SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
R | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
| |
| For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2011 |
| |
| 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 001-32209
WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Delaware | 47-0937650 |
(State or Other Jurisdiction | (I.R.S. Employer |
of Incorporation or Organization) | Identification No.) |
| |
8725 Henderson Road, Renaissance One | |
Tampa, Florida | 33634 |
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) |
(813) 290-6200
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act:
Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share | New York Stock Exchange |
(Title of Class) | (Name of Each Exchange on which Registered) |
| |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act:
NONE
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes R No £
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 of Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes £ No R
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 R No £
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). YesR No £
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. R
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer R | Accelerated filer £ | Non-accelerated filer £ | Smaller reporting company £ |
| | (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) | |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes £ No R
The aggregate market value of Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant (assuming solely for the purposes of this calculation that all directors and executive officers of the registrant are “affiliates”) as of June 30, 2011 was approximately $2,181,394,000 (based on the closing sale price of the registrant's Common Stock on that date as reported on the New York Stock Exchange).
As of February 10, 2012, there were outstanding 42,849,583 shares of the registrant’s Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share.
Documents Incorporated by Reference: Portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for the 2012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K. |
| Page |
PART I | |
Item 1: Business | |
Item 1A: Risk Factors | |
Item 1B: Unresolved Staff Comments | |
Item 2: Properties | |
Item 3: Legal Proceedings | |
Item 4: Mine Safety Disclosures | 45 |
| |
PART II | |
Item 5: Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities | |
Item 6: Selected Financial Data | |
Item 7: Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations | |
Item 7A: Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosures About Market Risk | |
Item 8: Financial Statements and Supplementary Data | |
Item 9: Changes In and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure | |
Item 9A: Controls and Procedures | |
Item 9B: Other Information | |
| |
PART III | |
Item 10: Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance | |
Item 11: Executive Compensation | |
Item 12: Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters | |
Item 13: Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence | |
Item 14: Principal Accounting Fees and Services | |
| |
PART IV | |
Item 15: Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules | 80 |
References to the “Company,” “WellCare,” “we,” “our,” and “us” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011 (the “2011 Form 10-K”) refer to WellCare Health Plans, Inc., together, in each case, with our subsidiaries and any predecessor entities unless the context suggests otherwise.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Statements contained in this 2011 Form 10-K which are not historical fact may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Section 21E of the Exchange Act, and we intend such statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained therein. Such statements, which may address, among other things, market acceptance of our products and services, product development, our ability to finance growth opportunities, our ability to respond to changes in laws and government regulations, implementation of our sales and marketing strategies, projected capital expenditures, liquidity and the availability of additional funding sources may be found in the sections of this 2011 Form 10-K entitled “Business,” “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and elsewhere in this report generally. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “targets,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continues” or the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology. You are cautioned that forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including economic, regulatory, competitive and other factors that may affect our business. These forward-looking statements are inherently susceptible to uncertainty and changes in circumstances, as they are based on management’s current expectations and beliefs about future events and circumstances. We undertake no obligation beyond that required by law to update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available or other events occur in the future.
Our actual results may differ materially from those indicated by forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors including the expiration, cancellation or suspension of our state and federal contracts. In addition, our results of operations and estimates of future earnings depend, in large part, on accurately predicting and effectively managing health benefits and other operating expenses. A variety of factors, including competition, changes in health care practices, changes in federal or state laws and regulations or their interpretations, inflation, provider contract changes, changes in or terminations of our contracts with government agencies, new technologies, government-imposed surcharges, taxes or assessments, reductions in provider payments by governmental payors, major epidemics, disasters and numerous other factors affecting the delivery and cost of health care, such as major health care providers’ inability to maintain their operations, may affect our ability to control our medical costs and other operating expenses. Governmental action or inaction could result in premium revenues not increasing to offset any increase in medical costs or other operating expenses. Once set, premiums are generally fixed for one-year periods and, accordingly, unanticipated costs during such periods generally cannot be recovered through higher premiums. Furthermore, if we are unable to estimate accurately incurred but not reported medical costs in the current period, our future profitability may be affected. Due to these factors and risks, we cannot provide any assurance regarding our future premium levels or our ability to control our future medical costs.
From time to time, at the federal and state government levels, legislative and regulatory proposals have been made related to, or potentially affecting, the health care industry, including but not limited to limitations on managed care organizations, including benefit mandates, and reform of the Medicaid and Medicare programs. Any such legislative or regulatory action, including benefit mandates or reform of the Medicaid and Medicare programs, could have the effect of reducing the premiums paid to us by governmental programs, increasing our medical and administrative costs or requiring us to materially alter the manner in which we operate. We are unable to predict the specific content of any future legislation, action or regulation that may be enacted or when any such future legislation or regulation will be adopted. Therefore, we cannot predict accurately the effect or ramifications of such future legislation, action or regulation on our business.
Overview
We provide managed care services exclusively to government-sponsored health care programs, serving approximately 2.6 million members as of December 31, 2011. We believe that our broad range of experience and exclusive government focus allows us to effectively serve our members, partner with our providers and government clients, and efficiently manage our ongoing operations.
Through our licensed subsidiaries, as of December 31, 2011, we operated our Medicaid health plans in eight states, which are Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, New York and Ohio, and our Medicare Advantage (“MA”) coordinated care plans (“CCPs”) in 119 counties across 12 states, which are Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Texas. Effective January 1, 2012, we have expanded our MA plans to a total of 138 counties, but no longer offer MA plans in Indiana. We also operate a stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plan (“PDP”) in 49 states and the District of Columbia.
All of our Medicare plans are offered under the WellCare name, for which we hold a federal trademark registration, with the exception of our Hawaii CCP, which we offer under the name ‘Ohana. Conversely, we offer our Medicaid plans under a number of brand names depending on the state, consisting of the Staywell and HealthEase brands in Florida, the ‘Ohana brand in Hawaii, the Harmony brand name in Illinois and Missouri and the WellCare brand name in Georgia, Kentucky, New York and Ohio.
We were formed in May 2002 when we acquired our Florida, New York and Connecticut health plans. From inception to July 2004, we operated through a holding company that was a Delaware limited liability company. In July 2004, immediately prior to the closing of our initial public offering, the limited liability company was merged into a Delaware corporation and we changed our name to WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
The following table sets forth, as of December 31, 2011, a summary of our membership for our lines of business in each state in which we have more than 5% of our total membership as well as all other states in the aggregate.
| | | | | Medicare Membership | | | Total | | | Percent of Total |
State | | Medicaid | | | MA | | | PDP | | | Membership | | | Membership |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Georgia | | | 562,000 | | | | 11,000 | | | | 34,000 | | | | 607,000 | | | | 23.7 | % |
Florida | | | 404,000 | | | | 64,000 | | | | 41,000 | | | | 509,000 | | | | 19.9 | % |
California | | | — | | | | — | | | | 282,000 | | | | 282,000 | | | | 11.0 | % |
Illinois | | | 133,000 | | | | 10,000 | | | | 22,000 | | | | 165,000 | | | | 6.4 | % |
Kentucky | | | 129,000 | | | | — | | | | 15,000 | | | | 144,000 | | | | 5.6 | % |
New York | | | 79,000 | | | | 22,000 | | | | 37,000 | | | | 138,000 | | | | 5.4 | % |
All other states(1) | | | 144,000 | | | | 28,000 | | | | 545,000 | | | | 717,000 | | | | 28.0 | % |
Total | | | 1,451,000 | | | | 135,000 | | | | 976,000 | | | | 2,562,000 | | | | 100.0 | % |
(1) | Represents the aggregate of all states constituting individually less than 5% of total membership. |
Business Strategy
We are a leading provider of managed care services to government-sponsored health care programs, serving approximately 2.6 million members nationwide. We operate exclusively within the Medicare, Medicaid and Medicaid-related programs, serving the full spectrum of eligibility groups, with a focus on lower-income beneficiaries. Our primary mission is to help our government customers deliver cost-effective health care solutions, while improving health care quality and access to these programs. We are committed to operating our business in a manner that serves our key constituents – members, providers, government clients, and associates – while delivering competitive returns for our investors.
We have defined three long-term strategic priorities: improving health care quality and access, achieving a competitive cost structure for administrative and medical expenses, and delivering prudent, profitable growth. We will continue our focus on these priorities in 2012.
Improving health care quality and access
We work closely with providers and government clients to further enhance health care delivery and improve the quality of, and access to, health care services for our members. We are focused on preventive health, wellness and care management programs that help governments provide quality care within their fiscal constraints and present us with long-term opportunities for prudent and profitable growth.
Achieving a competitive cost structure for administrative and medical expenses
Our cost management initiatives are concentrated on aligning our expense structure with our current revenue base through process improvement and other initiatives, focusing on ensuring a competitive cost structure in terms of both administrative and medical expenses. We continually assess opportunities to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our administrative processes in order to achieve our long-term target of an administrative expense ratio in the low 10% range based on our current business and geographic mix. In addition, as part of our medical expense initiatives, we have implemented provider contracting, case and disease management and pharmacy initiatives.
Delivering prudent and profitable growth
Our strategy for growth primarily entails entering new markets to pursue attractive opportunities for our product lines and may include an assessment of potential acquisitions that would complement our strategy, existing geographic markets, and product mix. After establishing a presence, we leverage that infrastructure to further establish our presence in the marketplace to pursue geographic expansion, product expansion or both.
Key Developments and Accomplishments
Presented below are key developments and accomplishments relating to progress on our strategic business priorities that have occurred during 2011 and through the date of the filing of this 2011 Form 10-K.
Health care quality and access initiatives
· | Our Florida, Georgia and Missouri health plans have received accreditation from nationally-recognized, independent organizations that measure health plans’ commitment to high-quality care, effective management, and accountability. We remain dedicated to our long-term target of attaining accreditation for all of our health plans. |
· | Another indicator of our ongoing work on quality was the finalization in 2011 of our Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (“HEDIS”) measures for 2010, which showed broad-based improvement across our lines of business. |
· | During the 2011 third quarter, we successfully completed an upgrade of our core operating systems. This new technology will enable further progress in our work to improve service and productivity, and positions us to comply with future regulatory changes, such as the implementation of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' ("CMS") ICD-10. The upgrade will also support our health care quality and access initiatives. |
· | During the fourth quarter of 2011, we implemented in several of our markets a provider incentive initiative for closing care gaps inherent to the health care system. This initiative resulted in well over fifteen thousand member experiences to drive improvement in the quality of care. This work follows on the successful launch in June 2011 of new customer service tools to support more intensive management of care gaps, which has resulted in over forty-five thousand member education sessions, many involving real time appointment setting with our providers. |
Achieving a competitive cost structure
· | In 2011, through continued organizational and process refinements, we achieved a 60 basis point reduction in our selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expense ratio excluding investigation-related and litigation costs (as defined in Part II, Item 7, Results of Operations/Summary of Consolidated Financial Results/Selling, general and administrative expenses). |
· | Additionally, as part of our medical expense initiatives, we have implemented provider contracting and case and disease management initiatives that have contributed meaningfully to a year-over-year reduction in the Medicaid medical benefits ratio (“MBR”), which measures the ratio of our medical benefits expense to premiums earned, after excluding Medicaid premium taxes. In the case of MA, these initiatives have moderated the year-over-year increase in MBR. |
Delivering prudent and profitable growth
· | In January 2012, Hawaii’s Department of Human Services selected us to serve the state’s QUEST Medicaid program, which covers beneficiaries of Hawaii’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (“TANF”) and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (“CHIP”), as well as other eligible beneficiaries across Hawaii. This is an expansion of Hawaii’s Medicaid program into managed care, where we currently serve approximately 24,000 aged, blind and disabled (“ABD”) beneficiaries. We are one of five health plans selected to serve approximately 230,000 QUEST beneficiaries across the state. Beneficiaries of the QUEST program include low-income individuals, families and children who are not aged, blind or disabled. Services are expected to begin on or about July 1, 2012, and we will coordinate medical, behavioral and pharmacy services with a focus on improving health care access and the quality of care. With this new award, we become Hawaii’s only health plan to provide QUEST, QUEST Expanded Access and Medicare Advantage services across all six islands. We are unable to estimate our expected additional membership at this time. |
· | Effective January 1, 2012, we have expanded the geographic footprint of our MA plans by 19 counties to a total of 138 counties. These expansions occurred within our existing states. In addition, we now offer special needs plans (“D-SNPs”) for those who are dually-eligible for Medicare and Medicaid in all of the MA markets we serve. This expansion is consistent with our focus on the lower-income demographic of the market and our ability over time to serve both the Medicaid- and Medicare-related coverage of these members. MA membership as of January 1, 2012 was approximately 146,000, an increase from 135,000 as of December 31, 2011. We expect MA segment membership to continue to grow during the remaining months of 2012. |
· | Effective October 1, 2011, Ohio and New York implemented changes to their administration of prescription drug coverage for their Medicaid managed care enrollees. Pharmacy benefits that had been previously administered by these states are now being offered through health plans. This change resulted in additional revenue of approximately $28 million in 2011 and is expected to result in approximately $110.0 million to $120.0 million in additional revenue on an annual basis. |
· | During the 2011 third quarter, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services awarded us a contract to serve the Commonwealth of Kentucky's (Kentucky's) Medicaid program in seven of Kentucky's eight regions. We began serving Kentucky Medicaid beneficiaries across these seven regions on November 1, 2011. As of February 1, 2012, we provide health care services to 146,000 members in Kentucky. Our contract is for three years and may be extended for up to four one-year extension periods upon mutual agreement of the parties. Under this new program, we coordinate medical, behavioral and dental health care for eligible beneficiaries in Kentucky’s TANF, CHIP and ABD programs. We are currently projecting the program will generate between $575 million and $600 million in premium revenue for 2012. |
· | During the fourth quarter of 2011, we expanded into four new Florida counties and are currently providing Medicaid services to an additional 16,000 Medicaid members. As a result, we now serve 36 counties in the State of Florida, and are one of the largest Medicaid plans in that state. |
New credit agreement
In August 2011, we entered into a $300.0 million senior secured credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) that can be used for general corporate purposes. The Credit Agreement provides for a $150.0 million term loan facility as well as a $150.0 million revolving credit facility. Both the term loan and revolving credit facility expire in August 2016. Effective upon closing, we borrowed $150.0 million pursuant to the term loan facility. This new credit agreement replaces our previous $65.0 million credit agreement, which was never drawn upon. Our new credit agreement provides liquidity in support of the significant growth opportunities available to us. In particular, additions to statutory capital may be needed for new markets, such as the new Hawaii and Kentucky Medicaid programs, or markets experiencing significant growth. For further information regarding the new credit agreement, refer to New Credit Agreement under Liquidity and Capital Resources in Part II-Item 7 and in Part IV—Item 15(c) Financial Statements—Note 10—Debt.
General Economic and Political Environment
The U.S. health care economy currently comprises approximately 18% of U.S. gross domestic product according to the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. We expect overall spending on health care in the U.S. to continue to rise due to inflation, medical technology and pharmaceutical advancement, regulatory requirements, demographic trends in the U.S. population and national interest in health and well-being. The rate of market growth may be affected by a variety of factors, including macro-economic conditions and enacted health care reforms, which could also impact our results of operations.
According to CMS, of the total population, approximately 118 million people were covered by publicly funded health care programs as of July 31, 2010, the date of the most recent information published by CMS. Included in this population were approximately 63 million people covered by the joint state and federally funded Medicaid program; approximately 47 million people covered by the federally funded Medicare program; and approximately 8 million people covered by the joint state and federally funded CHIP program. In 2011, projected Medicare spending was $551 billion and estimated Medicaid and CHIP spending was $427 billion. Two-thirds of Medicaid funding in 2011 came from the federal government, with the remainder coming from state governments.
Due to the Medicaid expansion provisions under the federal health care reform legislation passed in March 2010 (as discussed below), it is projected that Medicaid expenditures will increase an additional $455 billion through 2019. Approximately 95% of these additional costs will be paid for by the federal government. Medicaid continues to be one of the fastest-growing and largest components of states' budgets. According to a report by the National Association of State Budget Officers in December 2011, Medicaid spending currently represents nearly 25%, on average, of a state's budget and grew 10% in 2011. Macroeconomic conditions in recent years have, and are expected to continue to, put pressure on state budgets as the Medicaid eligible population increases, creating more need and competing for funding with other state needs. As Medicaid consumes more and more of the states' limited dollars, states must either increase their tax revenues or reduce their total costs. Since states are limited in their ability to increase their tax revenues, states often look to reduce costs by reducing funds allotted for Medicaid or finding ways to control rising Medicaid costs, which may include reducing premium rates or imposing further restrictions on beneficiary eligibility. We believe that the most effective way to control rising Medicaid costs is through managed care.
