10-K 1 d10k.htm FORM 10-K Form 10-K
Table of Contents

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM 10-K

 

þ    ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2002

 

OR

 

¨    TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the transition period from                      to                     

 

Commission file number 1-5975

 


 

HUMANA INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware

 

61-0647538

(State of incorporation)

 

(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

500 West Main Street

   

Louisville, Kentucky

 

40202

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

(Zip Code)

 

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

 

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

 

Title of each class


 

Name of exchange on which registered


Common stock, $0.16 2/3 par value

 

New York Stock Exchange

7 1/4% Senior Notes, due August 2006

 

 

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

None

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

The aggregate market value of voting stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant as of June 30, 2002 was $480,270,991 calculated using the average price on such date of $15.59.

 

The number of shares outstanding of the Registrant’s Common Stock as of March 19, 2003 was 160,767,347.

 


 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

Parts II and III incorporates herein by reference portions of the Registrant’s Proxy Statement filed pursuant to Regulation 14A covering the Annual Meeting of Stockholders scheduled to be held May 15, 2003.

 



Table of Contents

 

HUMANA INC.

INDEX TO ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

For the Year Ended December 31, 2002

         

Page


Part I

Item 1.

  

Business

  

3

Item 2.

  

Properties

  

17

Item 3.

  

Legal Proceedings

  

18

Item 4.

  

Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

  

20

Part II

Item 5.

  

Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters

  

21

Item 6.

  

Selected Financial Data

  

22

Item 7.

  

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

  

23

Item 7a.

  

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

  

52

Item 8.

  

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

  

53

Item 9.

  

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

  

85

Part III

Item 10.

  

Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant

  

86

Item 11.

  

Executive Compensation

  

88

Item 12.

  

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management

  

88

Item 13.

  

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

  

88

Item 14.

  

Controls and Procedures

  

88

Part IV

Item 15.

  

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

  

89

    

Signatures and Certifications

  

96


Table of Contents

 

PART I

 

ITEM 1.    BUSINESS

 

General

 

Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Humana Inc. referred to throughout this document as “we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company” or “Humana,” is one of the nation’s largest publicly traded health benefits companies, based on our 2002 revenues of $11.3 billion. We offer coordinated health insurance coverage and related services through a variety of traditional and Internet-based plans for employer groups, government-sponsored programs, and individuals. As of December 31, 2002, we had approximately 6.6 million members in our medical insurance programs, as well as approximately 1.6 million members in our specialty products programs. We have approximately 425,000 contracts with physicians, hospitals, dentists and other providers to provide health care to our members. In 2002, approximately 70% of our premiums and administrative services fees resulted from members located in Florida, Illinois, Texas, Kentucky, and Ohio. We derived approximately 44% of our premiums and administrative services fees from contracts with the federal government in 2002. Under two federal government contracts with the Department of Defense, we provide health insurance coverage to the TRICARE members, accounting for approximately 19% of our total premiums and administrative services fees in 2002. Under one federal government contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, we provide health insurance coverage to approximately 228,400 Medicare+Choice members in Florida, accounting for approximately 16% of our total premiums and administrative services fees in 2002.

 

We were organized as a Delaware corporation in 1964. Our principal executive offices are located at 500 West Main Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, and the telephone number at that address is (502) 580-1000. We file annual, quarterly, and current reports, proxy statements, and other documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act.

 

We have made available free of charge on or through our Internet website (http://www.humana.com) our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Proxy Statements, and since November 15, 2002 we expanded the data available on our website to include all reports, and, if applicable, amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC.

 

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains both historical and forward-looking information. See the “Cautionary Statements” section in Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for a description of a number of factors that could adversely affect our results.

 

Business Segments

 

We manage our business with two segments: Commercial and Government. The Commercial segment consists of members enrolled in products marketed to employer groups and individuals, and includes three lines of business: fully insured medical, administrative services only, or ASO, and specialty. The Government segment consists of members enrolled in government-sponsored programs, and includes three lines of business: Medicare+Choice, Medicaid, and TRICARE. We identified our segments in accordance with the aggregation provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 131, Disclosures About Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information which is consistent with information used by our Chief Executive Officer in managing our business. The segment information aggregates products with similar economic characteristics. These characteristics include the nature of customer groups and pricing, benefits, and underwriting requirements.

 

The results of each segment are measured by income before income taxes. We allocate all selling, general and administrative expenses, investment and other income, interest expense, and goodwill, but no other assets or liabilities, to our segments. Members served by our two segments generally utilize the same medical provider networks, enabling us to obtain more favorable contract terms with providers. Our segments also share overhead costs and assets. As a result, the profitability of each segment is interdependent.

 

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Strategy

 

Our business strategy centers on increasing Commercial segment profitability while maintaining our existing strength in the Government segment. Our strategy to increase Commercial segment profitability focuses on providing solutions for employers to the rising cost of health care through the use of innovative and consumer-centric product designs which are supported by service excellence and industry-leading electronic capabilities, including education, tools and technologies provided primarily through the Internet. The intent of our Commercial segment strategy is to enable us to further penetrate high potential commercial markets and to transform the traditional consumer experience for both employers and members to result in a high degree of consumer satisfaction, loyalty and brand awareness. We are in the process of reducing our administrative cost structure primarily to support our Commercial strategy.

 

Our Products

 

The following table presents our segment membership, premiums and ASO fees by product for the year ended December 31, 2002:

 

    

Medical Membership


  

Specialty Membership


  

Premiums


  

ASO Fees


  

Total Premiums and ASO Fees


  

Percent of Total Premiums and ASO Fees


 

Commercial:

                                     

Fully insured:

                                     

HMO

  

1,147,100

  

—  

  

$

2,610,926

  

$

—  

  

$

2,610,926

  

23.4

%

PPO

  

1,193,200

  

—  

  

 

2,888,107

  

 

—  

  

 

2,888,107

  

25.8

%

    
  
  

  

  

  

Total fully insured

  

2,340,300

  

—  

  

 

5,499,033

  

 

—  

  

 

5,499,033

  

49.2

%

Administrative services only

  

652,200

  

—  

  

 

—  

  

 

103,203

  

 

103,203

  

0.9

%

Specialty

  

—  

  

1,640,000

  

 

337,295

  

 

—  

  

 

337,295

  

3.1

%

    
  
  

  

  

  

Total Commercial

  

2,992,500

  

1,640,000

  

 

5,836,328

  

 

103,203

  

 

5,939,531

  

53.2

%

    
  
  

  

  

  

Government:

                                     

Medicare+Choice

  

344,100

  

—  

  

 

2,629,597

  

 

—  

  

 

2,629,597

  

23.5

%

Medicaid

  

506,000

  

—  

  

 

462,998

  

 

—  

  

 

462,998

  

4.1

%

TRICARE

  

1,755,800

  

—  

  

 

2,001,474

  

 

—  

  

 

2,001,474

  

17.9

%

TRICARE ASO

  

1,048,700

  

—  

  

 

—  

  

 

141,193

  

 

141,193

  

1.3

%

    
  
  

  

  

  

Total Government

  

3,654,600

  

—  

  

 

5,094,069

  

 

141,193

  

 

5,235,262

  

46.8

%

    
  
  

  

  

  

Total

  

6,647,100

  

1,640,000

  

$

10,930,397

  

$

244,396

  

$

11,174,793

  

100.0

%

    
  
  

  

  

  

 

Our Products Marketed to Commercial Segment Members

 

New Generation of Products

 

We have developed a range of innovative products that we believe will be a solution for employers who are consistently facing double-digit premium increases as medical costs also continue to rise at that same level. Our new generation of products encompass more choices for the individual consumer, transparency of provider costs, guidance when consumers need it most, and benefit designs that engage consumers in the financial implications of the choices they make with respect to their health care. Innovative tools and technology are available to assist consumers with these decisions, including trade-offs between higher premiums and point-of-service costs at the time consumers choose their plans, and ways in which the consumers can maximize their individual benefits at the point they use their plans. These products are sold to employers with Humana as the sole carrier, but are available as either a fully insured or self-funded option to employers.

