receive these types of benefits.

 

The following table sets forth the approximate number of our members in each of our service areas for the periods presented.

 

    

December


Market


  

2002


  

2001


  

2000


  

1999


  

1998


Houston

  

139,000

  

100,000

  

57,000

  

40,000

  

42,000

Dallas

  

84,000

  

64,000

  

42,000

  

34,000

  

—  

Fort Worth

  

73,000

  

50,000

  

40,000

  

33,000

  

23,000

New Jersey

  

99,000

  

88,000

  

57,000

  

46,000

  

38,000

Maryland

  

125,000

  

118,000

  

95,000

  

83,000

  

—  

District of Columbia

  

37,000

  

13,000

  

13,000

  

12,000

  

—  

Chicago

  

34,000

  

39,000

  

29,000

  

20,000

  

10,000

    
  
  
  
  

Total

  

591,000

  

472,000

  

333,000

  

268,000

  

113,000

    
  
  
  
  

 

Effective January 1, 2003, we acquired the outstanding stock of PHP Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiary Physicians Healthcare Plans, Inc (together PHP). With the acquisition of PHP, we began providing our products to approximately 193,000 additional members located in three Flordia markets, Tampa, Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale/Miami.

 

Discussion of Critical Accounting Policies

 

In the ordinary course of business, we have made a number of estimates and assumptions relating to the reporting of results of operations and financial condition in the preparation of our financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ significantly from those estimates under different assumptions and conditions. We believe that the following discussion addresses our most critical accounting policies, which are those that are most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results and require management’s most difficult, subjective and complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain.

 

Revenue recognition

 

We generate revenues primarily from premiums we receive from the states in which we operate to provide health benefits to our members. We generally receive premiums in advance of providing services, and recognize premium revenue during the period in which we are obligated to provide services to our members consistent with industry standards. We also generate revenues from investments. We generally receive a fixed premium per member per month to provide health care benefits to our members pursuant to our contracts in each of our markets. In our Texas, New Jersey, Maryland and the District of Columbia markets we receive payments under each state’s obstetric delivery supplements program. Upon delivery of a newborn, each state is invoiced a predetermined amount according to our contract. We recognize revenue in the period in which the birth occurs. Any amounts that have not been received from the state by the end of the period remain on the balance sheet classified as premium receivables.

 

Estimating health benefits expense and claims payable

 

Our results of operations depend on our ability to effectively manage expenses related to health benefits as well as our ability to accurately predict costs incurred in recording the amounts in our consolidated financial statements. Expenses related to health benefits have two components: direct medical expenses and medically related administrative costs. Direct medical expenses include fees paid to hospitals, physicians and providers of

 

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Table of Contents

ancillary medical services, such as pharmacy, laboratory, radiology, dental and vision. Medically related administrative costs include expenses related to services such as health promotion, quality assurance, case management, disease management and 24-hour on-call nurses. Direct medical expenses also include estimates of medical expenses incurred but not yet reported, or IBNR. For the year ended December 31, 2002, approximately 94.1% of our direct medical payments related to fees paid on a fee-for-service basis to our primary care physicians, specialist physicians and ancillary providers, including fees paid to third party vendors for ancillary services such as pharmacy, mental health, dental and vision benefits. The balance related to fees paid on a capitation, or per member, basis. Primary care and specialist physicians not paid on a capitated basis are paid on a maximum allowable fee schedule set forth in the contracts with our providers. We reimburse hospitals on a negotiated fixed dollar amount per day or an agreed upon percent of their standard charges. In Maryland, the state sets the amount reimbursed to hospitals.

 

Monthly, we estimate our IBNR based on a number of factors, including authorization data and prior claims experience. Authorization data is information captured in our medical management system, which identifies services requested by providers or members. The medical cost related to these authorizations is estimated by pricing the approved services using contractual or historical amounts adjusted for known variables such as historical claims trends. These estimated costs are included as a component of IBNR. As part of this review, we also consider the costs to process medical claims, and estimates of amounts to cover uncertainties related to fluctuations in claims payment patterns, membership, products, and authorization trends. In addition, claims processing costs are accrued based on an estimate of the costs necessary to process unpaid claims. These estimates are adjusted as more information becomes available, and as adjustments are made, differences are included in current operations. We utilize the services of independent actuarial consultants who are contracted to review our estimates quarterly. The balance of claims payable is significant in relation to the consolidated financial statements. Judgments are made based on knowledge and experience about past and current events and assumptions about future events. There is a likelihood that actual results could be materially different if different assumptions or conditions prevail.

 

The following table shows the components of the change in medical costs payable for the years ended December 31, 2002, 2001 and 2000 (in thousands):

 

    

2002


    

2001


    

2000


 

Medical claims payable as of January 1

  

$

180,346

 

  

$

150,462

 

  

$

114,372

 

Health benefits expenses incurred during period:

                          

Related to current year

  

 

988,628

 

  

 

768,519

 

  

 

560,289

 

Related to prior years

  

 

(55,037

)

  

 

(59,485

)

  

 

(36,723

)

    


  


  


Total Incurred

  

 

933,591

 

  

 

709,034

 

  

 

523,566

 

Health benefits payments during period:

                          

Related to current year

  

 

803,432

 

  

 

597,332

 

  

 

419,897

 

Related to prior years

  

 

108,075

 

  

 

81,818

 

  

 

67,579

 

    


  


  


Total Payments

  

 

911,507

 

  

 

679,150

 

  

 

487,476

 

    


  


  


Medical claims payable as of December 31

  

$

202,430

 

  

$

180,346

 

  

$

150,462

 

    


  


  


 

Changes in estimates of incurred claims for prior years recognized during 2002, 2001, and 2000 were attributable to lower than anticipated utilization of medical services.