States have traditionally provided Medicaid benefits using a fee-for-service system. However, states are now more frequently implementing a managed care delivery system for Medicaid benefits. In a managed care delivery system, people get most or all of their Medicaid services from an organization under contract with the state. According to CMS as of July 31, 2010, almost 50 million people receive benefits through some form of managed care, either on a voluntary or mandatory basis. States can allow people to voluntarily enroll in a managed care program, but more frequently, states require people to enroll in a managed care program. With the passage of health care reform legislation (as discussed below), states will expand coverage under the Medicaid program to an estimated 18 to 20 million additional people. Expansion of Medicaid is likely to increase the number of people enrolled in, and the amount of spending for, managed care. Accordingly, the opportunity for growth in managed care may be significant.
The political environment is uncertain. The federal and state governments continue to enact and seriously consider many broad-based legislative and regulatory proposals that have or could materially impact various aspects of the health care system, including pending efforts in the U.S. Congress to repeal, amend or restrict funding for various aspects of the federal health care reform legislation and pending litigation challenging the constitutionality of certain aspects of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively, the “2010 Acts”).
Going forward, we expect the U.S. Congress to continue its close scrutiny of each component of the Medicare program (including Medicare Part D drug benefits) and possibly seek to limit the private insurers’ role. For example, the federal government may seek to negotiate drug prices for PDPs and MA-Prescription Drug Plans, a function currently performed by plan sponsors.
We also expect state legislatures to continue to focus on the impact of health care reform and state budget deficits in 2012. Many states are proposing or implementing strategies that will significantly change their current Medicaid programs. These changes include moving programs, such as ABD, into managed care; expanding existing Medicaid programs to provide coverage to those who are currently uninsured; re-procurement of existing managed care programs; and mandating minimum medical benefit ratios. We cannot predict the outcome of any Congressional oversight or any state legislative activity, or predict what provisions legislation or regulation will contain in any state or what effect the legislation or regulation will have on our business operations or financial results, any of which could adversely affect us.
Health Care Reform
In March 2010, the 2010 Acts became law and enacted significant reforms to various aspects of the U.S. health insurance industry. Financing for these reforms will come, in part, from substantial additional fees and taxes on us and other health insurers, health plans and individuals beginning in 2014, as well as reductions in certain levels of payments to us and other health plans under Medicare. While regulations and interpretive guidance on some provisions of the 2010 Acts have been issued to date by the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), the Department of Labor, the Treasury Department, and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (“NAIC”), there are many significant provisions of the legislation that will require additional guidance and clarification in the form of regulations and interpretations in order to fully understand the impacts of the legislation on our overall business, which we expect to occur over the next several years.
The 2010 Acts include a number of changes to the way MA plans will operate, such as:
· | Reduced Enrollment Period. Medicare beneficiaries generally have a limited annual enrollment period during which they can choose to participate in a MA plan rather than receive benefits under the traditional fee-for-service Medicare program. After the annual enrollment period, most Medicare beneficiaries are not permitted to change their Medicare benefits until the following annual enrollment period. Beginning with the 2012 plan year, the 2010 Acts changed the annual enrollment period, which for 2012 began on October 15, 2011 and ended on December 7, 2011. Previously, open enrollment was from November 15 to December 31. Also, beginning on January 1, 2011, the 2010 Acts began mandating that persons enrolled in MA may disenroll only during the first 45 days of the year, and only may enroll in traditional Medicare fee-for-service rather than another MA plan. Prior law allowed a member to disenroll during the first 90 days of the year and enroll in another MA plan. |
· | Reduced Medicare Premium Rates. MA payment benchmarks for 2011 were frozen at 2010 levels and, beginning in 2012, cuts to MA plan payments will begin to take effect (plans will receive a range of 95% of Medicare fee-for-service costs in high-cost areas to 115% of Medicare fee-for-service costs in low-cost areas), with changes being phased-in over two to six years, depending on the level of payment reduction in a county. In addition, beginning in 2011, the gap in coverage for PDPs began to incrementally close. |
· | CMS Star Ratings. Certain provisions in the 2010 Acts tie MA premiums to the achievement of certain quality performance measures (“Star Ratings”). Beginning in 2012, MA plans with an overall Star Rating of three or more stars (out of five) will be eligible for a quality bonus in their basic premium rates. Initially, quality bonuses were limited to the few plans that achieved four or more stars as an overall rating, but CMS has expanded the quality bonus to three star plans for a three-year period through 2014. Notwithstanding successful efforts to improve our Star Ratings and other quality measures for 2012 and 2013 and the continuation of such efforts, there can be no assurances that we will be successful in maintaining or improving our Star Ratings in future years. Accordingly, our plans may not be eligible for full level quality bonuses, which could adversely affect the benefits such plans can offer, reduce membership and/or reduce profit margins. |
· | Minimum MLRs. Beginning in 2014, the 2010 Acts require the establishment of a minimum medical loss ratio (“minimum MLR”) of 85% for the amount of premiums to be expended on medical benefits for MA plans. In November 2010 and December 2011, HHS issued rules clarifying the definitions and minimum MLR requirements for certain commercial health plans, but has not issued rules or guidance specific to MA plans. The rules that have been issued impose financial and other penalties for failing to achieve the minimum MLR, including requirements to refund to CMS shortfalls in amounts spent on medical benefits and termination of a plan's MA contract for prolonged failure to achieve the minimum MLR. MLR is determined by adding a plan's total reimbursement for clinical services plus its total spending on quality improvement activities and dividing the total by earned premiums (after subtracting specific identified taxes and other fees). However, there can be no assurance that CMS will interpret the minimum MLR requirement in the same manner for MA plans. |
With respect to PDPs, in 2010, a rebate of $250 was provided by CMS for beneficiaries reaching the "coverage gap" (i.e., the dollar threshold at which an individual has to pay full price for his or her medications). In addition, beneficiaries reaching the coverage gap receive a 50% discount on brand-name drugs. Thereafter, on a gradual basis, the coverage gap will be closed by 2020, with beneficiaries retaining a 25% co-pay. While this change ultimately results in increased insurance coverage, such improved benefits could result in changes in member behavior with respect to drug utilization. Such actions could also impact the cost structure of our PDPs.
The health reforms in the 2010 Acts present both challenges and opportunities for our Medicaid business. The reforms expand the eligibility for Medicaid programs. However, state budgets continue to be strained due to economic conditions and uncertain levels of federal financing for current populations. As a result, the effects of any potential future expansions are uncertain, making it difficult to determine whether the net impact of the 2010 Acts will be positive or negative for our Medicaid business.
Additionally, the 2010 Acts will impose insurance industry assessments, including an annual premium-based assessment ($8 billion levied on the insurance industry in 2014 with increasing annual amounts thereafter), which will not be deductible for income tax purposes.
As discussed above, implementing regulations and related interpretive guidance continue to be issued on several significant provisions of the 2010 Acts. States have independently proposed health insurance reforms and are challenging certain aspects of the 2010 Acts in federal court. The United States Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on certain aspects of these cases in mid-2012, including the constitutionality of the individual mandate. Proceedings could last for an extended period of time and we cannot predict the outcome. Congress may also withhold the funding necessary to fully implement the 2010 Acts or may attempt to replace the legislation with amended provisions or repeal it altogether. Given the breadth of possible changes and the uncertainties of interpretation, implementation, and timing of these changes, which we expect to occur over the next several years, the 2010 Acts could change the way we do business, potentially impacting our pricing, benefit design, product mix, geographic mix, and distribution channels. The response of other companies to the 2010 Acts and adjustments to their offerings, if any, could have a meaningful impact on the health care markets. Further, various health insurance reform proposals are also emerging at the state level. It is reasonably possible that regulations related to the 2010 Acts, as well as future legislative changes, in the aggregate may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows by restricting revenue, enrollment and premium growth in certain products and market segments; restricting our ability to expand into new markets; increasing our medical and administrative costs; lowering our Medicare payment rates and/or increasing our expenses associated with the non-deductible federal premium tax and other assessments. In addition, if the new non-deductible federal premium tax is imposed as enacted, and if we are unable to adjust our business model to address this new tax, it may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.
Segments
We have three reportable operating segments: Medicaid, MA and PDP, which are within our two main business lines: Medicaid and Medicare. Membership by segment, and as a percentage of consolidated totals, is as follows:
| | For the Years Ended December 31, |
| | 2011 | | 2010 | | 2009 |
Segment | | Membership | | | Percentage of Total | | Membership | | | Percentage of Total | | Membership | | | Percentage of Total |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Medicaid | | | 1,451,000 | | | | 56.6 | % | | | 1,340,000 | | | | 60.3 | % | | | 1,349,000 | | | | 58.1 | % |
MA | | | 135,000 | | | | 5.3 | % | | | 116,000 | | | | 5.2 | % | | | 225,000 | | | | 9.7 | % |
PDP | | | 976,000 | | | | 38.1 | % | | | 768,000 | | | | 34.5 | % | | | 747,000 | | | | 32.2 | % |
Total | | | 2,562,000 | | | | 100.0 | % | | | 2,224,000 | | | | 100.0 | % | | | 2,321,000 | | | | 100.0 | % |
Premium revenue by segment, and as a percentage of consolidated totals, is as follows:
| | For the Years Ended December 31, |
| | 2011 | | 2010 | | 2009 |
Segment | | Premium Revenue (In Millions) | | | Percentage of Total | | Premium Revenue (In Millions) | | | Percentage of Total | | Premium Revenue (In Millions) | | | Percentage of Total |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Medicaid | | $ | 3,581.5 | | | | 58.7 | % | | $ | 3,308.8 | | | | 60.9 | % | | $ | 3,256.8 | | | | 47.4 | % |
MA | | | 1,479.8 | | | | 24.3 | % | | | 1,336.1 | | | | 24.6 | % | | | 2,775.4 | | | | 40.4 | % |
PDP | | | 1,036.8 | | | | 17.0 | % | | | 785.3 | | | | 14.5 | % | | | 835.1 | | | | 12.2 | % |
Total | | $ | 6,098.1 | | | | 100.0 | % | | $ | 5,430.2 | | | | 100.0 | % | | $ | 6,867.3 | | | | 100.0 | % |
Medicaid was established to provide medical assistance to low-income and disabled persons. It is state operated and implemented, although it is funded and regulated by both the state and federal governments. Our Medicaid segment includes plans for beneficiaries of TANF programs, Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) programs, ABD programs and state-based programs that are not part of the Medicaid program, such as CHIP and Family Health Plus (“FHP”) programs for qualifying families who are not eligible for Medicaid because they exceed the applicable income thresholds. TANF generally provides assistance to low-income families with children; ABD and SSI generally provide assistance to low-income aged, blind or disabled individuals.
The Medicaid programs and services we offer to our members vary by state and county and are designed to serve effectively our constituencies in the communities in which we operate. Although our Medicaid contracts determine, to a large extent, the type and scope of health care services that we arrange for our members, in certain markets we customize our benefits in ways that we believe make our products more attractive. Our Medicaid plans provide our members with access to a broad spectrum of medical benefits from many facets of primary care and preventive programs to full hospitalization and long term care.
In general, members are required to use our network to receive care, except in cases of emergencies, transition of care or when network providers are unavailable to meet their medical needs. In addition, members generally must receive a referral from their primary care providers (“PCPs”) in order to receive health care from a specialist, such as an orthopedic surgeon or neurologist. Members do not pay any premiums, deductibles or co-payments for most of our Medicaid plans.
Medicaid Membership
The following table summarizes our Medicaid segment membership by line of business.
| | |
| | 2011 | | | 2010 | | | 2009 |
Medicaid | | | | | | | | |
TANF | | | 1,159,000 | | | | 1,085,000 | | | | 1,094,000 |
CHIP | | | 162,000 | | | | 168,000 | | | | 163,000 |
SSI and ABD | | | 115,000 | | | | 77,000 | | | | 79,000 |
FHP | | | 15,000 | | | | 10,000 | | | | 13,000 |
Total | | | 1,451,000 | | | | 1,340,000 | | | | 1,349,000 |
For purposes of our Medicaid segment, we define our customer as the state and related governmental agencies that have common control over the contracts under which we operate in that particular state. In our Medicaid segment, we are operating in five of the ten largest membership states. We received over 10% of our consolidated premium revenue in 2011, 2010 and 2009, individually, from the States of Georgia and Florida.
The following table summarizes our Medicaid segment membership for the State of Georgia, the State of Florida and all other states.
| As of December 31, |
| 2011 | | 2010 | | 2009 |
Medicaid | | | | | |
Georgia | | 562,000 | | | 566,000 | | | 546,000 |
Florida | | 404,000 | | | 415,000 | | | 425,000 |
All other states* | | 485,000 | | | 359,000 | | | 378,000 |
Total | | 1,451,000 | | | 1,340,000 | | | 1,349,000 |
* | “All other states” consists of Hawaii, Illinois, Missouri, New York, Ohio and, in 2011 only, Kentucky. |
Medicaid Segment Revenues
Our Medicaid segment generates revenues primarily from premiums received from the states in which we operate health plans. We receive a fixed premium per member per month (“PMPM”) pursuant to our state contracts. Our Medicaid contracts with state governments are generally multi-year contracts subject to annual renewal provisions. We generally recognize premium revenue during the period in which we are obligated to provide such services to our members and receive premium payments during the month in which we provide services, although we have experienced delays in receiving monthly payments from certain states. For example, the Georgia Department of Community Health (“Georgia DCH”) has recently informed us that it is delaying the payment of certain premiums for as much as $300 million during the first quarter of 2012, and plans to restore these payments during the second quarter of 2012. Payments have already been delayed in January 2012 and February 2012 to date and if the delays continue through March 2012 as planned, our consolidated operating cash flow for the first quarter of 2012 will be materially impacted. However, at this time, the delays are considered to be a timing issue and we have adequate liquidity to manage the delays. We expect our programs in Georgia and elsewhere will continue to operate as they have historically. In some instances, our base premiums are subject to risk score adjustments based on the acuity of our membership. Generally, the risk score is determined by the state analyzing encounter submissions of processed claims data to determine the acuity of our membership relative to the entire state’s Medicaid membership. Some contracts allow for additional premium related to certain supplemental services provided, such as maternity deliveries. Revenues are recorded based on membership and eligibility data provided by the states, which may be adjusted by the states for any subsequent updates to this data. Historically, these eligibility adjustments have been immaterial in relation to total revenue recorded and are reflected in the period known.
The following table sets forth information relating to the premium revenues received from the State of Florida and the State of Georgia, as well as all other states on an aggregate basis.
| For the Years Ended December 31, |
| 2011 | | 2010 | | 2009 |
State | Revenue (In Millions) | | Percentage of Total Segment Revenue | | Revenue (In Millions) | | Percentage of Total Segment Revenue | | Revenue (In Millions) | | Percentage of Total Segment Revenue |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Georgia | $ | 1,483.0 | | | 41.4% | | $ | 1,374.7 | | | 41.6% | | $ | 1,330.1 | | | 40.8% |
Florida | | 881.1 | | | 24.6% | | | 889.7 | | | 26.9% | | | 916.7 | | | 28.2% |
All other states* | | 1,217.4 | | | 34.0% | | | 1,044.4 | | | 31.5% | | | 1,010.0 | | | 31.0% |
Total | $ | 3,581.5 | | | 100.0% | | $ | 3,308.8 | | | 100.0% | | $ | 3,256.8 | | | 100.0% |
* | “All other states” consists of Hawaii, Illinois, Missouri, New York, Ohio and, in 2011 only, Kentucky. |
Our Florida Medicaid and Healthy Kids contracts and Illinois Medicaid contract require us to expend a minimum percentage of premiums on eligible medical services, and to the extent that we expend less than the minimum percentage of the premiums on eligible medical service, we are required to refund all or some portion of the difference between the minimum and our actual allowable medical expense. We estimate the amounts due to the state as a return of premium each period based on the terms of our contract with the applicable state agency.