 

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HMO

 

Our health maintenance organization, or HMO, products provide prepaid health insurance coverage to our members through a network of independent primary care physicians, specialty physicians and other health care providers who contract with the HMO to furnish such services. Primary care physicians generally include internists, family practitioners and pediatricians. Generally, the member’s primary care physician must approve access to certain specialty physicians and other health care providers. These other health care providers include, among others, hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, pharmacies, mental health and substance abuse centers, diagnostic centers, optometrists, outpatient surgery centers, dentists, urgent care centers and durable medical equipment suppliers. Because the primary care physician must generally approve access to many of these other health care providers, the HMO product is the most restrictive form of managed care.

 

An HMO member, typically through the member’s employer, pays a monthly fee, which generally covers, with some copayments, health care services received from or approved by the member’s primary care physician. For the year ended December 31, 2002, commercial HMO premium revenues totaled approximately $2.6 billion, or 23.4% of our total premiums and ASO fees.

 

PPO

 

Our preferred provider organization, or PPO, products include some elements of managed health care; however, they typically include more cost-sharing with the member, through copayments and annual deductibles. PPOs are also similar to traditional health insurance because they provide a member with more freedom to choose a physician or other health care provider. In a PPO, the member is encouraged, through financial incentives, to use participating health care providers, which have contracted with the PPO to provide services at favorable rates. In the event a member chooses not to use a participating health care provider, the member may be required to pay a greater portion of the provider’s fees. For the year ended December 31, 2002, commercial PPO premium revenues totaled approximately $2.9 billion, or 25.8% of our total premiums and ASO fees.

 

Individual Products

 

In June 2002, we introduced HumanaOne, our first product marketed directly to individuals. We have introduced this product in select markets where we can utilize our existing networks and distribution channels.

 

Administrative Services Only

 

We offer an administrative services only, or ASO, product to those who self-insure their employee health plans. We receive fees to provide administrative services which generally include the processing of claims, offering access to our provider networks and clinical programs, and responding to customer services inquiries from members of self-funded employers. These products may include all of the same benefit and product design characteristics of our fully insured PPO and HMO products described above, however, under ASO contracts, self-funded employers retain the risk of financing the cost of health benefits. For the year ended December 31, 2002, commercial administrative services fees totaled $103.2 million, or 0.9% of our total premiums and ASO fees.

 

Specialty Products

 

We also offer various specialty products including dental, group life and short-term disability. At December 31, 2002, we had approximately 1.6 million specialty members. For the year ended December 31, 2002, specialty product premium revenues were approximately $337.3 million, or 3.1% of our total premiums and ASO fees.

 

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Our Products Marketed to Government Segment Members

 

Medicare+Choice Product

 

Medicare is a federal program that provides persons age 65 and over and some disabled persons certain hospital and medical insurance benefits, which include hospitalization benefits for up to 90 days per incident of illness plus a lifetime reserve aggregating 60 days. Each Medicare-eligible individual is entitled to receive inpatient hospital care, known as Part A care, without the payment of any premium, but is required to pay a premium to the federal government, which is adjusted annually, to be eligible for physician care and other services, known as Part B care.

 

We contract with CMS under the Medicare+Choice program to provide health insurance coverage in exchange for a fixed monthly payment per member for Medicare-eligible individuals residing in the geographic areas in which our HMOs operate. Individuals who elect to participate in Medicare+Choice programs receive additional benefits not covered by Medicare and are relieved of the obligation to pay some or all of the deductible or coinsurance amounts but are generally required to use exclusively the services provided by the HMO (subject to nominal copayments and coinsurance) and are required to pay a Part B premium to the Medicare program.

 

The Medicare+Choice product involves a contract between an HMO and CMS, pursuant to which CMS makes a fixed monthly payment to the HMO on behalf of each Medicare-eligible individual that chooses to enroll for coverage in the HMO. The fixed monthly payment, payable on the first day of a month, is determined by formula established by federal law. We sometimes receive the fixed monthly payment early due to a weekend or holiday falling on the first day of a month. This receipt is significant, the timing of which can cause material fluctuation in operating cash flows. We also collect additional member premiums from our members in certain of our markets.

 

At December 31, 2002, we provided health insurance coverage under CMS contracts to approximately 344,100 Medicare+Choice members for which we received premium revenues of approximately $2.6 billion, or 23.5% of our total premiums and ASO fees for 2002. One such CMS contract covered approximately 228,400 members in Florida and accounted for premium revenues of approximately $1.7 billion, which represented 66.0% of our Medicare+Choice premium revenues, or 15.5% of our total premiums and ASO fees for 2002.

 

Our Medicare+Choice contracts with the federal government are renewed for a one-year term each December 31 unless terminated 90 days prior thereto. Our 2003 average rate of statutory increase under the Medicare+Choice contracts is approximately 3.2%. Over the last five years, annual increases have ranged from as low as the January 2001 increase of 1.9% to as high as 5.0% in January 2002, with an average of approximately 2.8%. On January 1, 2002, we ceased providing our Medicare+Choice product in 5 counties in Kentucky and 1 county in Illinois, affecting approximately 22,000 members. On January 1, 2003, we exited certain counties in several of our markets, affecting about 10,000 members. These exits were the result, in part, of lower CMS reimbursement rates. We are working with CMS to develop other alternative offerings. For example, we are participating in a Medicare+Choice pilot program offering a private fee-for-service product in DuPage County, Illinois and a PPO product in Pinellas County, Florida.

 

TRICARE

 

TRICARE provides health insurance coverage to the dependents of active duty military personnel and to retired military personnel and their dependents. In November 1995, the United States Department of Defense awarded us our first TRICARE contract for Regions 3 and 4 covering approximately 1.1 million eligible beneficiaries in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Eastern Louisiana. On July 1, 1996, we began providing health insurance coverage to these approximately 1.1 million eligible beneficiaries.

 

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On May 31, 2001, we acquired for $43.5 million the outstanding shares of common stock of a newly formed Anthem Alliance Health Insurance Company subsidiary responsible for administering TRICARE benefits for Regions 2 and 5 to approximately 1.2 million eligible members in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, a portion of Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

 

We currently are in negotiations with the Department of Defense to extend our TRICARE contracts that expire on April 30, 2003 for Regions 2 and 5 and June 30, 2003 for Regions 3 and 4. We believe we will be able to successfully extend our TRICARE contracts under substantially the same terms for one additional year plus a one year renewal option which should continue our contracts through the new TRICARE Next Generation, or T-Nex, transition described below. Historical pretax profit margins for our TRICARE business have generally ranged from 2 to 4 percent. We expect margins to continue in this range during 2003.

 

The Department of Defense recently announced a plan to consolidate the total number of prime contracts from seven to three under the new T-Nex program. The Department of Defense has stated that a bidder can be awarded only one prime contract, although a bidder would be allowed to secondarily participate in another contract. We submitted a bid in January 2003 to participate as a prime contractor for the South region. Additionally, we partnered with Aetna Government Health Plans, LLC, a subsidiary of Aetna, Inc. to participate as a subcontractor should Aetna Government Health Plans, LLC be awarded the North region. An announcement of the awards is expected in mid to late 2003 with transition to the new regions not expected until mid to late 2004. At this time we are unable to predict whether we will be awarded a contract, or the effective date of the contract.

 

If we are a successful bidder on the South region, we do not expect a material change to our consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows, although TRICARE profits could decline slightly. TRICARE membership would not materially change from current levels. TRICARE revenues and expenses would decline by approximately 20% as a result of certain benefits, e.g. pharmacy, which are included under our current contract, being excluded and under separate T-Nex contracts in the future.

 

Currently, three health benefit options are available to TRICARE beneficiaries. In addition to a traditional indemnity option, participants may enroll in an HMO-like plan with a point-of-service option or take advantage of reduced copayments by using a network of preferred providers. We have subcontracted with third parties to provide various administration and specialty services under the contracts. For the year ended December 31, 2002, TRICARE premium revenues were approximately $2.0 billion, or 17.9% of our total premiums and ASO fees.

 

At December 31, 2002, we had 1,048,700 TRICARE ASO members for which the Department of Defense retains the risk of financing the cost of their health benefits. We obtained these members from our acquisition of Regions 2 and 5, and from two government programs that allow senior members to continue in the TRICARE program even after becoming Medicare eligible, which is normally age 65. The first of these programs, called TRICARE Senior Pharmacy, became effective April 1, 2001. Under this government administrative services program, senior TRICARE members receive certain pharmacy benefits not covered under Medicare. On October 1, 2001, the TRICARE For Life program became effective, and expanded coverage to include medical benefits as well. We are engaged by the Department of Defense to provide these administrative services through change orders to our existing TRICARE contracts. Once T-Nex becomes effective, our participation in these ASO programs will allow us to competitively bid for certain of the services under separate contracts. Although we will not bid on the TRICARE for Life contract under T-Nex, we may bid on other services under separate T-Nex contracts. Anticipated changes to these benefits contracted separately contribute to the expected 20% decline in total TRICARE revenue discussed above. For the year ended December 31, 2002, TRICARE administrative services fees totaled $141.2 million, or 1.3% of our total premiums and ASO fees.