 

We believe that the amount of claims payable is adequate to cover our ultimate liability for unpaid claims as of December 31, 2002; however, actual claim payments and other items may differ from established estimates. Assuming a hypothetical 1% difference between our December 31, 2002 estimates of claims payable and actual

 

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Table of Contents

claims payable, net income for the year ended December 31, 2002 would increase or decrease by approximately $1.2 million and diluted earnings per share would increase or decrease by approximately $0.06 per share.

 

Results of Operations

 

The following table sets forth selected operating ratios for each year in the three year period ending December 31, 2002. All ratios, with the exception of the health benefits ratio, are shown as a percentage of total revenues.

 

    

2002


    

2001


    

2000


 

Premium revenue

  

99.3

%

  

98.8

%

  

98.0

%

Investment income

  

0.7

 

  

1.2

 

  

2.0

 

    

  

  

Total revenues

  

100.0

%

  

100.0

%

  

100.0

%

    

  

  

Health benefits(1)

  

81.0

%

  

80.5

%

  

81.0

%

Selling, general and administrative expenses

  

11.5

%

  

12.3

%

  

12.9

%

Income before income taxes

  

6.9

%

  

7.0

%

  

6.6

%

Net income

  

4.1

%

  

4.0

%

  

4.0

%


(1)   The health benefits ratio is shown as a percentage of premium revenue because there is a direct relationship between the premium received and the health benefits provided.

 

Year Ended December 31, 2002 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2001

 

Revenues

 

Premium revenue for the year ended December 31, 2002 increased $272.1 million, or 30.9%, to $1,152.6 million from $880.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2001. The increase was principally due to internal growth in overall membership and to a lesser extent, the acquisition of the Medicaid contracts and related assets of Humana’s Houston, Texas business in August 2001 (15,000 members), MethodistCare’s Houston, Texas business in January 2002 (11,000 members) and the acquisition of the Medicaid line of business of Capital Community Health Plan of Washington, D.C. in July 2002 (23,000 members). Total membership increased 25.2% to 591,000 as of December 31, 2002 from 472,000 as of December 31, 2001.

 

Investment income decreased $2.6 million to $8.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2002. The decrease in investment income is primarily due to the continued decline in market interest rates and increased levels of tax-advantaged securities partially offset by an increase in overall cash and investments levels throughout the year. Cash and investments levels have primarily increased due to proceeds from our initial public offering, cash generated from operations and increases in the amount of premiums received versus the timing of the payment of the related health benefits.

 

Health Benefits

 

Expenses relating to health benefits for the year ended December 31, 2002 increased $224.6 million, or 31.7%, to $933.6 million from $709.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2001. The increase was primarily due to the increase in membership. The health benefits ratio, as a percentage of premium revenue, for the year ended December 31, 2002 was 81.0% compared to 80.5% in 2001. The slight increase in the health benefits ratio is primarily due to variations in levels of seasonality from 2001 to 2002 and changes in the mix of members by product.

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $23.6 million to $133.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2002 compared to $109.8 million in 2001. The increase in selling, general and administrative expenses was primarily due to an increase in wages and related expenses for additional staff to support our increased membership, expenses related to the implementation and closing of our acquisition of PHP in Florida,

 

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expenses related to implementation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as well as expenses related to market development activities. Our selling, general and administrative expense ratio to revenue was 11.5% and 12.3% for the year ended December 31, 2002 and 2001, respectively. The decrease in the ratio was a result of economies of scale and of fixed costs being spread over a larger membership base.

 

Interest expense

 

Interest expense was $791,000 and $763,000 for the years ended December 31, 2002 and 2001, respectively.

 

Provision for income taxes

 

Income tax expense for 2002 was $32.7 million with an effective tax rate of 41.0% as compared to $26.1 million in 2001 and an effective tax rate of 42%. The effective tax rate decreased in 2002 due primarily to increased levels of investments in tax-advantaged securities.

 

Net income

 

Net income for 2002 rose $10.9 million to $47.0 million, or $2.19 per diluted share, compared to $36.1 million, or $2.08 per diluted share in 2001. Diluted earnings per share rose only 5.3% as compared to an increase in net income of 30.2% due to the increase in shares outstanding which is primarily the result of the issuance of 4,985,000 shares from our November 2001 initial public offering.

 

Year Ended December 31, 2001 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2000

 

Revenues

 

Premium revenue for the year ended December 31, 2001 increased $234.1 million, or 36.2%, to $880.5 million from $646.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2000. The increase was principally due to internal growth in overall membership and to a lesser extent, the acquisition of the Medicaid contracts and related assets of Humana’s Houston, Texas business in August 2001 (15,000 members). Total membership increased 41.7% to 472,000 as of December 31, 2001 from 333,000 as of December 31, 2000.

 

Investment income decreased $2.4 million to $10.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2001. The decrease in investment income is primarily due to the continued decline in market interest rates partially offset by an increase in overall cash levels. Cash levels have primarily increased due to proceeds from our initial public offering, cash generated from operations and increases in the amount of premiums received versus the timing of the payment of the related health benefits.