Our Medicaid contracts with government agencies have terms of between one and four years with varying expiration dates. We currently provide Medicaid plans under 14 separate contracts: five contracts in New York, three contracts in Florida and one contract each in Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio.
The following table sets forth the terms and expiration dates of our Medicaid contracts with the State of Florida and the State of Georgia, the two states that each accounted for greater than 10% of our consolidated premium revenue during 2011, 2010 and 2009.
State | | Line of Business | | Term of Contract | | Expiration Date of Current Term |
Florida | | • Staywell Medicaid | | 3-year term | | August 31, 2012 |
Florida | | • HealthEase Medicaid | | 3-year term | | August 31, 2012 |
Florida | | • Healthy Kids* | | 1-year term with 1 one-year renewal (1) | | September 30, 2012 |
Georgia | | • Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids* | | 1-year term with 8 one-year renewals (2) | | June 30, 2012 |
____________
* | Florida Healthy Kids and Georgia PeachCare for Kids are CHIP programs |
(1) | Our Florida Healthy Kids contract commenced in October 2010. In September 2011, the contract was amended to renew the term for an additional year. |
(2) | Our Georgia contract commenced in July 2005 and was amended in December 2011 to provide two additional one-year option terms, exercisable by the Georgia DCH, which potentially extends the total term until June 30, 2014. |
Medicare is a federal health insurance program that provides eligible persons age 65 and over, and some disabled persons under the age of 65, certain hospital, medical and prescription drug benefits. The Medicare program consists of four parts, labeled Parts A-D.
· | Part A—Hospitalization benefits are provided under Part A. These benefits are financed largely through Social Security taxes. Beneficiaries are not required to pay any premium for Part A benefits. However, they are still required to pay out-of-pocket deductibles and coinsurance. |
· | Part B—Benefits for medically necessary services and supplies including outpatient care, doctor’s services, physical or occupational therapists and home health care are provided under Part B. Beneficiaries enrolled in Part B are required to pay monthly premiums and are subject to an annual deductible. |
The Part A and B programs are referred to as Original Medicare. As an alternative to Original Medicare, in geographic areas where a managed care organization has contracted with CMS pursuant to the MA program, Medicare beneficiaries my choose to receive benefits from a MA organization under Medicare Part C.
· | Part C—Under the MA program, private plans provide benefits to enrollees that are at least comparable to those offered under Original Medicare and can include prescription drug coverage. Part C benefits are provided through private health maintenance organizations (“HMOs”), preferred provider organizations (“PPOs”) and private fee-for-service (“PFFS”) plans. MA plans may charge beneficiaries monthly premiums and other copayments for Medicare-covered services or for certain extra benefits. |
· | Part D—Under Part D, prescription drug benefits are offered by MA plans and stand-alone PDP plans to individuals eligible for benefits under Part A and/or enrolled in Part B. Plans can include varying degrees of out-of-pocket costs for premiums, deductibles and coinsurance. |
We contract with CMS under the Medicare program to provide a comprehensive array of Part C and Part D benefits to Medicare eligible persons. These benefits are provided through our MA and PDP plans in exchange for contractual risk-adjusted payments received from CMS. These programs are administered by CMS.
Our MA segment consists of MA plans, which, following our exit from the PFFS product on December 31, 2009, is comprised of coordinated care plans (“CCPs”). MA is Medicare’s managed care alternative to Original Medicare, which provides individuals standard Medicare benefits directly through CMS. CCPs are administered through HMOs and generally require members to seek health care services and select a PCP from a network of health care providers. In addition, we offer Medicare Part D coverage, which provides prescription drug benefits, as a component of our MA plans. See “Prescription Drug Plans” below for a complete description of this coverage.
We cover a wide spectrum of medical services through our MA plans. For many of our plans, we provide additional benefits not covered by Original Medicare, such as vision, dental and hearing services. Through these enhanced benefits, out-of-pocket expenses incurred by our members are generally reduced, which allows our members to better manage their health care costs.
Some of our MA plans require members to pay a co-payment, which varies depending on the services and level of benefits provided. Typically, members of our MA CCPs are required to use our network of providers, except in specific cases such as emergencies, transition of care or when specialty providers are unavailable in our network to meet their medical needs. MA CCP members may see an out-of-network specialist if they receive a referral from their PCP and may pay incremental cost-sharing. We also offer D-SNPs for those who are dually-eligible for Medicare and Medicaid in all of our MA markets. We believe that our D-SNPs are attractive to these beneficiaries due to the enhanced benefit offerings and clinical support programs.
PFFS Plan Exit
The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (“MIPPA”) revised requirements for MA PFFS plans. In particular, MIPPA requires all PFFS plans that operate in markets with two or more network-based plans be offered on a networked basis. As we did not have provider networks in the majority of markets where our PFFS plans were offered and given the costs associated with building the required networks, we did not renew our contracts to participate in the PFFS program for the 2010 plan year, resulting in a loss of approximately 95,000 members. The PFFS line of business shared resources with other lines of business including physical facilities, employees, marketing, and market distribution systems.
MA Membership
As of December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, we had approximately 135,000, 116,000 and 225,000 MA members, respectively. In our MA segment, we have just one customer, CMS, from which we receive substantially all of our MA segment premium revenue. Membership as of January 1, 2012 was approximately 146,000, an increase from the 135,000 as of December 31, 2011. At this time, we expect MA segment membership to continue to grow during the remaining months of 2012.
MA Segment Revenues
The amount of premiums we receive for each MA member is established by contract, although the rates vary according to a combination of factors, including upper payment limits established by CMS, the member’s geographic location, age, gender, medical history or condition, or the services rendered to the member. MA premiums are due monthly and are recognized as revenue during the period in which we are obligated to provide services to members. We record adjustments to revenues based on member retroactivity. These adjustments reflect changes in the number and eligibility status of enrollees subsequent to when revenue was billed. We estimate the amount of outstanding retroactivity adjustments each period and adjust premium revenue accordingly. The estimates of retroactivity adjustments are based on historical trends, premiums billed, the volume of member and contract renewal activity and other information. Changes in member retroactivity adjustment estimates had a minimal impact on premiums recorded during the periods presented.
MA premium revenue for the year ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 was approximately $1,480.0 million, $1,336.0 million and $2,776.0 million, respectively. We currently offer MA plans under separate contracts with CMS for each of the states in which we offer such plans. Our MA contracts with CMS all have one year terms that expire at the end of each calendar year and are renewable by the parties; our current MA contracts expire on December 31, 2012.
Risk-Adjusted Premiums
CMS employs a risk-adjustment model to determine the premium amount it pays for each member. This model apportions premiums paid to all MA plans according to the health status of each beneficiary enrolled. As a result, our CMS monthly premium payments per member may change materially, either favorably or unfavorably. The CMS risk-adjustment model pays more for Medicare members with predictably higher costs. Diagnosis data from various sources are used to calculate the risk-adjusted premiums we receive. We collect claims and encounter data and submit the necessary diagnosis data to CMS within prescribed deadlines. After reviewing the respective submissions, CMS establishes the premium payments to MA plans generally at the beginning of the calendar year, and then adjusts premium levels on two separate occasions on a retroactive basis. The first retroactive adjustment for a given fiscal year generally occurs during the third quarter of such fiscal year. This initial settlement (the “Initial CMS Settlement”) represents the updating of risk scores for the current year based on the severity of claims incurred in the prior fiscal year. CMS then issues a final retroactive risk-adjusted premium settlement for that fiscal year in the following year (the “Final CMS Settlement”). We reassess the estimates of the Initial CMS Settlement and the Final CMS Settlement each reporting period and any resulting adjustments are made to MA premium revenue.
We develop our estimates for risk-adjusted premiums utilizing historical experience and predictive models as sufficient member risk score data becomes available over the course of each CMS plan year. Our models are populated with available risk score data on our members. Risk premium adjustments are based on member risk score data from the previous year. Risk score data for members who entered our plans during the current plan year, however, is not available for use in our models; therefore, we make assumptions regarding the risk scores of this subset of our member population. All such estimated amounts are periodically updated as additional diagnosis code information is reported to CMS and adjusted to actual amounts when the ultimate adjustment settlements are either received from CMS or we receive notification from CMS of such settlement amounts.
The data provided to CMS to determine the risk score is subject to audit by CMS even after the annual settlements occur. These audits may result in the refund of premiums to CMS previously received by us. While our experience to date has not resulted in a material refund, future refunds could be significant, which would reduce our premium revenue in the year that CMS determines repayment is required.
Risk Adjustment Data Validation Audits
CMS has performed and continues to perform Risk Adjustment Data Validation (“RADV”) audits of selected MA plans to validate the provider coding practices under the risk adjustment model used to calculate the premium paid for each MA member. Our Florida MA plan was selected by CMS for audit for the 2007 contract year and we anticipate that CMS will conduct additional audits of other plans and contract years on an ongoing basis. The CMS audit process selects a sample of 201 enrollees for medical record review from each contract selected. We have responded to CMS’s audit requests by retrieving and submitting all available medical records and provider attestations to substantiate CMS-sampled diagnosis codes. CMS will use this documentation to calculate a payment error rate for our Florida MA plan 2007 premiums. CMS has not indicated a schedule for processing or otherwise responding to our submissions.
CMS has indicated that payment adjustments resulting from its RADV audits will not be limited to risk scores for the specific beneficiaries for which errors are found, but will be extrapolated to the relevant plan population. In December 2010, CMS issued a draft audit sampling and payment error calculation methodology that it proposes to use in conducting these audits. CMS invited public comment on the proposed audit methodology and announced in February 2011 that it will revise its proposed approach based on the comments received. CMS has not given a specific timetable for issuing a final version of the audit sampling and payment error calculation methodology. Given that the RADV audit methodology is new and is subject to modification, there is substantial uncertainty as to how it will be applied to MA organizations like our Florida MA plan. At this time, we do not know whether CMS will require retroactive or subsequent payment adjustments to be made using an audit methodology that may not compare the coding of our providers to the coding of Original Medicare and other MA plan providers, or whether any of our other plans will be randomly selected or targeted for a similar audit by CMS. We are also unable to determine whether any conclusions that CMS may make, based on the audit of our plan and others, will cause us to change our revenue estimation process. Because of this lack of clarity from CMS, we are unable to estimate with any reasonable confidence a coding or payment error rate or predict the impact of extrapolating an applicable error rate to our Florida MA plan 2007 premiums. However, it is likely that a payment adjustment will occur as a result of these audits, and that any such adjustment could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows, possibly in 2012 and beyond.
Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs) |
Effective January 1, 2006, private insurers under contract with CMS were permitted to sponsor insured stand-alone PDPs pursuant to Part D, which was established in 2003 by the Medicare Modernization Act (“MMA”). We have contracted with CMS to serve as a plan sponsor offering stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries through our PDP segment. The Medicare Part D program offers national in-network prescription drug coverage that is subject to limitations in certain circumstances.
The Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit is available to MA enrollees as well as Original Medicare enrollees. Depending on medical coverage type, a beneficiary has various options for accessing drug coverage. Beneficiaries enrolled in Original Medicare can either join a stand-alone PDP or forego Part D drug coverage. Beneficiaries enrolled in MA CCPs can join a plan with Part D coverage, select a stand-alone PDP or forego Part D coverage. Dually-eligible beneficiaries, and certain beneficiaries who qualify for the low-income subsidy (“LIS”) but do not enroll themselves in a PDP, are automatically assigned to a plan by CMS. These assignments are made amongst those PDPs which submitted bids below the applicable regional benchmarks for standard plans.
As discussed above, we also offer Part D coverage as a component of our MA plans. Our PDP contracts with CMS are renewable for successive one-year terms unless CMS notifies the plan sponsor of its decision not to renew by May 1 of the current contract year, or the plan sponsor notifies CMS of its decision not to renew by the first Monday in June of the contract year.
PDP Membership
As of December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, we had approximately 976,000, 768,000 and 747,000 PDP members, respectively. Membership as of January 1, 2012 was approximately 900,000, a decrease of approximately 7% from 976,000 as of December 31, 2011 due to our 2012 bids being below the benchmark in five of the 34 CMS regions and within the de minimus range of the benchmark in 17 other regions. During 2011, our PDPs were below the benchmark in 20 regions and within the de minimus range in eight other regions. The Company anticipates PDP segment membership will decrease slightly during the remainder of 2012 due to normal attrition being offset by fewer new members as we will be auto-assigned newly eligible members in only the five regions where we are below the benchmark.
PDP Segment Revenues
Prescription drug benefits under Part D are provided on both a stand-alone basis and also in connection with our MA plans. Annually, we provide written bids to CMS for our PDPs, which reflect the estimated costs of providing prescription drug benefits over the plan year. Substantially all of the premium for this insurance is paid by the federal government, and the balance is due from the enrolled beneficiaries. The recognition of the premium and subsidy components under Part D is described below:
Member Premium—We receive a monthly premium from members based on the plan year bid we submitted to CMS. The member premium, which is fixed for the entire plan year, is recognized over the contract period and reported as premium revenue. We establish a reserve for member premium that is past due that reflects our estimate of the collectability of the member premium.
CMS Direct Premium Subsidy—Represents monthly premiums from CMS based on the plan year bid submitted by plan sponsors to CMS. The monthly payment is a risk-adjusted amount per member and is based upon the member's health status as determined by CMS. Refer to the "Risk Adjusted Premiums" section under the "Medicare Advantage (MA)” segment discussion above for a more detailed description of risk-adjusted premiums.
Low-Income Premium Subsidy—For qualifying LIS members, CMS pays for some or all of the LIS member’s monthly premium. The CMS payment is dependent upon the member's income level, which is determined by the Social Security Administration.
Low-Income Cost Sharing Subsidy (LICS)—For qualifying LIS members, CMS reimburses plans for all or a portion of the LIS member's deductible, coinsurance and co-payment amounts above the out-of-pocket threshold. Low-income cost sharing subsidies are paid by CMS prospectively as a fixed amount per member per month, and are determined based upon the plan year bid submitted by plan sponsors to CMS. Following the plan year, CMS performs an annual reconciliation of the LICS received by the plan sponsor to the actual amount paid by the plan sponsor.
Catastrophic Reinsurance Subsidy—CMS reimburses plans for 80% of the drug costs after a member reaches his or her out-of-pocket catastrophic threshold through a catastrophic reinsurance subsidy. Catastrophic reinsurance subsidies are paid by CMS prospectively as a fixed amount per member per month, and are determined based upon the plan year bid submitted by plan sponsors to CMS. Following the plan year, CMS performs an annual reconciliation of the catastrophic reinsurance subsidy received by the plan sponsor to the actual amount paid by the plan sponsor.
Coverage Gap Discount Subsidy—Beginning in 2011, CMS provides monthly prospective payments for pharmaceutical manufacturer discounts made available to members. The prospective discount payments are determined based upon the plan year bid submitted by plan sponsors to CMS and current plan enrollment. Following the plan year, CMS performs an annual reconciliation of the prospective discount payments received by the plan sponsor to the cost of actual manufacturer discounts made available to each plan sponsor’s enrollees under the program.
Low-income cost sharing, catastrophic reinsurance subsidies and coverage gap discount subsidies represent funding from CMS for which we assume no risk. The receipt of these subsidies and the payments of the actual prescription drug costs related to the low-income cost sharing, catastrophic reinsurance and coverage gap discounts are not recognized as premium revenues or benefits expense, but are reported on a net basis as funds receivable/held for the benefit of members in the consolidated balance sheets. These receipts and payments are reported as financing activity in our consolidated statements of cash flows. After the close of the annual plan year, CMS reconciles actual experience to prospective payments paid to our plans and any differences are settled between CMS and our plans. Historically, we have not experienced material adjustments related to the CMS annual reconciliation of prior plan year low-income cost sharing and catastrophic reinsurance subsidies.
CMS Risk Corridor—Premiums from CMS are subject to risk sharing through the Medicare Part D risk corridor provisions. The CMS risk corridor calculation compares the target amount of prescription drug costs (limited to costs under the standard coverage as defined by CMS) less rebates in the plan year bid, to actual experience. Variances of more than 5% above the target amount will result in CMS making additional payments to plan sponsors, and variances of more than 5% below the target amount will require plan sponsors to refund to CMS a portion of the premiums received. Historically, we have not experienced material adjustments related to the CMS settlement of the prior plan year risk corridor estimate.