 

Medicaid Product

 

Medicaid is a federal program that is state-operated to facilitate the delivery of health care services to low-income residents. Each state that chooses to do so develops, through a state specific regulatory agency, a

 

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

 

Effective July 1, 2002, we signed two contracts in Puerto Rico covering beneficiaries in two of the eight regions in Puerto Rico’s Medicaid program. The term of each of these contracts is three years, subject to annual renewal options with the Health Insurance Administration in Puerto Rico. Our Medicaid contracts in Florida and Illinois generally are annual contracts. For the year ended December 31, 2002, premium revenues from our Medicaid products totaled $463.0 million, or 4.1% of our total premiums and ASO fees. At December 31, 2002, we had approximately 434,800 Medicaid members in Puerto Rico, or 86% of total Medicaid members, and 71,200 Medicaid members in Florida and Illinois, or 14% of total Medicaid members.

 

The following table summarizes our medical membership at December 31, 2002, by market and product:

 

    

Commercial


  

Government


  

Percent Of Total


 
    

HMO


  

PPO


  

ASO


  

Medicare + Choice


  

Medicaid


  

TRICARE


  

Total


  
    

(in thousands)

 

Florida

  

170.6

  

60.4

  

12.5

  

228.8

  

54.2

  

414.1

  

940.7

  

14.2

%

Illinois

  

303.7

  

243.2

  

87.1

  

58.8

  

17.0

  

76.3

  

786.0

  

11.8

 

Texas

  

214.8

  

262.8

  

29.5

  

24.3

  

—  

  

—  

  

531.3

  

8.0

 

Puerto Rico

  

17.6

  

46.9

  

5.1

  

—  

  

434.8

  

—  

  

504.3

  

7.6

 

Ohio

  

177.8

  

55.7

  

118.5

  

—  

  

—  

  

85.7

  

437.6

  

6.6

 

Kentucky

  

77.3

  

188.4

  

77.6

  

—  

  

—  

  

65.5

  

408.9

  

6.2

 

Wisconsin

  

86.1

  

40.5

  

190.7

  

—  

  

—  

  

29.6

  

347.1

  

5.2

 

Georgia

  

18.4

  

37.1

  

2.4

  

—  

  

—  

  

270.8

  

328.7

  

4.9

 

Virginia

  

—  

  

1.6

  

0.3

  

—  

  

—  

  

171.3

  

173.2

  

2.6

 

North Carolina

  

—  

  

18.9

  

3.0

  

—  

  

—  

  

139.6

  

161.4

  

2.4

 

Arizona

  

35.5

  

50.4

  

52.0

  

16.5

  

—  

  

—  

  

154.4

  

2.3

 

South Carolina

  

—  

  

5.5

  

0.7

  

—  

  

—  

  

128.8

  

134.9

  

2.0

 

Tennessee

  

—  

  

36.2

  

15.8

  

—  

  

—  

  

75.1

  

127.1

  

1.9

 

Indiana

  

6.0

  

30.1

  

31.1

  

—  

  

—  

  

37.2

  

104.4

  

1.6

 

Alabama

  

—  

  

0.1

  

—  

  

—  

  

—  

  

100.5

  

100.6

  

1.5

 

Michigan

  

—  

  

33.8

  

2.9

  

—  

  

—  

  

54.7

  

91.4

  

1.4

 

Missouri/Kansas

  

39.3

  

16.5

  

6.2

  

15.7

  

—  

  

4.6

  

82.3

  

1.2

 

Mississippi

  

—  

  

4.2

  

0.3

  

—  

  

—  

  

73.0

  

77.5

  

1.2

 

Colorado

  

—  

  

39.1

  

0.1

  

—  

  

—  

  

—  

  

39.2

  

0.6

 

TRICARE ASO

  

—  

  

—  

  

—  

  

—  

  

—  

  

1,048.7

  

1,048.7

  

15.8

 

Others

  

—  

  

21.8

  

16.4

  

—  

  

—  

  

29.0

  

67.4

  

1.0

 

    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Totals

  

1,147.1

  

1,193.2

  

652.2

  

344.1

  

506.0

  

2,804.5

  

6,647.1

  

100.0

%

    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

 

Provider Arrangements

 

We provide our members with access to health care services through our networks of health care providers with whom we have contracted, including hospitals and other independent facilities such as outpatient surgery centers, primary care physicians, specialist physicians, dentists and providers of ancillary health care services and facilities. We have approximately 425,000 contracts with health care providers participating in our networks,

 

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which consist of approximately 298,700 physicians, 3,100 hospitals, and 122,000 ancillary providers and dentists. These ancillary services and facilities include ambulance services, medical equipment services, home health agencies, mental health providers, rehabilitation facilities, nursing homes, optical services and pharmacies. Our membership base and the ability to influence where our members seek care generally enable us to obtain contractual discounts with providers.

 

We use a variety of techniques to provide access to effective and efficient use of health care services for our members. These techniques include the coordination of care for our members, product and benefit designs, hospital inpatient management systems, or HIMS, and enrolling members into various disease management programs. The focal point for health care services in many of our Medicare+Choice and HMO networks is the primary care physician who, under contract, provides services, and may control utilization of appropriate services, by directing or approving hospitalization and referrals to specialists and other providers. Some physicians may have arrangements under which they can earn bonuses when certain target goals relating to the provisions of patient care are met. Our HIMS programs use specially trained physicians to effectively manage the entire range of an HMO members’ medical care during a hospital admission and to effectively coordinate the members’ discharge and post-discharge care. We have available a variety of disease management programs related to specific medical conditions such as congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, prenatal and premature infant care, asthma related illness, end stage renal disease, diabetes and breast cancer screening. We also may focus on certain rare conditions where disease management techniques benefit members in a more cost effective manner.

 

We typically contract with hospitals on either a per diem rate, which is an all-inclusive rate per day, a case rate, which is an all-inclusive rate per admission, or at a discounted charge for inpatient hospital services. Outpatient hospital services are generally contracted at a flat rate by type of service or at a discounted charge. These contracts are often multi-year agreements with rates that are adjusted for inflation annually based on the consumer price index or other nationally recognized inflation index. Outpatient surgery centers and other ancillary providers are typically contracted at flat rates per service provided or are reimbursed based upon a nationally recognized fee schedule such as the Medicare allowable fee schedule.

 

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

 

Capitation

 

For 8.8% of our December 31, 2002 medical membership, we contract with hospitals and physicians to accept financial risk for a defined set of HMO membership. In transferring this risk, we prepay these providers a monthly fixed-fee per member, known as a capitation payment, to coordinate substantially all of the medical care for their capitated HMO membership, including some health benefit administrative functions and claims processing. For these capitated HMO arrangements, we generally agree to reimbursement rates that target a medical expense ratio ranging from 82% to 89%. Providers participating in hospital-based capitated HMO arrangements generally receive a monthly payment for all of the services within their system for their HMO membership. Providers participating in physician-based capitated HMO arrangements generally have subcontracted directly with hospitals and specialist physicians, and are responsible for reimbursing such hospitals and physicians for services rendered to their HMO membership.

 

For 5.9% of our December 31, 2002 medical membership, we contract with physicians under risk-sharing arrangements whereby physicians have assumed some level of risk for all or a portion of the medical costs of their HMO membership. Although these arrangements do include capitation payments for services rendered, we process substantially all of the claims under these arrangements.

