Stars Worries Dim Otherwise Strong 1Q Showing for Humana

  • May 02, 2025

    Continuing a trend of avoiding the Medicare Advantage pitfalls that dogged UnitedHealth Group’s first-quarter earnings, Humana Inc. on April 30 reported results that indicated it is keeping MA costs under control. Still, uncertainty about the outcome of Star Ratings litigation gave some investors pause. 

    During the company’s conference call to discuss first-quarter financial results, “we were pleased to see management reiterate guidance on what appears to be a benign Medicare Advantage cost environment relative to expectations,” RBC Capital Markets’ Ben Hendrix advised investors. “We were particularly pleased to hear that…completed claims through February and significant data through April suggest that trends are remaining in line with initial guidance.” 

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  • Leslie Small

    Leslie has been working in journalism since 2009 and reporting on the health care industry since 2014. She has covered the many ups and downs of the Affordable Care Act exchanges, the failed health insurer mega-mergers, and hundreds of other storylines spanning subjects such as Medicaid managed care, Medicare Advantage, employer-sponsored insurance, and prescription drug coverage. As the managing editor of Health Plan Weekly and Radar on Drug Benefits, she writes and edits for both publications while overseeing a small team of reporters who also focus on the managed care sector. Before joining AIS Health, she was a senior editor for the e-newsletter Fierce Health Payer, and she started her career as a copy editor at multiple local newspapers. She graduated with a dual degree in journalism and political science from Penn State University.

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