 

Health Benefits

 

Expenses relating to health benefits for the year ended December 31, 2001 increased $185.4 million, or 35.4%, to $709.0 million from $523.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2000. The increase was primarily due to the increase in membership. The health benefits ratio, as a percentage of premium revenue, for the year ended December 31, 2001 was 80.5% compared to 81.0% in 2000. The decrease in the health benefits ratio is primarily the result of a favorable impact of shifting high cost cases from managed care to fee-for-service in Illinois ($2.8 million expense savings related to health benefits), an increase in revenues resulting from the receipt of an HIV/AIDS supplemental payment from the State of Maryland as well as a change in our membership by product to include more SCHIP members than in prior years. This favorable impact was substantially offset by a normal incidence of respiratory conditions and influenza in the first quarter of 2001 as compared to a lower incidence in the first quarter of 2000.

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $24.7 million to $109.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2001 compared to $85.1 million in 2000. The increase in selling, general and administrative

 

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expenses was primarily due to an increase in wages and related expenses for additional staff to support our increased membership. Our selling, general and administrative expense ratio to revenue was 12.3% and 12.9% for the year ended December 31, 2001 and 2000, respectively. The decrease in the ratio was a result of economies of scale and of fixed costs being spread over a larger membership base.

 

Interest expense

 

Interest expense was $763,000 and $781,000 for the years ended December 31, 2001 and 2000, respectively.

 

Provision for income taxes

 

Income tax expense for 2001 was $26.1 million with an effective tax rate of 42.0% as compared to $17.7 million in 2000 and an effective tax rate of 40.4%. The effective tax rate increased in 2001 due primarily to an increase in non-deductible expenses.

 

Net income

 

Net income for 2001 was $36.1 million, or $2.08 per diluted common share, compared to $26.1 million, or $1.55 per diluted common share for 2000.

 

Selected Quarterly Operating Results

 

The following table sets forth unaudited quarterly results of our operations for each of the quarters in the years ended December 31, 2002 and 2001. This information has been prepared on the same basis as the consolidated financial statements and, in the opinion of our management, reflects adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of the information for the periods presented. The unaudited quarterly operating results are not necessarily indicative of future results of operations. This data should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included in this Form 10-K.

 

    

Three Months Ended


2002


  

March 31


  

June 30


  

September 30


  

December 31


Premium revenue

  

$

270,842

  

$

276,821

  

$

297,025

  

$

307,948

Health benefits expense

  

 

223,001

  

 

221,481

  

 

240,407

  

 

248,702

Selling, general and administrative expenses

  

 

29,921

  

 

32,318

  

 

33,927

  

 

37,243

Income before income taxes

  

 

16,986

  

 

21,662

  

 

21,102

  

 

19,972

Net income

  

 

9,886

  

 

12,916

  

 

12,450

  

 

11,784

Net income per common diluted share

  

 

0.47

  

 

0.60

  

 

0.58

  

 

0.54

Weighted average number of shares and dilutive potential shares outstanding

  

 

21,244,538

  

 

21,493,134

  

 

21,478,501

  

 

21,661,514

    

Three Months Ended


2001


  

March 31


  

June 30


  

September 30


  

December 31


Premium revenue

  

$

185,685

  

$

209,145

  

$

236,642

  

$

249,038

Health benefits expense

  

 

150,692

  

 

163,703

  

 

192,485

  

 

202,154

Selling, general and administrative expenses

  

 

24,098

  

 

28,112

  

 

27,442

  

 

30,170

Income before income taxes

  

 

12,001

  

 

17,594

  

 

16,543

  

 

16,069

Net income

  

 

7,081

  

 

10,084

  

 

9,595

  

 

9,320

Net income per common diluted share

  

 

0.42

  

 

0.61

  

 

0.58

  

 

0.48

Weighted average number of shares and dilutive potential shares outstanding

  

 

15,897,118

  

 

15,889,397

  

 

15,985,161

  

 

18,794,357

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

Our primary sources of liquidity are cash and cash equivalents, short and long-term investments, cash flow from operations and borrowings under our credit facility. As of December 31, 2002, we had cash and cash equivalents of $208.0 million, short and long-term investments of $99.0 million and restricted investments on deposit for licensure of $29.6 million. As of December 31, 2002, there was $50 million outstanding on our $75 million credit facility.

 

 

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On November 9, 2001, we completed our initial public offering of 4,985,000 shares of common stock including an over-allotment issuance of 585,000 shares at a price per share of $17.00. We received net proceeds from the offering of approximately $77.2 million. In conjunction with the offering, all Series A, B, C and D preferred stock in the aggregate was converted into 12,607,880 shares of common stock. We used proceeds from the offering to repay the balance of our long-term debt facility of approximately $4.4 million and to redeem our Series E mandatorily redeemable preferred stock for approximately $13.3 million. In addition, 1,123,823 shares of common stock were issued upon the exercise of all outstanding Series E warrants.

 

Cash from operations was $117.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2002 compared to $71.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2001. The increase in cash from operations is primarily due to increases in membership, improvements to operating margins and the impact of a prepayment of revenue received in 2002 attributable to operations in 2003. As of December 31, 2002, we had working capital including long-term investments of $75.5 million as compared to $122.5 million at December 31, 2001 due primarily to the placement of cash in escrow for the acquisition of PHP in the amount of $74.1 million. Our minimum lease payments under all noncancelable operating leases are $8.3 million for 2003.

