Amid Inflation, Possible Recession, Insurers Are on Strong Financial Footing

Despite worrying macroeconomic trends, health insurers have done well this year so far, with all the largest publicly traded health insurance firms posting year-over-year earnings growth in the first half of 2022. Experts tell AIS Health, a division of MMIT, that they don’t expect health insurers to struggle despite ominous signs across the economy.

Those headwinds include inflation; a possible recession, which could decimate employer-based insurance enrollment; medical cost growth; and the resumption of Medicaid eligibility redeterminations, which will force unprecedented amounts of disenrollment. But experts say that insurers with a mix of business lines should be in a strong financial position. The largest risk is likely to insurers that carry a coverage mix disproportionately focused on the commercial market.