 

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

 

The following table presents medical membership under these various arrangements at December 31, 2002 and 2001:

 

   

Commercial Segment


    

Government Segment


   

Consol. Total Medical


 
   

Fully Insured


   

ASO


   

Total Segment


    

Medicare+ Choice


   

Medicaid


   

TRICARE


   

TRICARE ASO


   

Total Segment


   

Medical Membership:

December 31, 2002

                                                      

Capitated HMO hospital system based

 

147,400

 

 

—  

 

 

147,400

 

  

47,100

 

 

11,900

 

 

—  

 

 

—  

 

 

59,000

 

 

206,400

 

Capitated HMO physician group based

 

73,900

 

 

—  

 

 

73,900

 

  

10,700

 

 

292,900

 

 

—  

 

 

—  

 

 

303,600

 

 

377,500

 

Risk-sharing

 

67,700

 

 

—  

 

 

67,700

 

  

160,200

 

 

164,200

 

 

—  

 

 

—  

 

 

324,400

 

 

392,100

 

Other

 

2,051,300

 

 

652,200

 

 

2,703,500

 

  

126,100

 

 

37,000

 

 

1,755,800

 

 

1,048,700

 

 

2,967,600

 

 

5,671,100

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

2,340,300

 

 

652,200

 

 

2,992,500

 

  

344,100

 

 

506,000

 

 

1,755,800

 

 

1,048,700

 

 

3,654,600

 

 

6,647,100

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2001

                                                      

Capitated HMO hospital system based

 

162,000

 

 

—  

 

 

162,000

 

  

58,700

 

 

10,500

 

 

—  

 

 

—  

 

 

69,200

 

 

231,200

 

Capitated HMO physician group based

 

94,500

 

 

—  

 

 

94,500

 

  

13,900

 

 

89,200

 

 

—  

 

 

—  

 

 

103,100

 

 

197,600

 

Risk-sharing

 

89,900

 

 

—  

 

 

89,900

 

  

175,400

 

 

182,000

 

 

—  

 

 

—  

 

 

357,400

 

 

447,300

 

Other

 

1,954,900

 

 

592,500

 

 

2,547,400

 

  

145,900

 

 

209,100

 

 

1,714,600

 

 

942,700

 

 

3,012,300

 

 

5,559,700

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

2,301,300

 

 

592,500

 

 

2,893,800

 

  

393,900

 

 

490,800

 

 

1,714,600

 

 

942,700

 

 

3,542,000

 

 

6,435,800

 

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Medical Membership Distribution:

December 31, 2002

                                                      

Capitated HMO hospital system based

 

6.3

%

 

—  

 

 

4.9

%

  

13.7

%

 

2.4

%

 

—  

 

 

—  

 

 

1.6

%

 

3.1

%

Capitated HMO physician group based

 

3.2

%

 

—  

 

 

2.5

%

  

3.1

%

 

57.9

%

 

—  

 

 

—  

 

 

8.3

%

 

5.7

%

Risk-sharing

 

2.9

%

 

—  

 

 

2.3

%

  

46.6

%

 

32.4

%

 

—  

 

 

—  

 

 

8.9

%

 

5.9

%

All other membership

 

87.6

%

 

100.0

%

 

90.3

%

  

36.6

%

 

7.3

%

 

100.0

%

 

100.0

%

 

81.2

%

 

85.3

%

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

100.0

%

 

100.0

%

 

100.0

%

  

100.0

%

 

100.0

%

 

100.0

%

 

100.0

%

 

100.0

%

 

100.0

%

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2001

                                                      

Capitated HMO hospital system based

 

7.0

%

 

—  

 

 

5.6

%

  

14.9

%

 

2.1

%

 

—  

 

 

—  

 

 

2.0

%

 

3.6

%

Capitated HMO physician group based

 

4.1

%

 

—  

 

 

3.3

%

  

3.5

%

 

18.2

%

 

—  

 

 

—  

 

 

2.9

%

 

3.1

%

Risk-sharing

 

3.9

%

 

—  

 

 

3.1

%

  

44.5

%

 

37.1

%

 

—  

 

 

—  

 

 

10.1

%

 

6.9

%

Other

 

85.0

%

 

100.0

%

 

88.0

%

  

37.1

%

 

42.6

%

 

100.0

%

 

100.0

%

 

85.0

%

 

86.4

%

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

100.0

%

 

100.0

%

 

100.0

%

  

100.0

%

 

100.0

%

 

100.0

%

 

100.0

%

 

100.0

%

 

100.0

%

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following table presents capitation expense as a percentage of total medical expense:

 

    

For the year ended December 31,


 
    

2002


    

2001


    

2000


 
    

(dollars in thousands)

 

Medical Expenses:

                                         

Capitated HMO expense

  

$

603,617

  

6.6

%

  

$

546,594

  

6.6

%

  

$

538,242

  

6.1

%

Other medical expense

  

 

8,534,579

  

93.4

%

  

 

7,733,250

  

93.4

%

  

 

8,243,756

  

93.9

%

    

  

  

  

  

  

Consolidated medical expense

  

$

9,138,196

  

100.0

%

  

$

8,279,844

  

100.0

%

  

$

8,781,998

  

100.0

%

    

  

  

  

  

  

 

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Accreditation Assessment

 

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

 

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

 

Recredentialing of participating providers occurs every two to three years, depending on applicable state laws. Recredentialing of participating physicians includes verification of their medical license; review of their malpractice liability claims history; review of their board certification, if applicable; and review of any complaints, including any member appeals and grievances. Committees, composed of a peer group of physicians, review the applications of physicians being considered for credentialing and recredentialing.

 

We request accreditation for certain of our HMO plans from NCQA and the American Accreditation Healthcare Commission/Utilization Review Accreditation Commission, or AAHC/URAC. Accreditation or external review by an approved organization is mandatory in the states of Florida and Kansas for licensure as an HMO. Accreditation specific to the utilization review process is also required in the state of Georgia for licensure as an HMO or PPO. Certain commercial businesses, like those impacted by United Auto Workers contracts and those where the request comes from the employer, require or prefer accredited health plans.

 

NCQA performs reviews of standards for quality improvement, credentialing, utilization management, preventative health, and member rights and responsibilities. We continue to maintain accreditation in select markets through NCQA. Three markets maintain NCQA accredited status for all HMO product lines: Humana Health Plan of Ohio, Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio (excellent); Humana Medical Plan, Inc. in north Florida (commendable), and central Florida (commendable).

 

AAHC/URAC performs reviews of standards for utilization management, and for health plan standards in quality management, credentialing, rights and responsibilities, and network management. Seven markets have achieved URAC health plan accreditation for all HMO product lines: Humana Medical Plan, Inc. in north Florida, south Florida, central Florida (Daytona, Tampa and Orlando), Humana Health Plan of Ohio, Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Humana Health Plan, Inc. in Kentucky and in Kansas. The Atlanta market has URAC utilization management accreditation for HMO and PPO product lines. AAHC/URAC utilization management accreditation was received for Humana Military Healthcare Services, Inc., which administers the TRICARE program and for the Green Bay service center.

 

Some of our HMO entities are unaccredited, because we sought accreditation only where regulatory requirements were in place, such as in Florida, which requires accreditation for HMO licensing, or in market areas where commercial groups use it as a variable in choosing carriers. As the requirements of accreditation have become less focused on factors under our control and more focused on other factors such as provider behavior, we have concluded that these programs do not add value for our customers. We are piloting ISO 9000 certification as an alternative to accreditation. ISO is the international standards organization, which has developed an international commercial set of certifications as to quality and process, called ISO 9000. At this time, two clinical programs within the Innovation Center of Humana have received ISO registration: transplant management and centralized clinical operations providing personal nurse services.

 

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Sales and Marketing

 

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

 

We use various methods to market our commercial, Medicare+Choice and Medicaid products, including television, radio, the Internet, telemarketing and mailings. At December 31, 2002, we used approximately 39,000 licensed independent brokers and agents and approximately 520 licensed employees to sell our commercial products. Many of our employer group customers are represented by insurance brokers and consultants who assist these groups in the design and purchase of health care products. We generally pay brokers a commission based on premiums, with commissions varying by market and premium volume.

 

At December 31, 2002, we employed approximately 610 sales representatives, who are each paid a salary and/or per member commission, to market our Medicare+Choice and Medicaid products in the continental U.S. We also employed approximately 330 telemarketing representatives who assisted in the marketing of Medicare+Choice and Medicaid products by making appointments for sales representatives with prospective members.

 

Risk Management

 

Through the use of internally developed underwriting criteria, we determine the risk we are willing to assume and the amount of premium to charge for our commercial products. In most instances, employer and other groups must meet our underwriting standards in order to qualify to contract with us for coverage. Small group reform laws in some states have imposed regulations which provide for guaranteed issue of certain health insurance products and prescribe certain limitations on the variation in rates charged based upon assessment of health conditions.