 

Cash used in investing activities increased to $143.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2002 from $78.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2001. The increase in cash used in investing activities was primarily due to an escrow deposit in connection with the acquisition of PHP and related costs of $124.1 million as well as purchases of property, equipment and software of $20.7 million. We anticipate that our 2003 purchases of property and equipment and software will be approximately $35 million.

 

Our investment policies are designed to provide liquidity, preserve capital and maximize total return on invested assets. As of December 31, 2002, our investment portfolio consisted primarily of fixed-income securities. The average maturity is less than nine months. We utilize investment vehicles such as municipal bonds, commercial paper, U.S. government backed agencies, and U.S. Treasury instruments. The states in which we operate prescribe the types of instruments in which our subsidiaries may invest their cash. The average portfolio yield as of December 31, 2002 was approximately 2.02%.

 

On August 22, 2002, we entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the common stock of PHP Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiary, Physicians Healthcare Plans, Inc. (together PHP). The acquisition became effective January 1, 2003. The total acquisition price was approximately $124.1 million, including acquisition costs. We did not acquire PHP’s CarePlus Health Plan, spun off from PHP at the end of 2002, which will continue to serve its Medicare and commercial lines of business. The cash purchase price of approximately $123 million was placed in escrow at December 31, 2002. Approximately $50 million of the cash purchase price was financed through our existing credit facility with the balance funded through available unrestricted cash. This acquisition was accounted for under the purchase method of accounting. Goodwill and other intangibles totaling $116.5 million includes $9.0 million of identifiable intangibles allocated to the membership purchased and a non-compete agreement. With the adoption of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142 Goodwill and Other Intangibles (SFAS 142), goodwill and other intangibles assets with indefinite useful lives are no longer amortized, but instead subject to impairment tests. Identifiable intangibles with definite useful lives are being amortized based on the timing of related cash flows with an expected amortization of 5 to 11 years. The estimated acquisition cost allocation between goodwill and identifiable intangible assets is $107.5 million and $9.0 million, respectively. We have not yet finalized our fair value analysis, therefore, the allocation of the purchase price is subject to refinement. As of January 1, 2003, PHP served approximately 193,000 Medicaid and SCHIP members in 12 counties of three Florida metropolitan areas of Orlando, Tampa and Ft. Lauderdale/Miami.

 

Effective July 1, 2002, we purchased the Medicaid line of business of Capital Community Health Plan for approximately $7.0 million including acquisition costs. The assets purchased consisted primarily of CCHP’s rights to provide managed care services to its Medicaid members. This acquisition was accounted for under the purchase method of accounting. Goodwill and other intangibles totaling $7.0 million includes $423,000 for identifiable intangibles allocated to the membership purchased.

 

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Effective January 1, 2002, we purchased certain assets of MethodistCare, Inc.’s Houston, Texas Medicaid line of business for approximately $1.2 million. The assets purchased primarily consisted of MethodistCare’s rights to provide managed care services to its Medicaid members.

 

Effective August 1, 2001, we purchased certain assets of Humana’s Houston, Texas Medicaid line of business for approximately $1.0 million. The assets purchased primarily consisted of Humana’s rights to provide managed care services to its Medicaid members.

 

Cash provided by financing activities was $50.2 million and $57.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2002 and December 31, 2001, respectively. Cash provided by financing activities in 2002 consisted primarily of proceeds from our revolving credit facility of $50 million compared to 2001, which included proceeds from the offering partially offset by principal payments on our long-term debt facility and the redemption of our Series E preferred stock. Our minimum lease payments under all capital leases are $5.0 million for 2003.

 

On December 14, 2001, we entered into a $60 million revolving credit facility, with three banks. In July 2002, a fourth bank was added, thereby increasing the revolving credit facility to $75 million. The proceeds of the facility will be available for general corporate purposes, including, without limitation, permitted acquisitions. The facility will accrue interest at one of the following rates, at our option: LIBOR plus the applicable margin or an alternate bank rate plus the applicable margin. The applicable margin for LIBOR borrowings is between 2.00% and 2.50% and the applicable margin for alternate base rate borrowings is between 1.00% and 1.50%. The applicable margin will vary depending on our leverage ratio. The facility is secured by substantially all of the assets of AMERIGROUP Corporation, including the stock of its subsidiaries. There is a commitment fee of 0.50% on the unused portion of the credit facility. The credit facility matures December 14, 2004. As of December 31, 2002, there was $50 million outstanding under the credit facility at a rate of 3.4%, which represents LIBOR plus 2.0%.

 

Our subsidiaries are required to maintain minimum statutory capital requirements prescribed by various jurisdictions, including the departments of insurance in each of the states in which we operate. As of December 31, 2002, our subsidiaries were in compliance with all minimum statutory capital requirements. We believe that we will continue to be in compliance with these requirements for the next twelve months.

 

At December 31, 2002, we served members who received health care benefits through nine contracts with the regulatory entities in the jurisdictions in which we operated, four of which individually accounted for 10% or more of our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2002, with the largest of these contracts representing approximately 26% of our revenues. If any of our contracts were not renewed or were terminated for cause or if we were to lose a contract in a re-bidding process, our business would suffer. With the acquisition of PHP on January 1, 2003, we serve members who receive health care benefits through a total of sixteen contracts with the regulatory entities.