PDP premium revenue for the year ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 was approximately $1,037.0 million, $785.0 million and $835.0 million, respectively. We offer our PDPs under a single contract with CMS, which has a term of one year expiring on December 31, 2012 and is renewable by the parties.
Provider Networks
We contract with a wide variety of health care providers to provide our members with access to medically-necessary services. Our contracted providers deliver a variety of services to our members, including: primary and specialty physician care; laboratory and imaging; inpatient, outpatient, home health and skilled facility care; medication and injectable drug therapy; ancillary services; durable medical equipment and related services; mental health and chemical dependency counseling and treatment; transportation; and dental, hearing and vision care.
The following are the types of providers in our Medicaid and MA CCP contracted networks:
| • | Professionals such as PCPs, specialty care physicians, psychologists and licensed master social workers; |
| • | Facilities such as hospitals with inpatient, outpatient and emergency services, skilled nursing facilities, outpatient surgical facilities and diagnostic imaging centers; |
| • | Ancillary providers such as laboratory providers, home health, physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, ambulance providers and transportation providers; and |
| • | Pharmacies, including retail pharmacies, mail order pharmacies and specialty pharmacies. |
These providers are contracted through a variety of mechanisms, including agreements with individual providers, groups of providers, independent provider associations, integrated delivery systems and local and national provider chains such as hospitals, surgical centers and ancillary providers. We also contract with other companies who provide access to contracted providers, such as pharmacy, dental, hearing, vision, transportation and mental health benefit managers.
PCPs play an important role in coordinating and managing the care of our Medicaid and MA CCP members. This coordination includes delivering preventive services as well as referring members to other providers for medically-necessary services. PCPs are typically trained in internal medicine, pediatrics, family practice, general practice or, in some markets, obstetrics and gynecology. In rare instances, a physician trained in sub-specialty care will perform primary care services for a member with a chronic condition.
To help ensure quality of care, we credential and recredential all professional providers with whom we contract, including physicians, psychologists, licensed master social workers, certified nurse midwives, advanced registered nurse practitioners and physician assistants who provide care under the supervision of a physician directly or through delegated arrangements. This credentialing and recredentialing is performed in accordance with standards required by CMS and consistent with the standards of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (“NCQA”).
Our typical professional hospital and ancillary agreements provide for coverage of medically-necessary care and, in general, have terms of one year. These contracts automatically renew for successive one-year periods unless otherwise specified in writing by either party. These contracts typically can be cancelled by either party, without cause, usually upon 90 days written notice. In some cases a longer notice period may be required, such as where a longer period is required by regulation or the applicable government contract.
Facility, pharmacy, dental, vision and behavioral health contracts cover medically-necessary services and, under some of our plans, enhanced benefits. These contracts typically have terms of one to four years. These agreements may also automatically renew at the end of the contract period unless otherwise specified in writing by either party. During the contract period, these agreements typically can be terminated without cause upon written notice by either party, but the notification period may range from 90 to 180 days and early termination may subject the terminating party to financial penalties.
The contract terms require providers to participate in our quality improvement and utilization review programs, which we may modify from time to time. Providers must also adhere to applicable state and federal regulations.
Provider Reimbursement Methods
We periodically review the fees paid to providers and make adjustments as necessary. Generally, the contracts with providers do not allow for automatic annual increases in reimbursement levels. Among the factors generally considered in adjustments are changes to state Medicaid or Medicare fee schedules, competitive environment, current market conditions, anticipated utilization patterns and projected medical expenses. Some provider contracts are directly tied to state Medicaid or Medicare fee schedules, in which case reimbursement levels will be adjusted up or down, generally on a prospective basis, based on adjustments made by the state or CMS to the appropriate fee schedule.
Physicians and Provider Groups |
We reimburse some of our PCPs on a fixed-fee PMPM basis. This type of reimbursement methodology is commonly referred to as capitation. The reimbursement covers care provided directly by the PCP as well as coordination of care from other providers as described above. In certain markets, services such as vaccinations and laboratory or screening services delivered by the PCP may warrant reimbursement in addition to the capitation payment. Further, in some markets, PCPs may also be eligible for incentive payments for achieving certain measurable levels of compliance with our clinical guidelines covering prevention and health maintenance. These incentive payments may be paid as a periodic bonus or when submitting documentation of a member’s receipt of services. In limited instances, specialty care provider groups in certain regions are paid a capitation rate to provide specialty care services to members in those regions.
In all instances, we require providers to submit data reporting all direct encounters with members. This data helps us to monitor the amount and level of medical treatment provided to our members to help improve the quality of care being provided and comply with regulatory reporting requirements. Our regulators use the encounter data that we submit, as well as data submitted by other health plans, to, in most instances, set reimbursement rates, assign membership, assess the quality of care being provided to members and evaluate contractual and regulatory compliance.
PCPs in our MA CCP products and, in limited instances, in our Medicaid products, are eligible for a specialized risk arrangement to further align the interests of the PCPs with ours. PCPs participating in specialized risk arrangements cover 80% and 24% of our MA and Medicaid membership, respectively, as of December 31, 2011. Under these arrangements, we establish a risk fund for each provider based on a percentage of premium received. We periodically evaluate and monitor this fund on an individual or group basis to determine whether these providers are eligible for additional payments or, in the alternative, whether they should reimburse us. Payments due to us are normally carried forward and offset against future payments.
Specialty care providers and, in some cases, PCPs, are typically reimbursed a specified fee for the service performed, which is known as fee-for-service. The specified fee is set as a percentage of the amount Medicaid or Medicare would pay under the applicable fee-for-service program. For the year ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, approximately 12% and 13%, respectively, of our payments to physicians serving our Medicaid members were on a capitated basis and approximately 88% and 87%, respectively, were on a fee-for-service basis. During the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, approximately 15% and 17%, respectively, of our payments to physicians serving our Medicare members in MA CCPs were on a capitated basis and approximately 85% and 83%, respectively, were on a fee-for-service basis.
Facilities
Inpatient services are sometimes reimbursed as a fixed global payment for an admission based on the associated diagnosis related group, or DRG, as defined by CMS. In many instances, certain services, such as implantable devices or particularly expensive admissions, are reimbursed as a percentage of hospital charges either in addition to, or in lieu of, the DRG payment. Certain facilities in our networks are reimbursed on a negotiated rate paid for each day of the member’s admission, known as a per diem. This payment varies based upon the intensity of services provided to the member during admission, such as intensive care, which is reimbursed at a higher rate than general medical services.
Facility Outpatient Services
Facility outpatient services are reimbursed either as a percentage of charges or based on a fixed-fee schedule for the services rendered, in accordance with ambulatory payment groups or ambulatory payment categories, both as defined by CMS. Outpatient services for diagnostic imaging are reimbursed on a fixed-fee schedule as a percentage of the applicable Medicare or Medicaid fee-for-service schedule or a capitation payment.
Ancillary Providers
Ancillary providers, who provide services such as laboratory services, home health, physical, speech and occupational therapy, and ambulance and transportation services, are reimbursed on a capitation or fee-for-service basis.
Pharmacy Services
Pharmacy services are reimbursed based on a fixed fee for dispensing medication and a separate payment for the ingredients. Ingredients produced by multiple manufacturers are reimbursed based on a maximum allowable cost for the ingredient. Ingredients produced by a single manufacturer are reimbursed as a percentage of the average wholesale price. In certain instances, we contract directly with the sole-source manufacturer of an ingredient to receive a rebate, which may vary based upon volumes dispensed during the year.
Out-of-Network Providers
When our members receive services for which we are responsible from a provider outside our network, such as in the case of emergency room services from non-contracted hospitals, we generally attempt to negotiate a rate with that provider. In most cases, when a member is treated by a non-contracted provider, we are obligated to pay only the amount that the provider would have received from traditional Medicaid or Medicare.
Member Recruitment
Our member recruitment and marketing efforts for both Medicaid and Medicare members are heavily regulated by state agencies and CMS. For many products, we rely on the auto-assignment of members into our plans, including our PDP plan. The auto-assignment of a beneficiary into a health or prescription drug plan generally occurs when that beneficiary does not choose a plan. The agency with responsibility for the program determines the approach by which a beneficiary becomes a member of a plan serving the program. Some programs assign members to a plan automatically based on predetermined criteria. These criteria frequently include a plan’s rates, the outcome of a bidding process, quality scores or similar factors. For example, CMS auto-assigns PDP members based on whether a plan’s bids during the annual renewal process are above or below the CMS benchmark. In most states, our Medicaid health plans benefit from auto-assignment of individuals who do not choose a plan but for whom participation in managed care programs is mandatory. Each state differs in its approach to auto-assignment, but one or more of the following criteria is typical in auto-assignment algorithms: a Medicaid beneficiary’s previous enrollment with a health plan or experience with a particular provider contracted with a health plan, enrolling family members in the same plan, a plan’s quality or performance status, a plan’s network and enrollment size, awarding all auto-assignments to a plan with the lowest bid in a county or region, and equal assignment of individuals who do not choose a plan in a specified county or region.
Our Medicaid marketing efforts are regulated by the states in which we operate, each of which imposes different requirements for, or restrictions on, Medicaid sales and marketing. These requirements and restrictions can be revised from time to time. Several states, including our two largest Medicaid states, Florida and Georgia, do not permit direct sales by Medicaid health plans. We rely on member selection and auto-assignment of Medicaid members into our plans in those states.
Our Medicare marketing and sales activities are regulated by CMS and the states in which we operate. CMS has oversight over all, and in some cases has imposed advance approval requirements with respect to, marketing materials used by MA plans, and our sales activities are limited to activities such as conveying information regarding benefits, describing the operations of managed care plans and providing information about eligibility requirements. The activities of our independently-licensed insurance agents are also regulated by CMS.
We also employ our own sales force and contract with independent, licensed insurance agents to market our MA and PDP products. We have continued to expand our use of independent agents whose cost is largely variable in nature and whose engagement is more conducive to the shortened Medicare selling season and the elimination of the open enrollment period. We also use direct mail, mass media and the internet to market our products.
Enrollment in our PDPs is impacted by the auto-assignment of members, which is subject to a bid process whereby we submit to CMS our estimated costs to provide services in the next fiscal year. For example, based on the outcome of our 2012 PDP bids, our plans are below the benchmarks in five of the 34 CMS regions and within the de minimus range of the benchmark in 17 other CMS regions. Comparatively, in 2011, our prescription drug plans were below the benchmarks in 20 regions and within the de minimus ranges in eight other regions. We have retained our previously auto-assigned members in the 17 regions where we bid within the de minimus range. However, as of January 1, 2012 we are no longer auto-assigned new members in those regions. In addition, in the 12 regions in which we bid above the de minimus range, members that were previously auto-assigned to us were reassigned to other plans as of January 1, 2012. Consequently, our PDP membership has declined to approximately 900,000 as of January 1, 2012. We anticipate PDP segment membership will decrease slightly during the remainder of 2012 due to normal attrition being offset by fewer new members as we will be auto-assigned newly eligible members in only the five regions where we are below the benchmark.
Enrollment into our plans is also subject to suspension or termination due to sanctions. For example, during 2009, CMS imposed a marketing sanction against us that prohibited us from the marketing of, and enrolling members into, all lines of our Medicare business from March until the sanction was released in November of 2009. As a result of the sanction, we were also not eligible to receive auto-assignment of low-income subsidy, dually-eligible beneficiaries into our PDPs for January 2010 enrollment.
Quality Improvement
Our health care quality activities will continue to focus on preventative health and wellness and care management initiatives. We continually seek to improve the quality of care delivered by our network providers to our members and our ability to measure the quality of care provided. Our Quality Improvement Program provides the basis for our quality and utilization management functions and outlines ongoing processes designed to improve the delivery of quality health care services to our members, as well as to enhance compliance with regulatory and accreditation standards. Each of our health plans has a Quality Improvement Committee comprised of senior members of management, medical directors and other key associates of ours. Each of these committees report directly to the applicable health plan board of directors which has ultimate oversight responsibility for the quality of care rendered to our members. The Quality Improvement Committees also have a number of subcommittees that are charged with monitoring certain aspects of care and service, such as health care utilization, pharmacy services and provider credentialing and recredentialing. Several of these subcommittees include physicians as committee members.
Elements of our Quality Improvement Program include the following: evaluation of the effects of particular preventive measures; member satisfaction surveys; grievance and appeals processes for members and providers; site audits of select providers; provider credentialing and recredentialing; ongoing member education programs; ongoing provider education programs; health plan accreditation; and medical record audits.
Several of our health plans are also accredited by nationally-recognized, independent organizations that have been established to measure health plans’ commitment to effective management and accountability. Our Florida HMOs are currently accredited by URAC and our Georgia and Missouri HMOs are accredited by NCQA. We remain dedicated to our long-term target of attaining accreditation for all of our health plans. As another indicator of our focus on quality, in 2011 we finalized our HEDIS measures for 2010, which showed broad-based improvement in these scores.
As part of our Quality Improvement Program, at times we have implemented changes to our reimbursement methods to reward those providers who encourage preventive care, such as well-child check-ups, prenatal care and/or who adopt evidence-based guidelines for members with chronic conditions. In addition, we have specialized systems to support our quality improvement activities. We gather information from our systems to identify opportunities to improve care and to track the outcomes of the services provided to achieve those improvements. Some examples of our intervention programs include: a prenatal case management program to help women with high-risk pregnancies; a program to reduce the number of inappropriate emergency room visits; and disease management programs to decrease the need for emergency room visits and hospitalizations. During the fourth quarter of 2011, we implemented in several of our markets a provider incentive initiative for closing care gaps inherent to the health care system. This initiative resulted in well over fifteen thousand member experiences to drive improvement in the quality of care. This work follows on the successful launch in June 2011 of new customer service tools to support more intensive management of care gaps, which has resulted in over forty-five thousand member education sessions, many involving real time appointment setting with our providers.
Our board of directors recognizes the importance of delivering quality care and providing access to that care for our members and has established the Health Care Quality and Access Committee of the board. The primary purpose of this committee is to assist the board by reviewing, and providing general oversight of, our health care quality and access strategy, including our policies and procedures governing health care quality and access for our members. This input helps provide overall direction and guidance to our Quality Improvement Committees.
Competition
Competitive environment
We operate in a highly competitive environment to manage the cost and quality of services that are delivered to government health care program beneficiaries. We currently compete in this environment by offering Medicare and Medicaid health plans in which we accept all or nearly all of the financial risk for management of beneficiary care under these programs.
We typically must be awarded a contract by the government agency with responsibility for a program in order to offer our services in a particular location. Some government programs choose to limit the number of plans that may offer services to beneficiaries, while other agencies allow an unlimited number of plans to serve a program, subject to each plan meeting certain contract requirements. When the number of plans participating in a program is limited, an agency generally employs a bidding process to select the participating plans.
As a result, the number of companies with which we compete varies significantly depending on the geographic market, business segment and line of business. For example, in Florida, the Medicaid program does not specifically restrict the number of participating plans. In contrast, the Georgia Department of Community Health, which operates the Georgia Families and PeachCare program, awarded contracts to only three plans. We compete with one or two other plans in each of the six regions in Georgia. Likewise, in our Medicare business, the number of competitors varies significantly by geography. In most cases, there are numerous other Medicare plans and other competitors. We believe a number of our competitors in both Medicare and Medicaid have strengths that may match or exceed our own with respect to one or more of the criteria on which we compete with them. Further, some of our competitors may be better positioned than us to withstand rate compression.
Competitive factors – program participation
Regardless of whether the number of health plans serving a program is limited, we believe government agencies determine program participation based on several criteria. These criteria generally include the terms of the bids as well as the breadth and depth of a plan’s provider network; quality and utilization management processes; responsiveness to member complaints and grievances; timeliness and accuracy of claims payment; financial resources; historical contractual and regulatory compliance; references and accreditation; and other factors.
Competitive factors – network providers
In addition, we compete with other health plans to contract with hospitals, physicians, pharmacies and other providers for inclusion in our networks that serve government program beneficiaries. We believe providers select plans in which they participate based on several criteria. These criteria generally include reimbursement rates; timeliness and accuracy of claims payment; potential to deliver new patient volume and/or retain existing patients; effectiveness of resolution of calls and complaints; and other factors.