 

Underwriting techniques are not employed in connection with Medicare+Choice products because CMS regulations require us to accept all eligible Medicare applicants regardless of their health or prior medical history. We also are not permitted to employ underwriting criteria for the Medicaid product, but rather we follow CMS and state requirements. In addition, with respect to our TRICARE business, we do not employ any underwriting techniques because we must accept all eligible beneficiaries who choose to participate.

 

Competition

 

The health benefits industry is highly competitive and contracts for the sale of commercial products are generally bid or renewed annually. Our competitors vary by local market and include other publicly traded managed care companies, national insurance companies and other HMOs and PPOs, including HMOs and PPOs owned by Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans. Many of our competitors have larger memberships and/or greater financial resources than our health plans in the markets in which we compete. Our ability to sell our products and to retain customers is, or may be, influenced by such factors as benefits, pricing, contract terms, number and quality of participating physicians and other managed health care providers, utilization review, claims processing, administrative efficiency, relationships with agents, quality of customer service and accreditation results.

 

Government Regulation

 

Government regulation of health care products and services is a changing area of law that varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Regulatory agencies generally have broad discretion to issue regulations and interpret

 

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Table of Contents

and enforce laws and rules. Changes in applicable laws and regulations are continually being considered, and the interpretation of existing laws and rules also may change periodically. These regulatory revisions could affect our operations and financial results. Also, it may become increasingly difficult to control medical costs if federal and state bodies continue to consider and enact significant and sometimes onerous managed care laws and regulations.

 

Enforcement of health care fraud and abuse laws has become a top priority for the nation’s law enforcement entities. The funding of such law enforcement efforts has increased dramatically in the past few years and is expected to continue. The focus of these efforts has been directed at participants in federal government health care programs such as Medicare+Choice, Medicaid and the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, or FEHBP. We participate extensively in these programs and have continued our stringent regulatory compliance efforts for these programs. The programs are subject to very technical rules. When combined with law enforcement intolerance for any level of noncompliance, these rules mean that compliance efforts in this area continue to be challenging.

 

We are subject to various governmental audits, investigations and enforcement actions. These include possible government actions relating to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, as amended, or ERISA, FEHBP, federal and state fraud and abuse laws, and other laws relating to Medicare+Choice, including adjusted community rating development, special payment status, and various other areas. Adjusted community rating development is the government-defined rating formula used to justify the Medicare+Choice benefits we offer individuals eligible for Medicare benefits based on a particular community and certain other factors. Special payment status refers to, among others, Medicare+Choice members who are institutionalized, Medicaid-eligible, or members who have contracted end-stage renal disease. The Medicare+Choice plan receives a higher payment for members who qualify for one or more of these statuses. We are currently involved in various government investigations, audits and reviews, some of which are under ERISA, and the authority of state departments of insurance. On May 31, 2000, we entered into a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services as part of a settlement of a Medicare overpayment issue arising from an audit by the Office of the Inspector General. Although any of the pending government actions could result in assessment of damages, civil or criminal fines or penalties, or other sanctions against us, including exclusion from participation in government programs, we do not believe the results of any of these actions, individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

Of our seven licensed and active HMO subsidiaries as of March 1, 2003, five are qualified under the Federal Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973, as amended. To obtain federal qualification, an HMO must meet certain requirements, including conformance with benefit, rating and financial reporting standards. In certain markets, and for certain products, we operate HMOs that are not federally qualified because this provides greater flexibility with respect to product design and pricing than is possible for federally qualified HMOs.

 

As of March 1, 2003, Humana Medical Plan, Inc., Humana Health Plan of Texas, Inc., and Humana Health Plan, Inc. each hold CMS contracts under the Medicare+Choice program to sell Medicare HMO products in a total of six states. In addition, Humana Insurance Company holds a CMS contract under a Medicare+Choice pilot program to sell a private fee-for-service product in DuPage County, Illinois and a PPO product in Pinellas County, Florida.

 

CMS conducts audits of HMOs qualified under its Medicare+Choice program at least biannually and may perform other reviews more frequently to determine compliance with federal regulations and contractual obligations. These audits include review of the HMOs’ administration and management, including management information and data collection systems, fiscal stability, utilization management and physician incentive arrangements, health services delivery, quality assurance, marketing, enrollment and disenrollment activity, claims processing, and complaint systems.

 

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CMS regulations require submission of quarterly and annual financial statements. In addition, CMS requires certain disclosures to CMS and to Medicare+Choice beneficiaries concerning operations of a health plan contracted under the Medicare+Choice program. CMS’s rules require disclosure to members upon request of information concerning financial arrangements and incentive plans between an HMO and physicians in the HMOs’ networks. These rules also require certain levels of stop-loss coverage to protect contracted physicians against major losses relating to patient care, depending on the amount of financial risk they assume. The reporting of certain health care data contained in HEDIS is another important CMS disclosure requirement.

 

Our Medicaid products are regulated by the applicable state agency in the state in which we sell a Medicaid product and by the Health Insurance Administration in Puerto Rico, in conformance with federal approval of the applicable state plan, and are subject to periodic reviews by these agencies. The reviews are similar in nature to those performed by CMS.

 

Laws in each of the states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in which we operate our HMOs, PPOs and other health insurance-related services regulate our operations, including the scope of benefits, rate formulas, delivery systems, utilization review procedures, quality assurance, complaint systems, enrollment requirements, claim payments, marketing and advertising. The HMO, PPO and other health insurance-related products we offer are sold under licenses issued by the applicable insurance regulators. Under state laws, our HMOs and health insurance companies are audited by state departments of insurance for financial and contractual compliance, and our HMOs are audited for compliance with health services standards by respective state departments of health. Most states’ laws require such audits to be performed at least once every three years.

 

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

 

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

 

As of December 31, 2002, we maintained aggregate statutory capital and surplus of $1,006.9 million in our state regulated health insurance subsidiaries. Each of these subsidiaries was in compliance with applicable statutory requirements which aggregated $576.0 million. Although the minimum required levels of equity are largely based on premium volume, product mix, and the quality of assets held, minimum requirements can vary significantly at the state level. Certain states rely on risk-based capital requirements, or RBC, to define the required levels of equity. RBC is a model developed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to monitor an entity’s solvency. This calculation indicates recommended minimum levels of required capital and surplus and signals regulatory measures should actual surplus fall below these recommended levels. Some states are in the process of phasing in these RBC requirements over a number of years. If RBC were fully implemented by all states at December 31, 2002, each of our subsidiaries would be in compliance, and we would have $358.8 million of aggregate capital and surplus above the minimum level required under RBC.

 

One TRICARE subsidiary under the Regions 3 and 4 contract with the Department of Defense is required to maintain current assets at least equivalent to its current liabilities. We were in compliance with this requirement at December 31, 2002.

 

Our management works proactively to ensure compliance with all governmental laws and regulations affecting our business.

 

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Health Care Reform

 

There continue to be diverse legislative and regulatory initiatives at both the federal and state levels to address aspects of the nation’s health care system.

 

Federal

 

In 2000, Congress passed the Medicare, Medicaid and State Childrens Health Benefits Improvement and Protection Act, or BIPA, amending certain provisions of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, and certain provisions of the Medicare, Medicaid and State Children’s Health Insurance Program Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999. The Balanced Budget Act changed the way health plans are compensated for Medicare members by eliminating over five years amounts paid for graduate medical education, increasing the blend of national cost factors applied in determining local reimbursement rates over a six-year phase-in period and directing CMS to implement a risk adjusted mechanism on its monthly member payment to Medicare plans over the same period. These changes have had the effect of reducing reimbursement in high cost metropolitan areas with a large number of teaching hospitals. Congress has subsequently lengthened this timetable to allow the risk adjusted mechanism to be fully implemented by 2007. BIPA, among other things, enacted modest increases to the payment formula for Medicare+Choice plans. While we believe that these increases and modifications restore some Medicare+Choice reimbursement, pending legislative and regulatory initiatives could cause us to again consider increasing enrollee out-of-pocket costs, modifying benefits or exiting markets. On January 1, 2002, we exited our Medicare product in 5 counties in Kentucky and 1 county in Illinois affecting approximately 22,000 members. On January 1, 2003, we exited certain counties in several of our markets, affecting about 10,000 members. These county exits were the result, in part, of lower CMS reimbursement rates. We are working with CMS to develop other alternative offerings. For example, we are participating in a Medicare+Choice pilot program offering a private fee-for-service product in DuPage County, Illinois and a PPO product in Pinellas County, Florida.