 

We believe that internally generated funds and available funds under our revolving credit facility will be sufficient to support continuing operations, capital expenditures and our growth strategy for at least 12 months.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In December 2002, Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 148, Stock-Based Compensation (SFAS No. 148), was issued which amends Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation, (SFAS No. 123) and provides guidance on transition to voluntary adoption of SFAS No. 123 and disclosure when using SFAS No. 123 or APB Opinion No. 25. We have adopted SFAS No. 148. We continue to apply APB Opinion No. 25 in accounting for our stock plans.

 

In November 2002, FASB Interpretation No. 45, Guarantor’s Accounting and Disclosure Requirements for Guarantees, Including Indirect Guarantees of Indebtedness of Others, an interpretation of SFAS No. 5, 57 and

 

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107 and Rescission of FASB Interpretations No. 34 (FIN No. 45), was issued. We have adopted the disclosure requirements of FIN 45 as required for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2002 and will adopt the provisions for initial recognition and measurement for all guarantees issued or modified after December 31, 2002. The adoption of FIN No. 45 is not expected to have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

 

In July 2002, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 146, Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities (SFAS No. 146), which addresses the financial accounting and reporting of costs associated with an exit activity (including restructuring) or with a disposal of long-lived assets. SFAS No. 146 is effective prospectively after December 31, 2002. Our management does not believe the implementation of this standard will have a material effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

 

Regulatory Capital and Dividend Restrictions

 

Our operations are conducted through our wholly-owned subsidiaries, which include HMOs and one managed care organization, or MCO. HMOs and MCOs are subject to state regulations that, among other things, may require the maintenance of minimum levels of statutory capital, as defined by each state, and restrict the timing, payment and amount of dividends and other distributions that may be paid to their stockholders.

 

As of December 31, 2002, our subsidiaries had aggregate statutory capital and surplus of approximately $65.8 million, compared with the required minimum aggregate statutory capital and surplus requirements of approximately $29.5 million.

 

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners, or NAIC, has adopted rules which, to the extent that they are implemented by the states, will set new minimum capitalization requirements for insurance companies, HMOs and other entities bearing risk for healthcare coverage. The requirements take the form of risk-based capital rules. The change in rules for insurance companies became effective as of December 31, 1998. The new HMO rules, which may vary from state to state, are currently being considered for adoption. Illinois and Texas adopted various forms of the rules as of December 31, 1999 and 2000, respectively. Maryland adopted risk-based capital rules for MCOs as of December 31, 2001. However, Maryland exempted all MCOs from the rules for the years ended December 31, 2001 and 2002. New Jersey and Florida have not yet adopted risk-based capital. The NAIC’s HMO rules, if adopted by other states in their proposed form, may increase the minimum capital required for our subsidiaries.

 

Inflation

 

Although the general rate of inflation has remained relatively stable and health care cost inflation has stabilized in recent years, the national health care cost inflation rate still exceeds the general inflation rate. We use various strategies to mitigate the negative effects of health care cost inflation. Specifically, our health plans try to control medical and hospital costs through contracts with independent providers of health care services. Through these contracted care providers, our health plans emphasize preventive health care and appropriate use of specialty and hospital services.

 

While we currently believe our strategies to mitigate health care cost inflation will continue to be successful, competitive pressures, new health care and pharmaceutical product introductions, demands from health care providers and customers, applicable regulations or other factors may affect our ability to control the impact of health care cost increases.

 

Compliance Costs

 

The federal regulations promulgated under HIPAA relating to privacy, standard transactions and security were issued in proposed form in 1998. Final regulations were subsequently issued with compliance dates of April 2003 for privacy, October 2003 for transactions and April 2005 for security. The final security rule was issued in

 

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February 2003 and we have not fully assessed the cost of complying with these regulations. The fact that either state or federal rules may supersede the other depending on the nature of the particular requirement will require interpretations for which there is likely to be little precedent. We have completed an assessment of the programs and systems that we will need to implement in order to comply with the new privacy regulations by April 2003. In order to comply with the requirements, we will be required to employ additional or different programs and systems. We had expenditures of approximately $2.5 million on HIPAA compliance in 2002 and expect an additional $4.0 million in 2003. We expect to be fully compliant by the required compliance dates. Further, compliance with these regulations are requiring changes to many of the procedures we currently use to conduct our business, which may lead to additional costs that we have not yet identified. We do not know whether, or the extent to which, we will be able to recover from the states our costs of complying with these new regulations.

 

ITEM 7A.    Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

 

As of December 31, 2002 we had short-term investments of $27.6 million and long-term investments of $71.4 million. These investments consist of highly liquid investments with maturities between three and twenty-four months. These investments are subject to interest rate risk and will decrease in value if market rates increase. Credit risk is managed by investing in money market funds, U.S. Treasury securities, cash escrow accounts, asset-backed securities, debt securities of government sponsored entities, municipal bonds and auction rate securities. Our investment policies are subject to revision based upon market conditions and our cash flow and tax strategies, among other factors. We have the ability to hold these investments to maturity, and as a result, we would not expect the value of these investments to decline significantly as a result of a sudden change in market interest rates. Declines in interest rates over time will reduce our investment income.

 

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RISK FACTORS

 

Risks related to being a regulated entity

 

Changes in government regulations designed to protect providers and members rather than our stockholders could force us to change how we operate and could harm our business.