Auto-assignment
The agency with responsibility for a particular program determines the approach by which a beneficiary becomes a member of one of the plans serving the program. Generally, government programs either assign members to a plan automatically or they permit participating plans to market to potential members, though some programs employ both approaches. For more information about auto-assignment and how we obtain our members generally, see the Member Recruitment discussion above.
Medicaid competitors
In the Medicaid managed care market, our principal competitors for state contracts, members and providers include the following types of organizations:
| • | MCOs. Managed care organizations (“MCOs”) that, like us, receive state funding to provide Medicaid benefits to members. Many of these competitors operate in a single or small number of geographic locations. There are a few multi-state Medicaid-only organizations that tend to be larger in size and therefore are able to leverage their infrastructure over a larger membership base. Competitors include private and public companies, which can be either for-profit or non-profit organizations, with varying degrees of focus on serving Medicaid populations. |
| • | Medicaid Fee-For-Service. Traditional Medicaid offered directly by the states or a modified version whereby the state administers a primary care case management model. |
| • | PSN. A Provider Service Network (“PSN”) is a network of providers that is established and operated by a health care provider or group of affiliated health care providers. A PSN operates as either a fee-for-service (“FFS”) health plan or as a prepaid health plan that, like us, receives a capitated premium to provide Medicaid benefits to members. A PSN that operates as a FFS health plan is not at risk for medical benefit costs. FFS PSNs are at risk for 50% of their administrative cost allocation if their total costs exceed the estimated at-risk capitation amount. |
Medicare competitors.
In the Medicare market, our primary competitors for contracts, members and providers include the following types of competitors:
| • | Original Fee-For-Service Medicare. Original Medicare is available nationally and is a fee-for-service plan managed by the federal government. Beneficiaries enrolled in Original Medicare can go to any doctor, supplier, hospital or other facility that accepts Medicare and is accepting new Medicare patients. |
| • | Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans. MA and stand-alone Part D plans are offered by national, regional and local MCOs that serve Medicare beneficiaries. In addition, prescription drug plans are being offered by or co-branded with retail drug store chains or other retail store chains, which may be able to offer lower priced plans and achieve benefits from integration with their pharmacy benefit management operations. |
| • | Employer-Sponsored Coverage. Employers and unions may subsidize Medicare benefits for their retirees in their commercial group. The group sponsor solicits proposals from MA plans and may select an HMO, PPO and/or PDP. |
| • | Medicare Supplements. Original Medicare pays for many, but not all, health care services and supplies. A Medicare supplement policy is private health insurance designed to supplement Original Medicare by covering the cost of items such as co-payments, coinsurance and deductibles. Some Medicare supplements cover additional benefits for an additional cost. Medicare supplement plans can be used to cover costs not otherwise covered by Original Medicare, but cannot be used to supplement MA plans. |
Regulation
Our health care operations are highly regulated by both state and federal government agencies. Regulation of managed care products and health care services is an ever-evolving area of law that varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Regulatory agencies generally have discretion to issue regulations and interpret and enforce laws and rules. Changes in applicable laws, statutes, regulations and rules occur frequently. These changes may include a requirement to provide health care services not contemplated in our current contracted premium rate or to pay providers at a state-mandated fee schedule without a commensurate adjustment to the premium rate. For further information, see the Provider Reimbursement Methods discussion above. In addition, government agencies may impose taxes, fees or other assessments upon us and other managed care companies at any time.
Our contracts with various state government agencies and CMS to provide managed health care services include provisions regarding provider network adequacy, maintenance of quality measures, accurate submission of encounter and health care cost information, maintaining standards of call center performance and other requirements specific to government and program regulations. We must also have adequate financial resources to protect the state, our providers and our members against the risk of our insolvency. Our failure to comply with these requirements may result in the assessment of penalties, fines and liquidated damages. For further information on data provided to CMS that is subject to audit, refer to the Risk-Adjusted Premiums discussion above.
Government enforcement authorities have become increasingly active in recent years in their review and scrutiny of various sectors of the health care industry, including health insurers and managed care organizations. We routinely respond to subpoenas and requests for information from these entities and, more generally, we endeavor to cooperate fully with all government agencies that regulate our business.
Product Compliance
Medicaid Programs
Medicaid is state operated and implemented, although it is funded by both the state and federal governments. Within broad guidelines established by the federal government, each state:
| • | establishes its own eligibility standards; |
| • | determines the type, amount, duration and scope of services; |
| • | sets the rate of payment for services; and |
| • | administers its own program. |
We have entered into contracts with Medicaid agencies in each state in which we operate Medicaid plans. Some of the states in which we operate award contracts to applicants that can demonstrate that they meet the state’s minimum requirements. Other states engage in a competitive bidding process for all or certain programs. In both cases, we must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the respective agency that we are able to meet certain operational and financial requirements. For example:
| • | we must measure provider access and availability in terms of the time needed for a member to reach the doctor’s office; |
| • | our quality improvement programs must emphasize member education and outreach and include measures designed to promote utilization of preventive services; |
| • | we must have linkages with schools, city or county health departments and other community-based providers of health care in order to demonstrate our ability to coordinate all of the sources from which our members may receive care; |
| • | we must have the capability to meet the needs of disabled members; |
| • | our providers and member service representatives must be able to communicate with members who do not speak English or who are hearing impaired; and |
| • | our member handbook, newsletters and other communications must be written at the prescribed reading level and must be available in languages other than English. |
Once awarded, our Medicaid program contracts generally have terms of one to four years. Most of these contracts provide for renewal upon mutual agreement of the parties, or at the option of the government agency, and both parties have certain early termination rights. In addition to the operating requirements listed above, state contract requirements and regulatory provisions applicable to us generally set forth detailed provisions relating to subcontractors, marketing, safeguarding of member information, fraud and abuse reporting and grievance procedures.
Our Medicaid plans are subject to periodic financial and informational reporting and comprehensive quality assurance evaluations. We regularly submit periodic utilization reports, operations reports and other information to the appropriate Medicaid program regulatory agencies.
Our compliance with the provisions of the contracts is subject to monitoring or examination by state regulators. Certain contracts require us to be subject to periodic quality assurance evaluations by a third-party organization.
Medicare is a federal health insurance program that provides eligible persons age 65 and over and some disabled persons a variety of hospital, medical insurance and prescription drug benefits. Medicare beneficiaries have the option to enroll in various types of MA plans, such as MA CCP plans, PPO benefit plans or MA PFFS plans, in areas where such plans are offered. Under MA, managed care plans contract with CMS to provide benefits that are comparable to, or that may be more attractive to Medicare beneficiaries than, Original Medicare in exchange for a fixed monthly payment per member that varies based on the county in which a member resides, the demographics of the member and the member’s health condition. Currently, we only offer CCP plans under the MA program.
Along with other Part D plans, both PDPs and MA-PDs, we bid on providing Part D benefits in June of each year. Based on the bids submitted, CMS establishes a national benchmark. CMS pays the Part D plans a percentage of the benchmark on a PMPM basis with the remaining portion of the premium being paid by the Medicare member. Members whose income falls below 150% of the federal poverty level qualify for the federal LIS, through which the federal government helps pay the member’s Part D premium and certain other cost sharing expenses.
Each of our MA health plans and our PDP plan contract with CMS are on a calendar-year basis. CMS requires that each plan meet certain regulatory requirements including, as applicable: provisions related to enrollment and disenrollment; restrictions on marketing activities; benefits or formulary requirements; quality assessment; fraud, waste and abuse monitoring; maintaining relationships with health care providers; and responding to appeals and grievances.
Our MA and PDP plans perform ongoing monitoring of our compliance with the CMS requirements, including functions performed by vendors. From time to time, CMS conducts examinations of our compliance with the provisions of our contracts with them.
Licensing and Solvency Regulation
Our operations are conducted primarily through HMO and insurance subsidiaries. These subsidiaries are licensed by the insurance department in the state in which they operate, except our New York HMO subsidiary, which is licensed as a Prepaid Health Services Plan by the New York State Department of Health. The subsidiaries are subject to the rules, regulation and oversight of the applicable state agencies in the areas of licensing and solvency. State insurance laws and regulations prescribe accounting practices for determining statutory net income and capital and surplus. Each of our regulated subsidiaries is required to report regularly on its operational and financial performance to the appropriate regulatory agency in the state in which it is licensed. These reports describe each of our regulated subsidiaries’ capital structure, ownership, financial condition, certain intercompany transactions and business operations. From time to time, any of our regulated subsidiaries may be selected to undergo periodic audits, examinations or reviews by the applicable state agency of our operational and financial assertions.
Our regulated subsidiaries generally must obtain approval from, or provide notice to, the state in which it is domiciled before entering into certain transactions such as declaring dividends in excess of certain thresholds, entering into other arrangements with related parties, and acquisitions or similar transactions involving an HMO or insurance company, or any change in control. For purposes of these laws, in general, control commonly is presumed to exist when a person, group of persons or entity, directly or indirectly, owns, controls or holds the power to vote 10% or more of the voting securities of another entity.
Each of our HMO and insurance subsidiaries must maintain a minimum amount of statutory capital determined by statute or regulation. The minimum statutory capital requirements differ by state and are generally based on a percentage of annualized premium revenue, a percentage of annualized health care costs, a percentage of certain liabilities, a statutory minimum, risk-based capital (“RBC”) requirements or other financial ratios. The RBC requirements are based on guidelines established by the NAIC, and have been adopted by most states. As of December 31, 2011, our HMO operations in Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio and Texas as well as three of our insurance company subsidiaries were subject to RBC requirements. The RBC requirements may be modified as each state legislature deems appropriate for that state. The RBC formula, based on asset risk, underwriting risk, credit risk, business risk and other factors, generates the authorized control level (“ACL”), which represents the amount of capital required to support the regulated entity’s business. For states in which the RBC requirements have been adopted, the regulated entity typically must maintain a minimum of the greater of 200% of the required ACL or the minimum statutory net worth requirement calculated pursuant to pre-RBC guidelines. Our subsidiaries operating in Texas, Georgia and Ohio are required to maintain statutory capital at RBC levels equal to 225%, 250% and 300%, respectively, of the applicable ACL. Failure to maintain these requirements would trigger regulatory action by the state. At December 31, 2011, our HMO and insurance subsidiaries were in compliance with these minimum capital requirements. The combined statutory capital and surplus of our HMO and insurance subsidiaries was approximately $858.0 million and $695.0 million at December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively, compared to the required surplus of approximately $310.0 million and $300.0 million at December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.
The statutory framework for our regulated subsidiaries’ minimum capital requirements changes over time. For instance, RBC requirements may be adopted by more of the states in which we operate. These subsidiaries are also subject to their state regulators’ overall oversight powers. For example, the state of New York adopted regulations that increase the reserve requirement annually until 2018. In addition, regulators could require our subsidiaries to maintain minimum levels of statutory net worth in excess of the amount required under the applicable state laws if the regulators determine that maintaining such additional statutory net worth is in the best interest of our members and other constituencies. Moreover, if we expand our plan offerings in a state or pursue new business opportunities, we may be required to make additional statutory capital contributions.
In addition to the foregoing requirements, our regulated subsidiaries are subject to restrictions on their ability to make dividend payments, loans and other transfers of cash. Dividend restrictions vary by state, but the maximum amount of dividends which can be paid without prior approval from the applicable state is subject to restrictions relating to statutory capital, surplus and net income for the previous year. Some states require prior approval of all dividends, regardless of amount. States may disapprove any dividend that, together with other dividends paid by a subsidiary in the prior 12 months, exceeds the regulatory maximum as computed for the subsidiary based on its statutory surplus and net income. For the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, we received $92.0 million, $45.7 million and $44.4 million, respectively, in cash dividends from our regulated subsidiaries.
Also, we may only invest in the types of investments allowed by the state in order to qualify as admitted assets and we are required by certain states to deposit or pledge assets that are considered restricted assets. At December 31, 2011 and 2010, our restricted assets consisted of cash and cash equivalents, money market accounts, certificates of deposits, and U.S. government securities.
HIPAA and State Privacy Laws |
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) and the regulations adopted under HIPAA are intended to improve the portability and continuity of health insurance coverage and simplify the administration of health insurance claims and related transactions. All health plans, including ours, are subject to HIPAA. HIPAA generally requires health plans to:
| • | protect the privacy and security of patient health information through the implementation of appropriate administrative, technical and physical safeguards; and |
| • | establish the capability to receive and transmit electronically certain administrative health care transactions, such as claims payments, in a standardized format. |
We are also subject to state laws that provide for greater privacy of individuals’ health information; such laws are not preempted by HIPAA.
Fraud and Abuse Laws
Federal and state enforcement authorities have prioritized the investigation and prosecution of health care fraud, waste and abuse. Fraud, waste and abuse prohibitions encompass a wide range of operating activities, including kickbacks or other inducements for referral of members or for the coverage of products (such as prescription drugs) by a plan, billing for unnecessary medical services by a provider, improper marketing and violation of patient privacy rights. Companies involved in public health care programs such as Medicaid and Medicare are required to maintain compliance programs to detect and deter fraud, waste and abuse, and are often the subject of fraud, waste and abuse investigations and audits. The regulations and contractual requirements applicable to participants in these public-sector programs are complex and subject to change. Although we have structured our compliance program with care in an effort to meet all statutory and regulatory requirements, our policies and procedures are continuously under review and subject to updates and our training and education programs are always evolving. We have invested significant resources to enhance our compliance efforts, and we expect to continue to do so.
Federal and State Laws and Regulations Governing Submission of Information and Claims to Agencies
We are subject to federal and state laws and regulations that apply to the submission of information and claims to various agencies. For example, the federal False Claims Act provides, in part, that the federal government may bring a lawsuit against any person or entity who it believes has knowingly presented, or caused to be presented, a false or fraudulent request for payment from the federal government, or who has made a false statement or used a false record to get a claim approved. The federal government has taken the position that claims presented in violation of the federal anti-kickback statute may be considered a violation of the federal False Claims Act. Violations of the False Claims Act are punishable by treble damages and penalties of up to a specified dollar amount per false claim. In addition, a special provision under the False Claims Act allows a private person (for example, a “whistleblower” such as a disgruntled former associate, competitor or member) to bring an action under the False Claims Act on behalf of the government alleging that an entity has defrauded the federal government and permits the private person to share in any settlement of, or judgment entered in, the lawsuit.
A number of states, including states in which we operate, have adopted false claims acts that are similar to the federal False Claims Act.
Technology
The accurate and timely capture, processing and analysis of critical data are cornerstones for providing managed care services. Focusing on data is essential to operating our business in a cost effective manner. Data processing and data-driven decision making are key components of both administrative efficiency and medical cost management. We use our information system for premium billing, claims processing, utilization management, reporting, medical cost trending, planning and analysis. The system also supports member and provider service functions, including enrollment, member eligibility verification, primary care and specialist physician roster access, claims status inquiries, and referrals and authorizations.
On an ongoing basis, we evaluate the ability of our existing operations to support our current and future business needs and to maintain our compliance requirements. This evaluation may result in enhancing or replacing current systems and/or processes which could result in our incurring substantial costs to improve our operations and services. We recently completed an upgrade of our core operating systems. This new technology will enable further progress on our work to improve service and productivity, and positions us to comply with future regulatory requirements such as the implementation of ICD-10 by October 2013. This upgrade will also support our health care quality and access initiatives.
We have a disaster recovery plan that addresses how we recover business functionality within stated timelines. We have a cold site and business recovery site agreement with a nationally-recognized, third-party vendor to provide for the restoration of our general support systems at a remote processing center. We perform disaster recovery testing at least annually for those business applications that we consider critical.
Reinsurance
We bear underwriting and reserving risks associated with our HMO and insurance subsidiaries. We retain certain of these risks through our wholly-owned, captive insurance subsidiary. We reduce exposure to these risks by insuring levels of coverage for losses in excess of our retained limits with highly-rated, third-party insurance companies. We remain liable in the event these insurance companies are unable to pay their portion of the losses.