 

On November 21, 2000, the Department of Labor published its final regulation on claims and appeals review procedures under ERISA. The claims procedure regulation applies to all employee benefit plans governed by ERISA, whether benefits are provided through insurance products or are self-funded. As a result, the new claims and appeals review regulation impacts nearly all employer and union-sponsored health and disability plans, except church and government plans. Similar to legislation recently passed by many states, the new ERISA claims and appeals procedures impose shorter and more detailed procedures for processing and reviewing claims and appeals. According to the Department of Labor, however, its ERISA claims and appeals regulation does not preempt state insurance and utilization review laws that impose different procedures or time lines, unless complying with the state law would make compliance with the new ERISA regulation impossible. Unlike its state counterparts, the ERISA claims and appeals rule does not provide for independent external review to decide disputed medical questions. Instead, the federal regulation will generally make it easier for claimants to avoid state-mandated internal and external review processes and to file suit in federal court. The new ERISA claims and appeals rules generally became effective July 1, 2002 or the first day of the first plan year beginning after July 1, 2002, whichever is later. In any case, health plans must comply with the new rules with respect to all claims filed on or after January 1, 2003.

 

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, includes administrative provisions directed at simplifying electronic data interchange through standardizing transactions, establishing uniform health care provider, payer and employer identifiers and seeking protections for confidentiality and security of patient data. Under the new HIPAA standard transactions and code sets rules, we must make significant systems enhancements and invest in new technological solutions. The compliance date for standard transactions and code sets rules has been extended to October 17, 2003 based on our submission of a compliance plan, including work plan and implementation strategy to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Under the new HIPAA privacy rules, by April 14, 2003 we must comply with a variety of requirements concerning the use and disclosure of individuals’ protected health information, establish rigorous internal procedures to protect health information and enter into business associate contracts with those companies to whom protected health

 

15


Table of Contents

information is disclosed. Regulations issued in February 2003 set standards for the security of electronic health information requiring compliance by April 21, 2005. Violations of these rules will subject us to significant penalties. Compliance with HIPAA regulations requires significant systems enhancements, training and administrative effort. The final rules do not provide for complete federal preemption of state laws, but rather preempt all inconsistent state laws unless the state law is more stringent. HIPAA could also expose us to additional liability for violations by our business associates.

 

Further in 1999, Congress passed the Financial Services Modernization Act, or Gramm Leach Bliley Act, that includes provisions related to privacy standards for personal information to be implemented by both the federal government and the states. This law became effective in July 2001. Many states are currently enacting laws or regulations to implement the federal law. We are complying with such provisions.

 

There are several other legislative proposals under consideration that include, among other things, a Patient Bill of Rights, expansion of a patient’s right to sue and mandatory external review of health plan coverage decisions. Under some versions of this bill, our exposure to large jury verdicts could be increased.

 

In addition, Congress is evaluating proposals to include establishing additional protections for personal health information, tax credits for the uninsured, proposals to reduce the number of medical errors by health care providers and systems of care, and various state and federal purchasing plans to allow individuals and small employers to purchase health insurance. Also, Congress is evaluating proposals to expand Medicare benefits to cover prescription drugs for Medicare-eligible seniors including a pharmacy discount card. Many of these proposals may require additional administrative costs to ensure compliance and we are currently assessing their cost and impact on premiums for the future.

 

State

 

We continue to encounter regulation on health care claims payment practices at the state level. This legislation and possible future regulation and oversight could expose us to additional liability and penalties. Supplemental legislation includes among other provisions claims submission content and electronic submission. We view electronic submission as a favorable development that will simplify claims interactions. A few states are considering proposals that place new limits on insurer contacts with hospitals and physicians. These proposals include provisions to expand payment disclosure, limit implementation of claims payment procedures, and extend an insurer payment liability where intermediaries fail to pay and restrict recoupment.

 

Some states are proposing the creation of small employer pooled purchasing arrangements. Although these pooled purchasing arrangements may affect the small group market, most of the proposals require these purchasing arrangements to comply with the standard small group market regulations. Similar arrangements enacted in the early 1990s had a very limited affect on the small group insurance market. A limited number of states are considering additional restrictions on the use of health status in small group rating. Mandate-free benefit plans are pending in a number of states. Some of these proposals could allow insurers more flexibility in the use of member cost sharing. There is activity in some states supporting an expansion of disclosure by hospitals, physicians and other health care providers of quality and charge data either directly to patients or to state agencies that must make it publicly available.

 

Medical malpractice reform is receiving significant attention. Pending medical malpractice reform proposals differ substantially relative to the entities covered by the reforms. Since the substance of the reforms remains under discussion and the scope of covered entities has not been resolved in most states, management is unable to predict future activity under these laws.

 

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

 

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Other

 

Captive Insurance Company

 

We bear general business risks associated with operating our company such as professional and general liability, employee workers’ compensation, and officer and director errors and omissions risks. Professional and general liability risks may include, for example, medical malpractice claims and disputes with members regarding benefit coverage. We retain these risks through our wholly-owned, consolidated insurance subsidiary. We reduce exposure to our own general business risks by insuring levels of coverage for losses in excess of our retained limits with a number of third party insurance companies. We remain liable in the event these insurance companies are unable to pay their portion of the losses. In an effort to minimize credit risk, we insure our risks with a number of insurance companies having a long history of strong financial ratings. Beginning January 1, 2002, we reduced the amount of coverage purchased from third party insurance carriers and increased the amount of risk we retain due to substantially higher insurance rates. We provide a detail of the significant assets and liabilities related to our captive insurance subsidiary in Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements.

 

Centralized Management Services

 

We provide centralized management services to each health plan from our headquarters and service centers. These services include management information systems, product administration, financing, personnel, development, accounting, legal advice, public relations, marketing, insurance, purchasing, risk management, actuarial, underwriting and claims processing.

 

Employees

 

As of December 31, 2002, we had approximately 13,500 employees, including approximately 30 employees covered by collective bargaining agreements. We have not experienced any work stoppages and believe we have good relations with our employees.

 

ITEM 2.    PROPERTIES

 

We own our principal executive office, which is located in the Humana Building, 500 West Main Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202. In addition, we own buildings in Louisville, Kentucky, San Antonio, Texas, Green Bay, Wisconsin and Jacksonville, Florida, and lease facilities in Cincinnati, Ohio and Madison, Wisconsin, all of which are used for customer service and claims processing. We are in the process of consolidating the San Antonio, Texas, Jacksonville, Florida, and Madison, Wisconsin customer service center operations into the remaining four locations. Our Louisville and Green Bay facilities also perform enrollment processing and other corporate functions.

 

We also own or lease medical centers ranging in size from approximately 1,500 to 80,000 square feet. We no longer operate most of these medical centers but, rather, lease them to their provider operators. Our administrative market offices are generally leased, with square footage ranging from approximately 700 to 89,000. The following table lists the location of properties we owned or leased at December 31, 2002:

 

    

Medical Centers


    

Administrative Offices


  

Total


    

Owned


  

Leased


    

Owned


  

Leased


  

Florida

  

7

  

56

    

1

  

27

  

91

Kentucky

  

7

  

1

    

5

  

9

  

22

Illinois

  

6

  

4

    

  

11

  

21

Texas

  

  

1

    

3

  

10

  

14

Georgia

  

  

    

  

13

  

13

North Carolina

  

  

    

  

12

  

12

Ohio

  

  

    

  

12

  

12

Puerto Rico

  

  

    

  

10

  

10

Wisconsin

  

  

    

1

  

6

  

7

Missouri/Kansas

  

3

  

2

    

  

2

  

7

Others

  

1

  

    

1

  

48

  

50

    
  
    
  
  

Total

  

24

  

64

    

11

  

160

  

259

    
  
    
  
  

 

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ITEM 3.    LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

 

Securities Litigation

 

In late 1997, three purported class action complaints were filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida by former stockholders of Physician Corporation of America, or PCA, and certain of its former directors and officers. We acquired PCA by a merger that became effective on September 8, 1997. The three actions were consolidated into a single action entitled In re Physician Corporation of America Securities Litigation. The consolidated complaint alleges that PCA and the individual defendants knowingly or recklessly made false and misleading statements in press releases and public filings with respect to the financial and regulatory difficulties of PCA’s workers’ compensation business. On May 5, 1999, plaintiffs moved for certification of the purported class, and on August 25, 2000, the defendants moved for summary judgment. On January 31, 2001, defendants were granted leave to file a third-party complaint for declaratory judgment on insurance coverage. The defendants seek a determination that the defense costs and liability, if any, resulting from the class action defense are covered by an insurance policy issued by one insurer and, in the alternative, declaring that there is coverage under policies issued by two other insurers. On April 25, 2002, the Court dismissed the third-party complaint without prejudice finding that it could be refiled in the future if the insurance claims are not otherwise resolved. On July 24, 2002, the Court denied the defendants’ motion for summary judgment and set the case on the Court’s trial calendar for December 2, 2002. The Court subsequently postponed the trial. The Court is expected to set a date which is 90 days after it rules on the plaintiff’s motion for class certification.