 

Our business is extensively regulated by the states in which we operate and by the federal government. These laws and regulations are generally intended to benefit and protect providers and health plan members rather than stockholders. Congress is currently considering legislation to reform Medicaid. We cannot predict what impact such legislation, if adopted, would have on our business. Changes in existing laws and rules, the enactment of new laws and rules and changing interpretations of these laws and rules could, among other things:

 

    force us to change how we do business,

 

    restrict revenue and enrollment growth,

 

    increase our health care and administrative costs,

 

    impose additional capital requirements, and

 

    increase or change our liability.

 

If state regulators do not approve payments of dividends and distributions by our subsidiaries to us, it may negatively affect our business strategy.

 

We principally operate through our health plan subsidiaries. These subsidiaries are subject to regulations that limit the amount of dividends and distributions that can be paid to us without prior approval of, or notification to, state regulators. If the regulators were to deny our subsidiaries’ requests to pay dividends to us, the funds available to our company as a whole would be limited, which could harm our ability to implement our business strategy.

 

Regulations may limit the extent to which we can increase our profits as a percentage of revenues.

 

Our New Jersey and Maryland subsidiaries are subject to minimum medical expense levels as a percentage of premium revenue. In New Jersey, contractual sanctions may be imposed if these levels are not met. In addition, our Texas plans are required to pay a rebate to the state in the event profits exceed established levels. These regulatory requirements, changes in these requirements and additional requirements by our other regulators may limit our ability to increase our overall profits as a percentage of revenues, which may harm our operating results. We have been required, and may in the future be required, to make payments to the states as a result of not meeting these expense and profit levels.

 

Our failure to comply with government regulations could subject us to civil and criminal penalties and limitations on our profitability.

 

Violation of the laws or regulations governing our operations could result in the imposition of sanctions, the cancellation of our contracts to provide services, or in the extreme case, the suspension or revocation of our licenses. For example, in two markets in which we operate we are required to spend a minimum percentage of our premium revenue on medical expenses. In one market, if we fail to comply with this requirement, we could be required to pay monetary damages. Additionally, we could be required to file a corrective plan of action with the state and we could be subject to further fines and additional corrective measures if we did not comply with the corrective plan of action. In the other market, our failure to comply could affect future rate determinations. These regulations may limit the profits we can obtain.

 

In the past we have been subject to sanctions as a result of violations of marketing regulations and timeliness of payment requirements. For example, in August 2000, our Chicago, Illinois plan was notified by the Illinois Department of Public Aid, or IDPA, that its Office of Inspector General had commenced an investigation

 

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of allegations of misrepresentation and fraud by marketing representatives employed by our plan. We developed a corrective action plan to identify and correct past marketing improprieties and to reduce the likelihood of future violations, which has been approved by IDPA and implemented. Under our contract with IDPA, sanctions could be imposed, ranging from $5,000 to $25,000, and/or our right to enroll members could be suspended for a period of time, if the allegations are substantiated. We do not know if we will be informed as to when the investigation has been completed.

 

While we have not been subject to any fines or violations that were material, we cannot assure you that we will not become subject to material fines or other sanctions in the future. If we became subject to material fines or if other sanctions or other corrective actions were imposed upon us, our ability to continue to operate our business could be materially and adversely affected.

 

On October 12, 2001, we responded to a Civil Investigative Demand, or CID, of the HMO industry by the Office of the Attorney General of the State of Texas relating to processing of provider claims. We understand from the Office of the Attorney General that responses were required from the nine largest HMOs in Texas, of which we are the ninth. The other eight are HMOs that primarily provide commercial products. The CID is being conducted in connection with allegations of unfair contracting, delegating and payment practices and violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices—Consumer Protection Act and article 21.21 of the Texas Insurance Code by HMOs. In meetings with representatives of the Attorney General, they agreed that our required response would be limited to providing information relating to our payment of hospital claims only. In addition, based upon our discussions with the Office of the Attorney General, it is our understanding that we are not currently the target of any investigation by that Office. On October 19, 2001 we filed our response to the CID including all information that we believed was required to be produced. On October 26, 2001, we received a request from the Office of the Attorney General that we clarify and supplement certain of our responses. We responded with a second filing on December 21, 2001 and three supplemental filings thereafter. These additional filings were materials provided for classification of the original submission and were not the result of an expansion of the scope of the CID. The Office of the Attorney General could request additional information or clarification which could be costly and time consuming for us to produce.

 

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, broadened the scope of fraud and abuse laws applicable to health care companies. HIPAA created civil penalties for, among other things, billing for medically unnecessary goods or services. HIPAA establishes new enforcement mechanisms to combat fraud and abuse, including a whistle blower program. Further, a new regulation promulgated pursuant to HIPAA imposes civil and criminal penalties for failure to comply with the health records privacy standards set forth in the regulation. The Department of Health and Human Services’, or HHS’, press release related to the new regulation calls on Congress to enact legislation to “fortify” penalties and to create a private right of action under HIPAA. The preamble to the new privacy regulation indicates that HHS intends to issue an enforcement rule related to the Administrative Simplification provisions of HIPAA. Enforcement of the privacy regulations is handled under the Office of Civil Rights.

 

The federal government has enacted, and state governments are enacting, other fraud and abuse laws as well. Our failure to comply with HIPAA or these other laws could result in criminal or civil penalties and exclusion from Medicaid or other governmental health care programs and could lead to the revocation of our licenses. These penalties or exclusions, were they to occur, would negatively impact our ability to operate our business.

 

Compliance with new federal and state rules and regulations may require us to make unanticipated expenditures.