Outsourcing Arrangements
We have contracted with a number of vendors to provide significant operational support including, but not limited to, pharmacy benefit management and behavioral health services for our members as well as certain enrollment, billing, call center, benefit administration, claims processing functions, sales and marketing and certain aspects of utilization management. Our dependence on these vendors makes our operations vulnerable to such third parties’ failure to perform adequately under our contracts with them. In addition, where a vendor provides services that we are required to provide under a contract with a government client, we are responsible for such performance and will be held accountable by the government client for any failure of performance by our vendors. We evaluate the competency and solvency of such third-party vendors prior to execution of contracts and include service level guarantees in our contracts where appropriate. Additionally, we perform ongoing vendor oversight activities to identify any performance or other issues related to these vendors.
Centralized Management Services
We provide centralized management services to each of our health plans from our headquarters and call centers. These services include information technology, product development and administration, finance, human resources, accounting, legal, public relations, marketing, insurance, purchasing, risk management, internal audit, actuarial, underwriting, claims processing, and customer service.
Employees
We refer to our employees as associates. As of December 31, 2011, we had approximately 3,990 full-time associates. Our associates are not represented by any collective bargaining agreement, and we have never experienced a work stoppage. We believe we have good relations with our associates.
Principal Executive Offices
Our principal executive offices are located at 8725 Henderson Road, Renaissance One, Tampa, Florida 33634, and our telephone number is (813) 290-6200.
Availability of Reports and Other Information
Our corporate website is http://www.wellcare.com. We make available on this website or in print, free of charge, our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, Proxy Statement and amendments to those materials filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such materials with, or furnish such materials to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Also available on our website, or in print to any stockholder upon request, are WellCare’s Corporate Governance Guidelines and Code of Conduct and Business Ethics, as well as charters for our Board of Directors, the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, Health Care Quality and Access Committee, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and Regulatory Compliance Committee. In addition, we intend to disclose any amendments to, or waivers of, our Code of Conduct and Business Ethics on our website. To obtain printed materials contact Investor Relations at WellCare Health Plans, Inc., 8725 Henderson Road, Tampa, Florida 33634. In addition, the SEC’s website is http://www.sec.gov. The SEC makes available on its website, free of charge, reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers, such as us, that file electronically with the SEC. Information provided on our website or on the SEC’s website is not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
You should carefully consider the following factors, together with all of the other information included in this report, in evaluating our company and our business. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected, and the value of our stock could decline. The risks and uncertainties described below are those that we currently believe may materially affect our company. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial also may impair our business operations. As such, you should not consider this list to be a complete statement of all potential risks or uncertainties.
Risks Related to Our Business
Future changes in health care law present challenges for our business that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows.
Health care laws and regulations, and their interpretations, are subject to frequent change. Changes in existing laws or regulations, or their interpretations, or the enactment of new laws or the issuance of new regulations could materially reduce our revenue and/or profitability by, among other things:
• imposing additional license, registration and/or capital requirements;
• increasing our administrative and other costs;
• requiring us to undergo a corporate restructuring;
• increasing mandated benefits;
• further limiting our ability to engage in intra-company transactions with our affiliates and subsidiaries;
• restricting our revenue and enrollment growth;
• requiring us to restructure our relationships with providers; or
• requiring us to implement additional or different programs and systems.
Changes in state law, regulations and rules also may materially adversely affect our profitability. Requirements relating to managed care consumer protection standards, including increased plan information disclosure, expedited appeals and grievance procedures, third party review of certain medical decisions, health plan liability, access to specialists, “clean claim” payment timing (claims for which no additional information is needed), physician collective bargaining rights and confidentiality of medical records either have been enacted or are under consideration. New health care reform legislation may require us to change the way we operate our business, which may be costly. Further, although we strive to exercise care in structuring our operations to comply in all material respects with the laws and regulations applicable to us, government officials charged with responsibility for enforcing such laws and/or regulations have in the past asserted and may in the future assert that we, or transactions in which we are involved, are in violation of these laws, or courts may ultimately interpret such laws in a manner inconsistent with our interpretation. Therefore, it is possible that future legislation and regulation and the interpretation of laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on our ability to operate under our government-sponsored programs and to continue to serve our members and attract new members, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
We believe the 2010 Acts will bring about significant changes to the American health care system. While these measures are intended to expand the number of United States citizens covered by health insurance and make other coverage, delivery, and payment changes to the current health care system, the costs of implementing the 2010 Acts will be financed, in part, from substantial additional fees and taxes on us and other health insurers, health plans and individuals, as well as reductions in certain level of payments to us and other health plans under Medicare.
Provisions of the 2010 Acts will become effective over the next several years. Several departments within the federal government are responsible for issuing regulations and guidance on implementing the 2010 Acts. However, states have independently proposed health insurance reforms and are challenging certain aspects of the 2010 Acts in federal court. These challenges seek to limit the scope of the 2010 Acts or have all or portions of the 2010 Acts declared unconstitutional. Judicial proceedings are subject to appeal and could last for an extended period of time, and we cannot predict the results of any of these proceedings. Congress may also withhold the funding necessary to fully implement the 2010 Acts or may attempt to replace the legislation with amended provisions or repeal it altogether. Given the breadth of possible changes and the uncertainties of interpretation, implementation, and timing of these changes, which we expect to occur over the next several years, the 2010 Acts could change the way we do business, potentially impacting our pricing, benefit design, product mix, geographic mix, and distribution channels. In addition, the response of other companies to the 2010 Acts and adjustments to their offerings, if any, could have a meaningful impact in the health care markets. Further, various health insurance reform proposals are also emerging at the state level. It is reasonably possible that regulations related to the 2010 Acts, as well as future legislative changes, in the aggregate may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows by restricting revenue, enrollment and premium growth in certain products and market segments; restricting our ability to expand into new markets; increasing our medical and administrative costs; lowering our Medicare payment rates and/or increasing our expenses associated with the non-deductible federal premium tax and other assessments. In addition, if the new non-deductible federal premium tax is imposed as enacted, and if we are unable to adjust our business model to address this new tax, it may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.
The 2010 Acts include a number of changes to the way MA plans will operate, such as:
· | Reduced Enrollment Period. Medicare beneficiaries generally have a limited annual enrollment period during which they can choose to participate in a MA plan rather than receive benefits under the traditional fee-for-service Medicare program. After the annual enrollment period, most Medicare beneficiaries are not permitted to change their Medicare benefits until the following annual enrollment period. Beginning with the 2012 plan year, the 2010 Acts changed the annual enrollment period, which for 2012 began on October 15, 2011 and ended on December 7, 2011. Previously, open enrollment was from November 15 to December 31. Also, beginning on January 1, 2011, the 2010 Acts mandate that persons enrolled in MA may disenroll only during the first 45 days of the year, and only may enroll in traditional Medicare fee-for-service rather than another MA plan. Prior law allowed a member to disenroll during the first 90 days of the year and enroll in another MA plan. |
· | Reduced Medicare Premium Rates. MA payment benchmarks for 2011 were frozen at 2010 levels and, beginning in 2012, cuts to MA plan payments will begin to take effect (plans will receive a range of 95% of Medicare fee-for-service costs in high-cost areas to 115% of Medicare fee-for-service costs in low-cost areas), with changes being phased-in over two to six years, depending on the level of payment reduction in a county. In addition, beginning in 2011, the gap in coverage for Medicare Part D PDP began to incrementally close. |
· | CMS Star Ratings. Certain provisions in the 2010 Acts tie MA premiums to the achievement of certain quality performance measures (“Star Ratings”). Beginning in 2012, MA plans with an overall Star Rating of three or more stars (out of five) will be eligible for a quality bonus in their basic premium rates. Initially, quality bonuses were limited to the few plans that achieved four or more stars as an overall rating, but CMS has expanded the quality bonus to three star plans for a three year period through 2014. Notwithstanding successful efforts to improve our Star Ratings and other quality measures for 2012 and 2013 and the continuation of such efforts, there can be no assurances that we will be successful in maintaining or improving our Star Ratings in future years. Accordingly, our plans may not be eligible for full level quality bonuses, which could adversely affect the benefits such plans can offer, reduce membership and/or reduce profit margins. |
· | Minimum MLRs. Beginning in 2014, the 2010 Acts require the establishment of a minimum MLR of 85% for the amount of premiums to be expended on medical benefits for MA plans. In November 2010 and December 2011, HHS issued rules clarifying the definitions and minimum MLR requirements for certain commercial health plans, but has not issued rules or guidance specific to MA plans. The rules that have been issued impose financial and other penalties for failing to achieve the minimum MLR, including requirements to refund to CMS shortfalls in amounts spent on medical benefits and termination of a plan's MA contract for prolonged failure to achieve the minimum MLR. MLR is determined by adding a plan's total reimbursement for clinical services plus its total spending on quality improvement activities and dividing the total by earned premiums (after subtracting specific identified taxes and other fees). However, there can be no assurance that CMS will interpret the minimum MLR requirement in the same manner for MA plans. Although HHS has not issued specific guidance regarding the minimum loss ratio provision that is specific to MA plans, we are currently assessing the guidance issued for commercial plans in order to estimate which of our administrative costs might be considered to be quality improvement costs and be included as expense in the calculation. |
With respect to Part D plans, in 2010, a rebate of $250 was provided by CMS for beneficiaries reaching the coverage gap. In addition, beneficiaries reaching the coverage gap receive a 50% discount on brand-name drugs. Thereafter, on a gradual basis, the coverage gap will be closed by 2020, with beneficiaries retaining a 25% co-pay. While this change ultimately results in increased insurance coverage, such improved benefits could result in changes in member behavior with respect to drug utilization. Such actions could also impact the cost structure of our Part D programs.
The health reforms in the 2010 Acts present both challenges and opportunities for our Medicaid business. The reforms expand the eligibility for Medicaid programs. However, state budgets continue to be strained due to economic conditions and uncertain levels of federal financing for current populations. As a result, the effects of any potential future expansions are uncertain, making it difficult to determine whether the net impact of the 2010 Acts will be positive or negative for our Medicaid business.
The 2010 Acts also include an annual assessment on the insurance industry beginning in 2014. The legislation anticipates that the $8 billion insurance industry assessment will increase in subsequent years.
Risk-adjustment payment systems make our revenue and results of operations more difficult to predict and could result in material retroactive adjustments that have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
CMS employs a risk-adjustment model to determine the premium amount it pays for each member. This model apportions premiums paid to all MA plans according to the health status of each beneficiary enrolled. As a result, our CMS monthly premium payments per member may change materially, either favorably or unfavorably. The CMS risk-adjustment model pays more for Medicare members with predictably higher costs. Diagnosis data from inpatient and ambulatory treatment settings are used to calculate the risk-adjusted premiums we receive. We collect claims and encounter data and submit the necessary diagnosis data to CMS within prescribed deadlines. After reviewing the respective submissions, CMS establishes the premium payments to MA plans generally at the beginning of the calendar year, and then adjusts premium levels on two separate occasions on a retroactive basis. The first retroactive adjustment for a given fiscal year generally occurs during the third quarter of such fiscal year. The initial CMS settlement represents the updating of risk scores for the current year based on the severity of claims incurred in the prior fiscal year. CMS then issues the final CMS settlement. We reassess the estimates of the initial CMS settlement and the final CMS settlement each reporting period and any resulting adjustments are made to MA premium revenue.
We develop our estimates for risk-adjusted premiums utilizing historical experience and predictive models as sufficient member risk score data becomes available over the course of each CMS plan year. Our models are populated with available risk score data on our members. Risk premium adjustments are based on member risk score data from the previous year. Risk score data for members who entered our plans during the current plan year, however, are not available for use in our models; therefore, we make assumptions regarding the risk scores of this subset of our member population. All such estimated amounts are periodically updated as additional diagnosis code information is reported to CMS and adjusted to actual amounts when the ultimate adjustment settlements are either received from CMS or we receive notification from CMS of such settlement amounts.
As a result of the variability of certain factors that determine such estimates, including plan risk scores, the actual amount of CMS retroactive payment could be materially more or less than our estimates. Consequently, our estimate of our plans’ risk scores for any period, and any resulting change in our accrual of MA premium revenues related thereto, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. Historically, we have not experienced significant differences between the amounts that we have recorded and the revenues that we ultimately receive. The data provided to CMS to determine the risk score are subject to audit by CMS even after the annual settlements occur. These audits may result in the refund of premiums to CMS previously received by us. While our experience to date has not resulted in a material refund, this refund could be significant in the future, which would reduce our premium revenue in the year that CMS determines repayment is required.
CMS has performed and continues to perform RADV audits of selected MA plans to validate the provider coding practices under the risk adjustment model used to calculate the premium paid for each MA member. Our Florida MA plan was selected by CMS for audit for the 2007 contract year and we anticipate that CMS will conduct additional audits of other plans and contract years on an ongoing basis. The CMS audit process selects a sample of 201 enrollees for medical record review from each contract selected. We have responded to CMS’s audit requests by retrieving and submitting all available medical records and provider attestations to substantiate CMS-sampled diagnosis codes. CMS will use this documentation to calculate a payment error rate for our Florida MA plan 2007 premiums. CMS has not indicated a schedule for processing or otherwise responding to our submissions.
CMS has indicated that payment adjustments resulting from its RADV audits will not be limited to risk scores for the specific beneficiaries for which errors are found, but will be extrapolated to the relevant plan population. In late December 2010, CMS issued a draft audit sampling and payment error calculation methodology that it proposes to use in conducting these audits. CMS invited public comment on the proposed audit methodology and announced in early February 2011 that it will revise its proposed approach based on the comments received. CMS has not given a specific timetable for issuing a final version of the audit sampling and payment error calculation methodology. Given that the RADV audit methodology is new and is subject to modification, there is substantial uncertainty as to how it will be applied to MA organizations like our Florida MA plan. At this time, we do not know whether CMS will require retroactive or subsequent payment adjustments to be made using an audit methodology that may not compare the coding of our providers to the coding of Original Medicare and other MA plan providers, or whether any of our other plans will be randomly selected or targeted for a similar audit by CMS. We are also unable to determine whether any conclusions that CMS may make, based on the audit of our plan and others, will cause us to change our revenue estimation process. Because of this lack of clarity from CMS, we are unable to estimate with any reasonable confidence a coding or payment error rate or predict the impact of extrapolating an applicable error rate to our Florida MA plan 2007 premiums. However, it is likely that a payment adjustment will occur as a result of these audits, and that any such adjustment could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows, possibly in 2012 and beyond.
Two of our Medicaid customers each accounted for greater than 10% of our consolidated premium revenue during 2011, and our failure to retain our contracts in those states, or a change in conditions in those states, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Our concentration of operations in a limited number of states could cause our revenue, profitability or cash flow to change suddenly and unexpectedly as a result of significant premium rate reductions or payment delays, a loss of a material contract, legislative actions, changes in Medicaid eligibility methodologies, catastrophic claims, an epidemic or pandemic, or an unexpected increase in utilization, general economic conditions and similar factors in those states. Our inability to continue to operate in any of these states, or a significant change in the nature of our existing operations, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
For the year ended December 31, 2011, two of our Medicaid customers each accounted for greater than 10% of our consolidated premium revenue, which on a combined basis represented approximately 66% of our Medicaid segment revenue and 39% of our consolidated premium revenues. These customers (Florida and Georgia) accounted for four separate contracts that have terms of between one and three years with varying expiration dates. Our two Florida Medicaid contracts expire in August 2012 and our Florida CHIP contract expires in September 2012. We currently anticipate that the Medicaid contracts will be replaced by one-year contracts while the state evaluates its Medicaid programs; we also anticipate bidding for a new Florida CHIP contract in 2012. Our Georgia contract was recently amended to provide two additional one-year renewal terms (for a total of eight renewals under this contract), allowing the state to renew through June 2014. If we lost this, or any of these other contracts, through the rebidding process and/or termination, or if an increased number of competitors were awarded contracts in these states, our results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Medicaid premiums are fixed by contract and do not permit us to increase our premiums during the contract term despite any corresponding medical benefits expense exceeding estimates.