 

Managed Care Industry Purported Class Action Litigation

 

We are involved in several purported class action lawsuits that are part of a wave of generally similar actions that target the health care payer industry and particularly target managed care companies. As a result of action by the Judicial Panel on Multi District Litigation, most of the cases against us, as well as similar cases against other companies in the industry, have been consolidated in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and are styled In re Managed Care Litigation. The cases include separate suits against us and five other managed care companies that purport to have been brought on behalf of members, which are referred to as the subscriber track cases, and a single action against us and eight other companies that purports to have been brought on behalf of providers, which is referred to as the provider track case.

 

In the subscriber track cases, the plaintiffs seek a recovery under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, for all persons who are or were subscribers at any time during the four-year period prior to the filing of the complaints. Plaintiffs also seek to represent a subclass of policyholders who purchased insurance through their employers’ health benefit plans governed by ERISA, and who are or were subscribers at any time during the six-year period prior to the filing of the complaints. The complaints allege, among other things, that we intentionally concealed from members certain information concerning the way in which we conduct business, including the methods by which we pay providers. The plaintiffs do not allege that any of the purported practices resulted in denial of any claim for a particular benefit, but instead, claim that we provided the purported class with health insurance benefits of lesser value than promised. The complaints also allege an industry-wide conspiracy to engage in the various alleged improper practices.

 

On February 20, 2002, the Court issued its ruling on the defendants’ motions to dismiss the Second Consolidated Amended Complaint (the “Amended Complaint”). The Amended Complaint was filed on June 29, 2001, after the Court dismissed most of the claims in the original complaints, but granted leave to refile. In its February 20, 2002, ruling, the Court dismissed the RICO claims of ten of the sixteen named plaintiffs, including three of the four involving us, on the ground that the McCarran-Ferguson Act prohibited their claims because they interfered with the state regulatory processes in the states in which they resided (Florida, New Jersey, California and Virginia). With respect to ERISA, the Court dismissed the misrepresentation claims of current members, finding that they have adequate remedies under the law and failed to exhaust administrative remedies. Claims for former members were not dismissed. The Court also refused to dismiss claims by all plaintiffs for breach of fiduciary duty arising from alleged interference with the doctor-patient relationship by the use of so-called “gag clauses” that assertedly prohibited doctors from freely communicating with members. The plaintiffs

 

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sought certification of a class consisting of all members of our medical plans, excluding Medicare and Medicaid plans, for the period from 1990 to 1999. On September 26, 2002, the Court denied the plaintiffs’ request for class certification. On October 9, 2002, the plaintiffs asked the Court to reconsider its ruling on that issue. The Court denied the motion on November 25, 2002. The Court has set a trial date on the individual named plaintiffs’ claims for September 22, 2003.

 

In the provider track case, the plaintiffs assert that we and other defendants improperly paid providers’ claims and “downcoded” their claims by paying lesser amounts than they submitted. The complaint alleges, among other things, multiple violations under RICO as well as various breaches of contract and violations of regulations governing the timeliness of claim payments. We moved to dismiss the provider track complaint on September 8, 2000, and the other defendants filed similar motions thereafter. On March 2, 2001, the Court dismissed certain of the plaintiffs’ claims pursuant to the defendants’ several motions to dismiss. However, the Court allowed the plaintiffs to attempt to correct the deficiencies in their complaint with an amended pleading with respect to all of the allegations except a claim under the federal Medicare regulations, which was dismissed with prejudice. The Court also left undisturbed the plaintiffs’ claims for breach of contract. On March 26, 2001, the plaintiffs filed their amended complaint, which, among other things, added four state or county medical associations as additional plaintiffs. Two of those, the Denton County Medical Society and the Texas Medical Association, purport to bring their actions against us, as well as against several other defendant companies. The Medical Association of Georgia and the California Medical Association purport to bring their actions against various other defendant companies. The associations seek injunctive relief only. The defendants filed a motion to dismiss the amended complaint on April 30, 2001.

 

On September 26, 2002, the Court granted the plaintiffs’ request to file a second amended complaint, adding additional plaintiffs, including the Florida Medical Association, which purports to bring its action against all defendants. On October 21, 2002, the defendants moved to dismiss the second amended complaint. The Court has not yet ruled.

 

Also on September 26, 2002, the Court certified a global class consisting of all medical doctors who provided services to any person insured by any defendant from August 4, 1990, to September 30, 2002. The class includes two subclasses. A national subclass consists of medical doctors who provided services to any person insured by a defendant when the doctor has a claim against such defendant and is not required to arbitrate that claim. A California subclass consists of medical doctors who provided services to any person insured in California by any defendant when the doctor was not bound to arbitrate the claim. On October 10, 2002, the defendants asked the Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit to review the class certification decision. On November 20, 2002, the Court of Appeals agreed to review the class issue. The District Court has ruled that discovery can proceed during the pendency of the request to the Eleventh Circuit, and the Eleventh Circuit rejected a request to halt discovery.

 

The Court has set a trial date of December 8, 2003.

 

Other

 

The Academy of Medicine of Cincinnati, the Butler County Medical Society, the Northern Kentucky Medical Society and several physicians have filed antitrust suits against Aetna Health, Inc., Humana Health Plan of Ohio, Inc., Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, and United Healthcare of Ohio, Inc., alleging that the defendants have conspired to fix the reimbursement rates paid to physicians in the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky region. The companion suits are filed in state courts in Ohio and Kentucky and allege violation, respectively, of the Ohio and Kentucky antitrust laws. Each suit seeks class certification, damages and injunctive relief. Plaintiffs cite no evidence that any such conspiracy existed, but base their allegations on assertions that physicians in the Greater Cincinnati region are paid less than physicians in other major cities in Ohio and Kentucky.

 

The Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas (Ohio) and the Boone County Circuit Court (Kentucky) have denied motions by the defendants to compel arbitration or alternatively to dismiss. Defendants have filed notices

 

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of appeal with respect to the orders denying arbitration. The Ohio court has agreed to stay proceedings pending resolution of the appeal, and a similar request has been filed with the Kentucky court. The plaintiffs have filed motions to certify a class in each case. The purported classes allegedly consist, respectively, of all physicians who have practiced medicine at any time since January 1, 1992, in a four county region in Southwestern Ohio or a three county region in Northern Kentucky.

 

We intend to continue to defend these actions vigorously.

 

Government Audits and Other Litigation and Proceedings

 

In July 2000, the Office of the Florida Attorney General initiated an investigation, apparently relating to some of the same matters that are involved in the purported class action lawsuits described above. While the Attorney General has filed no action against us, he has indicated that he may do so in the future. On September 21, 2001, the Texas Attorney General initiated a similar investigation. These investigations are ongoing, and we have cooperated with the regulators in both states.

 

On May 31, 2000, we entered into a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement, or CIA, with the Office of Inspector General, or OIG, of the Department of Health and Human Services. Under the CIA, we are obligated to, among other things, provide training, conduct periodic audits and make periodic reports to the OIG.

 

In addition, our business practices are subject to review by various state insurance and health care regulatory authorities and federal regulatory authorities. There has been increased scrutiny by these regulators of the managed health care companies’ business practices, including claims payment practices and utilization management practices. We have been and continue to be subject to such reviews. Some of these have resulted in fines and could require changes in some of our practices and could also result in additional fines or other sanctions.