 

In August 2000, HHS issued a new regulation under HIPAA requiring the use of uniform electronic data transmission standards for health care claims and payment transactions submitted or received electronically. We are required to comply with the new transactions regulation by October 2003. Also in August 2000, HHS

 

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proposed a regulation that would require health care participants to implement organizational and technical practices to protect the security of electronically maintained or transmitted health-related information. This security regulation, finalized in February 2003, requires compliance by April 2005. In December 2000, HHS issued a new regulation mandating heightened privacy and confidentiality protections under HIPAA which became effective on April 14, 2001 requires compliance by April 2003. However, states may seek exemptions from the requirements of the privacy regulation for certain state laws, and state laws that impose stricter privacy standards than the HIPAA privacy regulation will not be preempted.

 

In January 2001, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, published new federal regulations regarding Medicaid managed care. On June 14, 2002, CMS published final regulations that replaced the January regulations in their entirety. The final regulations implement requirements of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 that are intended to give states more flexibility in their administration of Medicaid managed care programs, provide certain new patient protections for Medicaid managed care enrollees, and require states’ rates to meet new actuarial soundness requirements. The effective date of the regulation was August 13, 2002 and states must comply with these regulations by August 13, 2003.

 

The states’ ability to promulgate stricter rules, and uncertainty regarding many aspects of the regulations make compliance with the relatively new regulatory landscape difficult. Our existing programs and systems may not enable us to comply in all respects with these new regulations. We have completed an assessment of the programs and systems that we will need to implement in order to comply with the new regulations. In order to comply with the regulatory requirements, we will be required to employ additional or different programs and systems. We had expenditures of approximately $2.5 million on HIPAA compliance in 2002 and expect an additional $4.0 million in 2003 to become fully compliant. Further, compliance with these pervasive regulations will require changes to many of the procedures we currently use to conduct our business, which may lead to additional costs that we have not yet identified. We do not know whether, or the extent to which, we will be able to recover our costs of complying with these new regulations from the states. The new regulations and the related costs to comply with the new regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

Changes in health care laws may reduce our profitability.

 

Numerous proposals relating to changes in health care law have been introduced, some of which have been passed by Congress and the states in which we operate or may operate in the future. Changes in applicable laws and regulations are continually being considered and interpretations of existing laws and rules may also change from time to time. We are unable to predict what regulatory changes may occur or what effect any particular change may have on our business. Although some of the recent changes in government regulations, such as the removal of the requirements on the enrollment mix between commercial and public sector membership, have encouraged managed care participation in public sector programs, we are unable to predict whether new laws or proposals will continue to favor or hinder the growth of managed health care.

 

A recent example is state and federal legislation which would enable physicians to collectively bargain with managed health care organizations. The legislation, as currently proposed, generally contains an exemption for public sector managed health care organizations. If legislation of this type were passed without this exemption, it would negatively impact our bargaining position with many of our providers and might result in an increase in our cost of providing medical benefits.

 

We cannot predict the outcome of these legislative or regulatory proposals, nor the effect which they might have on us. Legislation or regulations that require us to change our current manner of operation, provide additional benefits or change our contract arrangements may seriously harm our operations and financial results.

 

Reductions in Medicaid funding by the states could substantially reduce our profitability.

 

Most of our revenues come from state government Medicaid premiums. The base premium rate paid by each state differs, depending on a combination of various factors such as defined upper payment limits, a member’s

 

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health status, age, sex, county or region, benefit mix and member eligibility categories. Future levels of Medicaid premium rates may be affected by continued government efforts to contain medical costs and may further be affected by state and federal budgetary constraints. Changes to Medicaid programs could reduce the number of persons enrolled or eligible, reduce the amount of reimbursement or payment levels, or increase our administrative or health care costs under such programs. States periodically consider reducing or reallocating the amount of money they spend for Medicaid. We believe that additional reductions in Medicaid payments could substantially reduce our profitability. Further, our contracts with the states are subject to cancellation by the state in the event of unavailability of state funds. In some jurisdictions, such cancellation may be immediate and in other jurisdictions a notice period is required.

 

State governments generally are experiencing budgetary shortfalls. Budget problems in the states in which we operate could result in limited increases or even decreases in the premiums paid to us by the states. In 2002, the state of Illinois, which accounts for approximately 6% of our total membership, reduced the Medicaid premiums it pays to managed care companies due to state budgetary concerns. If Illinois or any state in which we operate were to decrease premiums paid to us, or pay us less than the amount necessary to keep pace with our cost trends, it would have a material negative impact on our profitability.

 

If state governments do not renew our contracts with them on favorable terms, our business will suffer.

 

At December 31, 2002, we served members who received health care benefits through nine contracts with the regulatory entities in the jurisdictions in which we operate. Four of these contracts individually accounted for 10% or more of our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2002, with the largest of these contracts representing approximately 26% of our revenues. If any of our contracts were not renewed on favorable terms or were terminated for cause or if we were to lose a contract in a re-bidding process, our business would suffer. Most of our contracts expire in 2003 and have renewal provisions. Termination or non-renewal of any one contract could materially impact our revenues and operating results.

 

Some of our contracts are subject to a re-bidding process. For example, we are subject to a re-bidding process in each of our three Texas markets and for our SCHIP contracts in each of our three Florida markets. Our Texas markets are re-bid every six years and is scheduled to occur in 2003. In Florida, our SCHIP contracts have staggered contract periods by county and are re-bid every two to four years. Our operating results would suffer as a result of losing a contract through the re-bidding process.