Most of our Medicaid revenues are generated by premiums consisting of fixed monthly payments per member and supplemental payments for other services such as maternity deliveries. These payments are fixed by contract and we are obligated during the contract period, which is generally one to four years, to provide or arrange for the provision of health care services as established by state and federal governments. We use a large portion of our revenues to pay the costs of health care services delivered to our members. We have less control over costs related to the provision of health care services than we have over our selling, general and administrative expense. If premiums do not increase when expenses related to medical services rise, our earnings will be affected negatively. Further, our regulators set premiums using actuarial methods based on historical data. Actual experience, however, could differ from the assumptions used in the premium-setting process, which could result in premiums being insufficient to cover our medical benefits expense. If our medical benefits expense exceeds our estimates or our regulators’ actuarial pricing assumptions, we will be unable to adjust the premiums we receive under our current contracts, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. Some hospital contracts are directly tied to state Medicaid fee schedules, in which case reimbursement levels will be adjusted up or down, based on adjustments made by the state to the impacted fee schedule. Therefore, it is possible for a state to increase the rates payable by us to hospitals used by our members without granting a corresponding increase in premiums to us. We have experienced such adjustments in the states in which we operate. Unless such adjustments are mitigated by an increase in premiums, or if this were to occur in any more of the states in which we operate, our profitability will be negatively impacted.
Our actual medical services costs may exceed our estimates, which would cause our MBR, or our expenses related to medical services as a percentage of premium revenue, excluding premium taxes, to increase and our profits to decline. Relatively small changes in our MBR can create significant changes in our financial results. Accordingly, the failure to adequately predict and control medical expenses and to make reasonable estimates and maintain adequate accruals for incurred but not reported (“IBNR”) claims may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Historically, our medical benefits expense as a percentage of premium revenue has fluctuated within a relatively narrow band. For example, our medical benefits expense was 81.0%, 84.4% and 86.5% for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. However, at any point, certain factors may cause these percentages to increase. Factors that may cause medical expenses to exceed our estimates include:
• | an increase in the cost of health care services and supplies, including prescription drugs, whether as a result of inflation or otherwise; |
• | higher-than-expected utilization of health care services, particularly in-patient hospital services, or unexpected utilization patterns; |
• | periodic renegotiation of hospital, physician, and other provider contracts; |
• | changes in the demographics of our members and medical trends affecting them; |
• | new mandated benefits or other changes in health care laws, regulations, and practices; |
• | new treatments and technologies; and |
• | contractual disputes with providers, hospitals, or other service providers. |
We attempt to control these costs through a variety of techniques, including capitation and other risk-sharing payment methods, collaborative relationships with PCPs and other providers, case and disease management and quality assurance programs, and preventive and wellness visits for members. These efforts and programs to manage our medical expenses may not be sufficient to manage these expenses effectively in the future. If our medical expenses increase, our profits could be reduced or we may no longer be able to remain profitable.
Medicaid premiums are a significant portion of our total consolidated premium revenue and any significant delay in premium payments could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows and liquidity.
Over 58% of our consolidated revenues for 2011 consisted of Medicaid premiums. We use a large portion of our revenues to pay the costs of health care services delivered to our members. We generally receive payment of Medicaid premiums during the month in which we provide services, although we have experienced delays in receiving monthly payments from certain states and our ability to require timely payment is generally very limited. Economic conditions affecting state governments and agencies could result in additional and more extensive delays than we have experienced in the past. For example, the Georgia DCH has recently informed us that it is delaying the payment of certain premiums for as much as $300 million during the first quarter of 2012, and then will restore these payments during the second quarter of 2012. If there is a significant delay in our receipt of premiums to pay health benefit costs, it could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows and liquidity.
We derive a significant portion of our Medicare revenue from our PDP operations, which we bid for annually. The results of our bid could materially reduce our revenue and profits.
Medicare Part D premiums are a significant portion of our premium revenue. The amount of premium we receive is based on an annual competitive bidding process that may cause us to decrease premiums we will charge and/or enhance the benefits we offer.
A significant portion of our PDP membership is obtained from the auto-assignment of beneficiaries in CMS-designated regions where our PDP premium bids are below benchmarks of other plans’ bids. In general, our premium bids are based on assumptions regarding PDP membership, utilization, drug costs, drug rebates and other factors for each region. If our future Part D premium bids are not below the CMS benchmarks, we risk losing PDP members who were previously assigned to us and we may not have additional PDP members auto-assigned to us, which would materially reduce our revenue and profits. For example, in 2012, our PDP bids were below the relevant benchmarks in five of the 34 CMS regions and within the de minimus range of the benchmark in 17 other CMS regions. Comparatively, in 2011, our PDP plans were below the benchmark in 20 regions and within the de minimus range in eight other regions. This change resulted in the loss of approximately 7% of our PDP membership from December 31, 2011 to January 1, 2012.
Failure to comply with the terms of our government contracts or maintain satisfactory quality scores, as measured by the government agencies, could negatively impact our premium rates, subject us to penalties, limit or reduce our members, impede our ability to compete for new business in existing or new markets or result in the termination of our contracts.
Our contracts with CMS and state government agencies contain provisions regarding quality measures, provider network maintenance, continuity of care, data submission, call center performance and other requirements. CMS and several states have provisions or plans in place that measure the quality of care provided to our members, such as how we provide preventive care services, manage chronic illnesses, encourage proper emergency room utilization and minimize member complaints. These quality measures are, in some cases, based on results of surveys of members enrolled in our plans. However, we believe that members generally do not distinguish between issues caused by us, their providers or the coverage allowed under the government program.
Quality scores are used by certain agencies to establish premium rates or, in the case of CMS, beginning in 2012, to pay bonuses to better-performing MA plans that enable those plans to offer improved member health benefits to attract more members. In certain states, plans that do not meet the quality measures can be required to refund premiums previously received, or pay penalties, or the plan may be subject to enrollment limitations, including suspension of auto assignment of members, or termination of the contract. We anticipate that we may not meet some of the performance requirements of our contracts to provide services under the New York Medicaid and FHP programs for the third consecutive year. If the state determines that we have failed to meet the contractual requirements, these contracts may be subject to termination, or other remedies, at the discretion of the state. We are unable to predict what actions the state may take, if any, when assessing our contractual performance.
Under the terms of our contracts, we are subject to reviews, audits and examinations to verify and assess our compliance with those contracts and applicable laws and regulations. If any of these reviews, audits or examinations conclude that we have failed to comply with contract provisions or maintain satisfactory quality measures, any of the following could result: the refund of premiums we have been paid pursuant to our contracts; imposition of financial penalties or other sanctions; reduction or limitation of our membership, loss of our right to participate in the program; or loss of one or more of our licenses. Our failure to comply could also impede our ability to compete for new business in existing or new markets. Any such actions could negatively impact our revenues and operating results.
Our failure to maintain accreditations could disqualify us from participation in certain state Medicaid programs, which would have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
Several of our Medicaid contracts require that our plans or subcontracted providers be accredited by independent accrediting organizations that are focused on improving the quality of health care services. Our Florida, Georgia, Missouri and Hawaii health plans are required by our Medicaid contracts to be accredited, with our Missouri contract specifying NCQA accreditation. Further, Florida Medicaid plans can only subcontract behavioral health services to accredited organizations.
Our Florida, Georgia and Missouri health plans have received accreditation from the requisite accrediting organizations. We have until July 1, 2012 to obtain accreditation for our Hawaii health plan.
There can be no assurances that we will maintain, or obtain, our accreditations, and the loss of, or failure to obtain accreditations required by contract could adversely our ability to participate in certain Medicaid programs, which could have a material adverse effect on our revenue, cash flows and results of operations.
If we are unable to estimate and manage medical benefits expense effectively, our profitability likely will be reduced or we could cease to be profitable.
Our profitability depends, to a significant degree, on our ability to predict and effectively manage our costs related to the provision of health care services. Relatively small changes in the ratio of our expenses related to health care services to the premiums we receive, or medical benefits ratio, can create significant changes in our financial results. Factors that may cause medical benefits expense to exceed our estimates include:
• | an increase in the cost of health care services and supplies, including pharmaceuticals, whether as a result of inflation or otherwise; |
• | higher-than-expected utilization of health care services; |
• | periodic renegotiation of hospital, physician and other provider contracts; |
• | the occurrence of catastrophes, major epidemics, terrorism or bio-terrorism; |
• | changes in the demographics of our members and medical trends affecting them; and |
• | new mandated benefits or other changes in health care laws, regulations and/or practices. |
We manage our medical costs through a variety of techniques, including various methods of paying PCPs and other providers, advance approval for certain hospital services and referral requirements, medical and quality management programs, information systems, and reinsurance arrangements. However, if our medical benefits expense increases and we are unable to continue managing these medical costs effectively in the future, our profits could be reduced or we may not remain profitable.
We maintain reinsurance to protect us against certain severe or catastrophic medical claims, but we cannot assure that such reinsurance coverage currently is or will be adequate or available to us in the future or that the cost of such reinsurance will not limit our ability to obtain it.
We may be unable to expand into some geographic areas without incurring significant additional costs and if we are able to expand, ineffective management of our growth may adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and business.
Our rate of expansion into other geographic areas may be inhibited by:
• | the time and costs associated with obtaining the necessary license to operate in the new area or the expansion of our licensed service area, if necessary; |
• | our inability to develop a network of physicians, hospitals and other health care providers that meets our requirements and those of government regulators; |
• | CMS or state contract provisions regarding quality measures, such as CMS star ratings; |
• | competition, which increases the cost of recruiting members; |
• | the cost of providing health care services in those areas; |
• | demographics and population density; and |
• | applicable state regulations that, among other things, require the maintenance of minimum levels of capital and surplus. |
Accordingly, we may be unsuccessful in entering other metropolitan areas, counties or states, which may impede our growth.
Depending on opportunities, we expect to continue to increase our membership and to expand into other markets. However, such growth could place a significant strain on our management and on other resources and we are likely to incur additional costs if we enter states or counties where we do not currently operate. Our ability to manage our growth may depend on our ability to retain and strengthen our management team and attract, train and retain skilled associates, and our ability to implement and improve operational, financial and management information systems on a timely basis. If we are unable to manage our growth effectively, our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, due to the initial substantial costs related to potential acquisitions, such growth could adversely affect our short-term profitability and liquidity.
Our prudent and profitable growth initiative may be limited if we are unable to raise additional unregulated cash at favorable financing terms, if needed, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
Our business strategy has been defined by three primary initiatives, one of which includes our ability to enter new markets by pursuing attractive growth opportunities for our existing product lines. We may need to access the credit or equity markets to partially fund these growth activities. Our ability to enter new markets may be hindered in situations where we need to access these markets and financing may not be available on terms that are favorable to us. Our ability to obtain favorable financing may be unfavorable in terms such as high rates of interest, restrictive covenants and other restrictions and could impede our ability to profitably operate our business and increase the expected rate of return we require to enter new markets, making such efforts unfeasible. Depending on the outcome of these factors, we could experience delay or difficulty, or be unable to implement our growth strategy as planned, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
We rely on a number of vendors, and failure of any one of the key vendors to perform in accordance with our contracts could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
We have contracted with a number of vendors to provide significant operational support including, but not limited to, pharmacy benefit management and behavioral health services for our members as well as certain enrollment, billing, call center, benefit administration, claims processing functions, sales and marketing and certain aspects of utilization management. Our dependence on these vendors makes our operations vulnerable to such third parties’ failure to perform adequately under our contracts with them. In addition, where a vendor provides services that we are required to provide under a contract with a government client, we are responsible for such performance and will be held accountable by the government client for any failure of performance by our vendors. Significant failure by a vendor to perform in accordance with the terms of our contracts could subject us to fines or other sanctions or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
We encounter significant competition for program participation, members and network providers, and our failure to compete successfully may limit our ability to increase or maintain membership in the markets we serve, or have a material adverse effect on our growth prospects and results of operations.
We operate in a highly competitive industry. Some of our competitors are more established in the insurance and health care industries, with larger market share and greater financial resources than we have in some markets. We compete with numerous types of competitors, including other Medicaid or Medicare health plans. We operate in, or may attempt to acquire business in, programs or markets in which premiums are determined on the basis of a competitive bidding process. In these programs or markets, funding levels established by bidders with significantly different cost structures, target profitability margins or aggressive bidding strategies could negatively impact our ability to maintain or acquire profitable business which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. In addition, regulatory reform or other initiatives may bring additional competitors into our markets.
We compete for members principally on the basis of size and quality of provider network, benefits provided and quality of service. We may not be able to develop innovative products and services which are attractive to members. We cannot be sure that we will continue to remain competitive, nor can we be sure that we will be able to successfully acquire members for our products and services at current levels of profitability.
In addition, we compete with other health plans to contract with hospitals, physicians, pharmacies and other providers for inclusion in our networks that serve government program beneficiaries. We believe providers select plans in which they participate based on criteria including reimbursement rates, timeliness and accuracy of claims payment, potential to deliver new patient volume and/or retain existing patients, effectiveness of resolution of calls and complaints and other factors. We cannot be sure that we will be able to successfully attract or retain providers to maintain a competitive network in the geographic areas we serve.
To the extent that competition intensifies in any market that we serve, our ability to retain or increase members and providers, maintain or increase our revenue growth, and control medical cost trends, and/or our pricing flexibility, may be adversely affected. Failure to compete successfully in the markets we serve may have a material adverse effect on our growth prospects and results of operations. For a discussion of the competitive environment in which we operate, see Part I, Item 1 – Business — Competition.
If we are unable to build and maintain satisfactory relationships with our providers, we may be precluded from operating in some markets, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and profitability.
Our profitability depends, in large part, on our ability to enter into cost-effective contracts with hospitals, physicians and other health care providers in appropriate numbers and at locations convenient for our members in each of the markets in which we operate. In any particular market, however, providers could refuse to contract, demand higher payments or take other actions that could result in higher medical benefits expense. In some markets, certain providers, particularly hospitals, physician/hospital organizations or multi-specialty physician groups, have significant market positions. If such a provider or any of our other providers refused to contract with us or used its market position to negotiate contracts that might not be cost-effective or otherwise place us at a competitive disadvantage, those actions could have a material adverse effect on our operating results in that market. Also, in some rural areas, it is difficult to maintain a provider network sufficient to meet regulatory requirements. In the long term, our ability to contract successfully with a sufficiently large number of providers in a particular geographic market will affect the relative attractiveness of our managed care products in that market. If we are unsuccessful in negotiating satisfactory contracts with our network providers, it could preclude us from renewing our Medicaid or Medicare contracts in those markets, from being able to enroll new members or from entering into new markets. Also, in situations where we have a deficiency in our provider network, regulators require us to allow members to obtain care from out-of-network providers at no additional cost, which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to manage expenses.
Our provider contracts with network PCPs and specialists generally have terms of one year, with automatic renewal for successive one-year terms unless otherwise specified in writing by either party. We are also required to establish acceptable provider networks prior to entering new markets. We may be unable to maintain our relationships with our network providers or enter into agreements with providers in new markets on a timely basis or on favorable terms. If we are unable to retain our current provider contracts or enter into new provider contracts timely or on favorable terms, our ongoing operations and profitability could be materially adversely affected.
Changes in our member mix may have a material adverse effect on our cash flow and results of operations.
Our revenues, costs and margins vary based on changes to our membership demographics and products. Our revenues are generally comprised of fixed payments that are determined by the types of members in our plans. The payments are generally set based on an estimation of the medical costs required to serve members with various demographic and health risk profiles. As such, there are sometimes wide variations in the established rates per member in both our Medicaid and Medicare lines of business. For instance, the rates we receive for an SSI member are generally significantly higher than for a non-SSI member who is otherwise similarly situated. As the composition of our membership base changes as the result of programmatic, competitive, regulatory, benefit design, economic or other changes, there is a corresponding change to our premium revenue, costs and margins, which may have a material adverse effect on our cash flow and results of operations.
If a state fails to renew its federal waiver application for mandated Medicaid enrollment into managed care or such application is denied, our membership in that state will likely decrease, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
A significant percentage of our Medicaid plan enrollment results from mandatory enrollment in Medicaid managed care plans. States may mandate that certain types of Medicaid beneficiaries enroll in Medicaid managed care through CMS-approved plan amendments or, for certain groups, through federal waivers or demonstrations. Waivers and programs under demonstrations are generally approved for two- to five-year periods, and can be renewed on an ongoing basis if the state applies and the waiver request is approved or renewed by CMS. We have no control over this renewal process. If a state in which we operate does not mandate managed care enrollment in its state plan or does not renew an existing managed care waiver, our membership would likely decrease, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
We rely on the accuracy of eligibility lists provided by our government clients to collect premiums, and any inaccuracies in those lists may cause states to recoup premium payments from us, which could materially reduce our revenues and results of operations.