 

We also are involved in other lawsuits that arise in the ordinary course of our business operations, including claims of medical malpractice (both for direct negligence and for vicarious liability for negligence of network providers), bad faith, nonacceptance or termination of providers, failure to disclose network discounts and various other provider arrangements, and challenges to subrogation practices. We also are subject to claims relating to performance of contractual obligations to providers and others, including failure to properly pay claims and challenges to the use of certain software products in processing claims. Pending state and federal legislative activity may increase our exposure for any of these types of claims. In addition, some courts recently have issued decisions which could have the effect of eroding the scope of ERISA preemption, thereby exposing us to greater liability for medical negligence claims.

 

Personal injury claims and claims for extracontractual damages arising from medical benefit denials are covered by insurance from our wholly owned captive insurance subsidiary and excess carriers, except to the extent that claimants seek punitive damages, which may not be covered by insurance in certain states in which insurance coverage for punitive damages is not permitted. In addition, insurance coverage for all or certain forms of liability has become increasingly costly and may become unavailable or prohibitively expensive in the future. Beginning January 1, 2002, we reduced the amount of coverage purchased from third party insurance carriers and increased the amount of risk we retain due to substantially higher insurance rates.

 

We do not believe that any pending or threatened legal actions against us or audits by agencies will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. However, the likelihood or outcome of current or future suits, like the purported class action lawsuits described above, or governmental investigations, cannot be accurately predicted with certainty. In addition, the increased litigation, which has accompanied the negative publicity and public perception of our industry, adds to this uncertainty. Therefore, such legal actions could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

 

ITEM 4.    SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

 

Not applicable.

 

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Table of Contents

 

PART II

 

ITEM 5.    MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

 

Market Information

 

Our common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol HUM. The following table shows the range of high and low closing sales prices as reported on the New York Stock Exchange Composite Tape for each quarter in the years ended December 31, 2002 and 2001:

 

    

High


  

Low


Year Ended December 31, 2002

             

First quarter

  

$

13.60

  

$

11.46

Second quarter

  

$

17.09

  

$

13.57

Third quarter

  

$

15.04

  

$

11.35

Fourth quarter

  

$

14.15

  

$

9.87

Year Ended December 31, 2001

             

First quarter

  

$

14.94

  

$

9.84

Second quarter

  

$

10.71

  

$

8.58

Third quarter

  

$

12.19

  

$

9.30

Fourth quarter

  

$

12.89

  

$

10.22

 

Holders of our Capital Stock

 

As of March 19, 2003, there were approximately 6,900 holders of record of our common stock.

 

Dividends

 

Since February 1993, we have not declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock. We do not presently intend to pay dividends, and we plan to retain our earnings for future operations and growth of our businesses.

 

Equity Compensation Plan

 

The information required by this part of Item 5 is incorporated herein by reference from our Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders scheduled to be held on May 15, 2003 appearing under the caption “Executive Compensation Plan Table” of such Proxy Statement.

 

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ITEM 6.    SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

 

    

2002 (a)(b)


    

2001


    

2000


    

1999 (c)


    

1998 (d)


 
    

(in thousands, except per share results, membership and ratios)

 

Summary of Operations

                                            

Revenues:

                                            

Premiums

  

$

10,930,397

 

  

$

9,938,961

 

  

$

10,394,631

 

  

$

9,958,582

 

  

$

9,597,749

 

Administrative services fees

  

 

244,396

 

  

 

137,090

 

  

 

86,298

 

  

 

97,940

 

  

 

84,546

 

Investment and other income

  

 

86,388

 

  

 

118,835

 

  

 

115,021

 

  

 

155,013

 

  

 

183,885

 

    


  


  


  


  


Total revenues

  

 

11,261,181

 

  

 

10,194,886

 

  

 

10,595,950

 

  

 

10,211,535

 

  

 

9,866,180

 

    


  


  


  


  


Operating expenses:

                                            

Medical

  

 

9,138,196

 

  

 

8,279,844

 

  

 

8,781,998

 

  

 

8,533,090

 

  

 

8,040,951

 

Selling, general and administrative

  

 

1,739,192

 

  

 

1,545,129

 

  

 

1,524,799

 

  

 

1,466,181

 

  

 

1,413,329

 

Depreciation and amortization

  

 

120,730

 

  

 

161,531

 

  

 

146,548

 

  

 

123,858

 

  

 

127,662

 

Restructuring charges

  

 

35,877

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

459,852

 

  

 

34,183

 

    


  


  


  


  


Total operating expenses

  

 

11,033,995

 

  

 

9,986,504

 

  

 

10,453,345

 

  

 

10,582,981

 

  

 

9,616,125

 

    


  


  


  


  


Income (loss) from operations

  

 

227,186

 

  

 

208,382

 

  

 

142,605

 

  

 

(371,446

)

  

 

250,055

 

Interest expense

  

 

17,252

 

  

 

25,302

 

  

 

28,615

 

  

 

33,393

 

  

 

46,972

 

    


  


  


  


  


Income (loss) before income taxes

  

 

209,934

 

  

 

183,080

 

  

 

113,990

 

  

 

(404,839

)

  

 

203,083

 

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

  

 

67,179

 

  

 

65,909

 

  

 

23,938

 

  

 

(22,419

)

  

 

74,126

 

    


  


  


  


  


Net income (loss)

  

$

142,755

 

  

$

117,171

 

  

$

90,052

 

  

$

(382,420

)

  

$

128,957

 

    


  


  


  


  


Basic earnings (loss) per common share

  

$

0.87

 

  

$

0.71

 

  

$

0.54

 

  

$

(2.28

)

  

$

0.77

 

    


  


  


  


  


Diluted earnings (loss) per common share

  

$

0.85

 

  

$

0.70

 

  

$

0.54

 

  

$

(2.28

)

  

$

0.77

 

    


  


  


  


  


Financial Position

                                            

Cash and investments

  

$

2,415,914

 

  

$

2,327,139

 

  

$

2,312,399

 

  

$

2,785,702

 

  

$

2,851,007

 

Total assets

  

 

4,600,030

 

  

 

4,403,638

 

  

 

4,306,978

 

  

 

4,899,845

 

  

 

5,495,605

 

Medical and other expenses payable

  

 

1,142,131

 

  

 

1,086,386

 

  

 

1,181,027

 

  

 

1,756,227

 

  

 

1,908,175

 

Debt

  

 

604,913

 

  

 

578,489

 

  

 

599,952

 

  

 

686,213

 

  

 

822,977

 

Stockholders’ equity

  

 

1,606,474

 

  

 

1,507,949

 

  

 

1,360,421

 

  

 

1,268,009

 

  

 

1,688,363

 

Operating Data

                                            

Medical expense ratio

  

 

83.6

%

  

 

83.3

%

  

 

84.5

%

  

 

85.7

%

  

 

83.8

%

SG&A expense ratio

  

 

15.6

%

  

 

15.3

%

  

 

14.5

%

  

 

14.6

%

  

 

14.6

%

Medical Membership by Segment

                                            

Commercial:

                                            

Fully insured

  

 

2,340,300

 

  

 

2,301,300

 

  

 

2,545,800

 

  

 

3,083,600

 

  

 

3,261,500

 

Administrative services only

  

 

652,200

 

  

 

592,500

 

  

 

612,800

 

  

 

648,000

 

  

 

646,200

 

Medicare supplement

  

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

44,500

 

  

 

56,600

 

    


  


  


  


  


Total Commercial

  

 

2,992,500

 

  

 

2,893,800

 

  

 

3,158,600

 

  

 

3,776,100

 

  

 

3,964,300

 

    


  


  


  


  


Government:

                                            

Medicare+Choice

  

 

344,100

 

  

 

393,900

 

  

 

494,200

 

  

 

488,500

 

  

 

502,000

 

Medicaid

  

 

506,000

 

  

 

490,800

 

  

 

575,600

 

  

 

616,600

 

  

 

643,800

 

TRICARE

  

 

1,755,800

 

  

 

1,714,600

 

  

 

1,070,300

 

  

 

1,058,000

 

  

 

1,085,700

 

TRICARE ASO

  

 

1,048,700

 

  

 

942,700

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

  

 

—  

 

    


  


  


  


  


Total Government

  

 

3,654,600

 

  

 

3,542,000

 

  

 

2,140,100

 

  

 

2,163,100

 

  

 

2,231,500