 

If a state fails to renew its federal waiver application for mandated Medicaid enrollment into managed care or such application is denied, our membership in that state will likely decrease.

 

States may only mandate Medicaid enrollment into managed care under federal waivers or demonstrations. Waivers and programs under demonstrations are approved for two-year periods and can be renewed on an ongoing basis if the state applies. We have no control over this renewal process. If a state does not renew its mandated program or the federal government denies the state’s application for renewal, our business would suffer as a result of a likely decrease in membership.

 

We rely on the accuracy of eligibility lists provided by the government. Inaccuracies in those lists would negatively affect our results of operations.

 

Premium payments to us are based upon eligibility lists produced by the government. A state could require us to reimburse it for premiums paid to us based on an eligibility list that the state later discovers contains individuals who are not in fact eligible for a government sponsored program. Alternatively, a state could fail to pay us for members for whom we are entitled to payment. We are also exposed to these risks when we are a subcontractor to parties that rely on government eligibility lists. Our results of operations would suffer as a result of such reimbursement to the state if we had made related payments to providers and were unable to recoup such payments from the providers.

 

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Growth in the number of Medicaid beneficiaries during economic downturns could negatively impact our profitability if state budgets decrease or do not increase.

 

Less favorable economic conditions may cause our membership to increase as more people become eligible to receive Medicaid benefits. However, during such economic downturns, state budgets could decrease, causing states to attempt to cut health care programs, benefits or rates. If state funding were decreased while our membership was increasing, our profitability would be adversely affected.

 

Acts of terrorism could cause our business to suffer.

 

Our profitability depends, to a significant degree, on our ability to predict and effectively manage medical costs. If acts of terrorism were to occur in markets in which we operate our business could possibly suffer. The results of terrorism acts could lead to higher than expected medical costs, network and information technology disruptions, and other related factors beyond our control.

 

Risks related to our business

 

Receipt of inadequate premiums would negatively impact our revenues and profitability.

 

Most of our revenues are generated by premiums consisting of fixed monthly payments per member. These premiums are fixed by contract, and we are obligated during the contract period to facilitate access to health care services as established by the state governments. We have less control over costs related to the provision of health care than we do over our selling, general and administrative expenses. Historically, our expenses related to health benefits as a percentage of premium revenue have fluctuated. For example, our expenses related to health benefits were 81.0% of our premium revenue in 2002, and 80.5% of our premium revenue in 2001. If premiums are not increased and expenses related to health benefits rise, our earnings could be impacted negatively. In addition, our actual health benefits costs may exceed our estimated costs. The premiums we receive under our current contracts may therefore be inadequate to cover all claims, which may cause our profits to decline.

 

Maryland sets the rates which must be paid to hospitals by all payors. It is possible for the state to increase rates payable to the hospitals without granting a corresponding increase in premiums to us. If this were to occur, or if other states were to take similar actions, our profitability would be harmed.

 

Our inability to manage medical costs effectively would reduce our profitability.

 

Our profitability depends, to a significant degree, on our ability to predict and effectively manage medical costs. Changes in health care regulations and practices, level of use of health care services, hospital costs, pharmaceutical costs, major epidemics, new medical technologies and other external factors, including general economic conditions such as inflation levels, are beyond our control and could reduce our ability to predict and effectively control the costs of health care services. Although we have been able to manage medical costs through a variety of techniques, including various payment methods to primary care physicians and other providers, advance approval for hospital services and referral requirements, medical management and quality management programs, our information systems and reinsurance arrangements, we may not be able to continue to manage costs effectively in the future. It is possible that claims previously denied and claims previously paid to non-network providers will be appealed and subsequently reprocessed at different amounts. This would result in an adjustment to claims expense. If our costs for medical services increase, our profits could be reduced, or we may not remain profitable.

 

Our limited ability to predict our incurred medical expenses accurately could negatively impact our reported results.

 

Our medical expenses include estimates of IBNR. We estimate our IBNR medical expenses based on a number of factors, including prior claims experience, maturity of markets, complexity of products and stability of

 

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provider networks. Adjustments, if necessary, are made to medical expenses in the period during which the actual claim costs are ultimately determined or when criteria used to estimate IBNR change. We utilize the services of independent actuaries who are contracted on a regular basis to calculate and review the adequacy of our medical liabilities, in addition to using our internal resources. We cannot be sure that our IBNR estimates are adequate or that adjustments to such IBNR estimates will not harm our results of operations. Further, our inability to accurately estimate IBNR may also affect our ability to take timely corrective actions, further exacerbating the extent of the harm on our results.

 

We maintain reinsurance to protect us against severe or catastrophic medical claims, but we cannot assure you that such reinsurance coverage will be adequate or available to us in the future or that the cost of such reinsurance will not limit our ability to obtain it.

 

Difficulties in executing our acquisition strategy could adversely affect our business.

 

Historically, the acquisition of Medicaid contract rights and related assets of other health plans both in our existing service areas and in new markets has accounted for a significant amount of our growth. Although we cannot predict our rate of growth as the result of acquisitions with any accuracy, we believe that acquisitions similar in nature to those we have historically executed will be important to our growth strategy. Many of the other potential purchasers of these assets have greater financial resources than we have. In addition, many of the sellers are interested in either (1) selling, along with their Medicaid assets, other assets in which we do not have an interest; or (2) selling their companies, including their liabilities, as opposed to just the assets of the ongoing business. Therefore, we cannot be sure that