Premium payments that we receive are based upon eligibility lists produced by our government clients. A state will require us to reimburse it for premiums that we received from the state based on an eligibility list that it later discovers contains individuals who were not eligible for any government-sponsored program, have been enrolled twice in the same program or are eligible for a different premium category or a different program. Our review of all remittance files to identify potential duplicate members, members that should be terminated or members for which we have been paid an incorrect rate may not identify all such members and could result in repayment of premiums in years subsequent to the year in which the revenue was recorded. As an example, during 2011 the Georgia DCH made premium adjustments in 2011 retroactive to the beginning of the program in 2006 for overpayments related to a reconciliation of duplicate member records. We had previously identified and accrued an estimated liability for overpayments that we believed would be returned to Georgia DCH and considering the adjustments to historical capitation premium rates that the Georgia DCH is making for the periods affected by duplicative enrollment, the net impact to premium revenue resulting from the adjustments was immaterial to our results of operations.
In addition to recoupment of premiums previously paid, we also face the risk that a state could fail to pay us for members for whom we are entitled to payment. Our results of operations would be reduced as a result of the state’s failure to pay us for related payments we made to providers and were unable to recoup. We have established a reserve in anticipation of recoupment by the states of previously paid premiums that we believe to be erroneous, but ultimately our reserve may not be sufficient to cover the amount, if any, of recoupments. If the amount of any recoupment exceeds our reserves, our revenues could be materially reduced and it would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
We are subject to extensive government regulation, including periodic reviews and audits under our contracts with government agencies, and any violation by us of applicable laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Our business is extensively regulated by the federal government and the states in which we operate. The laws and regulations governing our operations are generally intended to benefit and protect health plan members and providers rather than stockholders. The government agencies administering these laws and regulations have broad latitude to enforce them. These laws and regulations, along with the terms of our government contracts, regulate how we do business, what services we offer, and how we interact with our members, providers and the public. Any violation by us of applicable laws and regulations could reduce our revenues and profitability, thereby having a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
As we contract with various governmental agencies to provide managed health care services, we are subject to various reviews, audits and investigations to verify our compliance with the contracts and applicable laws and regulations. Any adverse review, audit or investigation could result in:
| ● | forfeiture or recoupment of amounts we have been paid pursuant to our government contracts; |
| ● | imposition of significant civil or criminal penalties, fines or other sanctions on us and/or our key associates; |
| ● | loss of our right to participate in government-sponsored programs, including Medicaid and Medicare; |
| ● | damage to our reputation in various markets; |
| ● | increased difficulty in marketing our products and services; |
| ● | inability to obtain approval for future service or geographic expansion; and |
| ● | suspension or loss of one or more of our licenses to act as an insurer, HMO or third party administrator or to otherwise provide a service. |
We are currently undergoing standard periodic audits by several state agencies and CMS to verify compliance with our contracts and applicable laws and regulations. For additional risks associated with a current CMS audit of one of our plans, see Risk adjustment payment systems’ make our revenue and results of operations more difficult to predict and could result in material retroactive adjustments that have a material adverse effect on our results of operations above.
We are subject to laws, government regulations and agreements that may delay, deter or prevent a change in control of our Company, which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to enter into transactions favorable to stockholders.
Our operating subsidiaries are subject to state laws that require prior regulatory approval for any change of control of an HMO or insurance company. For purposes of these laws, in most states “control” is presumed to exist when a person, group of persons or entity acquires the power to vote 10% or more of the voting securities of another entity, subject to certain exceptions. These laws may discourage acquisition proposals and may delay, deter or prevent a change of control of our Company, including through transactions, and in particular through unsolicited transactions, which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to enter into transactions that some or all of our stockholders find favorable.
In addition, certain of our preliminary settlements require us to make additional payments upon the occurrence of certain change of control events. These include a $35.0 million payment in the event that we are acquired or otherwise experience a change in control within three years of the execution of the final settlement agreement with the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice (the “Civil Division”), the Civil Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida (the “USAO”), and the Civil Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut to settle their pending inquiries. Additionally, if, within three years following the date of the settlement agreement with the lead plaintiffs in the consolidated securities class action against us, we are acquired or otherwise experience a change in control at a share price of $30.00 or more, we will be required to pay to the class an additional $25.0 million.
We are subject to extensive fraud and abuse laws which may give rise to lawsuits and claims against us, the outcome of which may have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
Because we receive payments from federal and state governmental agencies, we are subject to various laws commonly referred to as “fraud and abuse” laws, including the federal False Claims Act, which permit agencies and enforcement authorities to institute suit against us for violations and, in some cases, to seek treble damages, penalties and assessments. Liability under such federal and state statutes and regulations may arise if we know, or it is found that we should have known, that information we provide to form the basis for a claim for government payment is false or fraudulent, and some courts have permitted False Claims Act suits to proceed if the claimant was out of compliance with program requirements. Liability for such matters could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. Qui tam actions under federal and state law can be brought by any individual on behalf of the government. Qui tam actions have increased significantly in recent years, causing greater numbers of health care companies to have to defend a false claim action, pay fines or be excluded from the Medicare, Medicaid or other state or federal health care programs as a result of an investigation arising out of such action. Many states, including states where we currently operate, have enacted parallel legislation.
For example, in October 2008, the Civil Division informed us that as part of its pending civil inquiry, it was investigating four qui tam complaints filed by relators against us under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. sections 3729-3733. We also learned from a docket search that a former employee filed a qui tam action in state court for Leon County, Florida against several defendants, including us and one of our subsidiaries. With respect to these actions, in June 2010 we announced that we reached a preliminary settlement with the Civil Division, the Civil Division of the USAO, and the Civil Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. Please see Part I, Item 3 – Legal Proceedings for additional information on these matters. However, other qui tam actions may have been filed against us of which we are presently unaware, or other qui tam actions may be filed against us in the future.
If we encounter unforeseen operational challenges relating to new business, or the programs are not successful, our business could be adversely affected.
When a state implements a new managed care program, such as Kentucky’s Medicaid managed care program or Hawaii’s QUEST program, there is a greater potential for unanticipated impacts on the health plan than with established programs. For example, the Medicaid managed care program in Kentucky, for which we began providing services to beneficiaries on November 1, 2011, is new for both the Company and the commonwealth and such new programs present both opportunities and risks for us. The expedited timeframe in which the Kentucky program has been implemented increases these risks. Medicaid managed care operations vary from state to state as a result of variations in program design, covered benefits, health plan requirements and other factors. These variations add to the complexity of our business and increase the risk of unforeseen operational challenges associated with the new business, noncompliance with contractual requirements with which we do not yet have experience and similar risks. Further, we rely on state-operated systems and sub-contractors to qualify and assign eligible members into our health plan. Ineffectiveness of these state operations and sub-contractors can have a material adverse effect on our enrollment. If we are unable to manage the contract implementation process effectively, our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
We have substantial debt obligations that could restrict our operations.
In August 2011, we entered into a $300.0 million credit agreement that provides for a senior secured term loan facility in the amount of up to $150.0 million and a senior secured revolving loan facility of up to $150.0 million. Upon closing, we borrowed $150.0 million under the term loan facility. At December 31, 2011, the outstanding balance of the term loan was $146.3 million. No amounts have been drawn from the revolving loan facility to date. We may also incur additional indebtedness in the future. Our substantial indebtedness could have adverse consequences, including:
· | increasing our vulnerability to adverse economic, regulatory and industry conditions, and placing us at a disadvantage compared to our competitors that are less leveraged; |
· | limiting our ability to compete and our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate; |
· | limiting our ability to borrow additional funds for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and general corporate or other purposes; and |
· | exposing us to greater interest rate risk since the interest rate on borrowings under our senior credit facilities is variable. |
Our debt service obligations will require us to use a portion of our operating cash flow to pay interest and principal on indebtedness instead of for other corporate purposes, including funding future expansion of our business and ongoing capital expenditures which could impede our growth. If our operating cash flow and capital resources are insufficient to comply with the financial covenants in the credit agreement or to service our debt obligations, we may be forced to sell assets, seek additional equity or debt financing or restructure our debt which could harm our long-term business prospects.
Restrictions and covenants in our debt obligations may limit our growth capabilities and our ability to declare dividends. Failure to comply with covenants could result in our indebtedness being immediately due and payable.
Our credit agreement contains various restrictions and covenants that restrict our financial and operating flexibility, including our ability to grow our business or declare dividends without lender approval. If we fail to pay any of our indebtedness when due, or if we breach any of the other covenants in the instruments governing our indebtedness, one or more events of default may be triggered. If we are unable to obtain a waiver, these events of default could permit our creditors to declare all amounts owed to be immediately due and payable. If we were unable to repay indebtedness owed to our secured creditors, they could proceed against the collateral securing that indebtedness.
If we are unable to maintain effective and secure management information systems and applications, successfully update or expand processing capability or develop new capabilities to meet our business needs we could experience operational disruptions and other materially adverse consequences to our business and results of operations.
Our business depends on effective and secure information systems, applications and operations. The information gathered, processed and stored by our management information systems assists us in, among other things, marketing and sales and membership tracking, underwriting, billing, claims processing, medical management, medical care cost and utilization trending, financial and management accounting, reporting, planning and analysis and e-commerce. These systems also support our customer service functions, provider and member administrative functions and support tracking and extensive analysis of medical expenses and outcome data. These systems remain subject to unexpected interruptions resulting from occurrences such as hardware failures or increased demand. There can be no assurance that such interruptions will not occur in the future, and any such interruptions could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Moreover, operating and other issues can lead to data problems that affect the performance of important functions, including, but not limited to, claims payment, customer service and financial reporting.
There can also be no assurance that our process of improving existing systems, developing new systems to support our operations and improving service levels will not be delayed or that system issues will not arise in the future. Our information systems and applications require continual maintenance, upgrading and enhancement to meet our operational needs. If we are unable to maintain or expand our systems, we could suffer from, among other things, operational disruptions, such as the inability to pay claims or to make claims payments on a timely basis, loss of members, difficulty in attracting new members, regulatory problems and increases in administrative expenses.
Additionally, events outside our control, including terrorism or acts of nature such as hurricanes, earthquakes, or fires, could significantly impair our information systems and applications. To help ensure continued operations in the event that our primary data center operations are rendered inoperable, we have a disaster recovery plan to recover business functionality within stated timelines. Our disaster plan may not operate effectively during an actual disaster and our operations could be disrupted, which would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
We are required to comply with laws governing the transmission, security and privacy of health information, and such costs could be significant, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Our business requires the secure transmission of confidential information over public networks. Advances in computer capabilities, new discoveries in the field of cryptography or other events or developments could result in compromises or breaches of our security systems and client data stored in our information systems. Anyone who circumvents our security measures could misappropriate our confidential information or cause interruptions in services or operations. The Internet is a public network, and data is sent over this network from many sources. In the past, computer viruses or software programs that disable or impair computers have been distributed and have rapidly spread over the Internet. Computer viruses could be introduced into our systems, or those of our providers or regulators, which could disrupt our operations, or make our systems inaccessible to our providers or regulators. We may be required to expend significant capital and other resources to protect against the threat of security breaches or to alleviate problems caused by breaches. Because of the confidential health information we store and transmit, security breaches could expose us to a risk of regulatory action, litigation, fines and penalties, possible liability and loss. Our security measures may be inadequate to prevent security breaches, and our results of operations could be materially adversely affected by cancellation of contracts and loss of members if such breaches are not prevented.
Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (“ARRA”), civil penalties for HIPAA violations by covered entities are increased up to an annual maximum of $1.5 million for uncorrected violations based on willful neglect. In addition, imposition of these penalties is now more likely because ARRA strengthens enforcement. For example, commencing February 2010, HHS was required to conduct periodic audits to confirm compliance. Investigations of violations that indicate willful neglect, for which penalties became mandatory in February 2011, are statutorily required. In addition, state attorneys general are authorized to bring civil actions seeking either injunctions or damages in response to violations of HIPAA privacy and security regulations that threaten the privacy of state residents. Initially monies collected will be transferred to a division of HHS for further enforcement, and within three years, a methodology will be adopted for distributing a percentage of those monies to affected individuals to fund enforcement and provide incentive for individuals to report violations.
In addition, ARRA requires us to notify affected individuals, HHS, and in some cases the media when unsecured personal health information is subject to a security breach.
ARRA also contains a number of provisions that provide incentives for states to initiate certain programs related to health care and health care technology, such as electronic health records. While provisions such as these do not apply to us directly, states wishing to apply for grants under ARRA, or otherwise participating in such programs, may impose new health care technology requirements on us through our contracts with state Medicaid agencies. We are unable to predict what such requirements may entail or what their effect on our business may be.
We will continue to assess our compliance obligations as regulations under ARRA are promulgated and more guidance becomes available from HHS and other federal agencies. The new privacy and security requirements, however, may require substantial operational and systems changes, employee education and resources and there is no guarantee that we will be able to implement them adequately or prior to their effective date. Given HIPAA’s complexity and the anticipated new regulations, which may be subject to changing and perhaps conflicting interpretation, our ongoing ability to comply with all of the HIPAA requirements is uncertain, which may expose us to the criminal and increased civil penalties provided under ARRA and may require us to incur significant costs in order to seek to comply with its requirements.
Federal regulations required entities subject to HIPAA to update their transaction formats for electronic data exchange to the new HIPAA 5010 standards; however, some entities are currently in transition to the new standards which could adversely impact administrative expense and compliance.
A federal mandate known as HIPAA 5010 required health plans to use new standards for conducting certain operational and administrative transactions electronically beginning in January 2012. These administrative transactions include: claims, remittance, eligibility and claims status requests and responses. The HIPAA 5010 upgrade was prompted by government and industry's shared goal of providing higher-quality, lower-cost health care and the need for a comprehensive electronic data exchange environment for the ICD-10 mandate to be implemented by October 2013. Upgrading to the new HIPAA 5010 standards should increase transaction uniformity, support pay for performance and streamline reimbursement transactions. We, along with other health plans, faced significant pressure to make sure that we installed our software and tested it for compatibility with our business partners. Because HIPAA 5010 affects electronic transactions such as patient eligibility, claims filing, claims status and remittance advice, we proceeded proactively to achieve full functionality of HIPAA 5010 transactions, and did so, before the January 1, 2012 deadline. However, in November 2011, CMS announced it would delay enforcement actions related to implementation of HIPAA 5010 until March 31, 2012. To avoid disruption with providers, we are currently accepting administrative transactions that are not compliant with HIPAA 5010. This creates additional expense as we have to convert the non-compliant data in our systems, but we believe this is required to avoid transaction rejections and subsequent payment delays, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, cash flows and results of operations. As the delayed implementation deadline approaches for full implementation of HIPAA 5010, we will continue to test our claims management systems to prevent any operational disruptions.
Our business could be adversely impacted by adoption of the new ICD-10 standardized coding set for diagnoses.
HHS has released rules pursuant to HIPAA which mandate the use of standard formats in electronic health care transactions. HHS also has published rules requiring the use of standardized code sets and unique identifiers for providers. By 2013, the federal government will require that health care organizations, including health insurers, upgrade to updated and expanded standardized code sets used for documenting health conditions. These new standardized code sets, known as ICD-10, will require substantial investments from health care organizations, including us. While use of the ICD-10 code sets will require significant administrative changes, we believe that the cost of compliance with these regulations has not had and is not expected to have a material adverse effect on our cash flows, financial position or results of operations. However, these changes may result in errors and otherwise negatively impact our service levels, and we may experience complications related to supporting customers that are not fully compliant with the revised requirements as of the applicable compliance date. Furthermore, if physicians fail to provide appropriate codes for services provided as a result of the new coding set, we may not be reimbursed, or adequately reimbursed, for such services.
If state regulatory agencies require a higher statutory capital level for our existing operations or if we become subject to additional capital requirements, we may be required to make additional capital contributions to our regulated subsidiaries, which would have a material adverse effect on our cash flows and liquidity.
Our operations are conducted primarily through licensed HMO and insurance subsidiaries. These subsidiaries are subject to state regulations that, among other things, require the maintenance of minimum levels of statutory capital and maintenance of certain financial ratios, as defined by each state. One or more of these states may raise the statutory capital level from time to time, which could have a material adverse effect on our cash flows and liquidity. The phased-in increase in reserve requirements to which our New York plan is subject has, over time, materially increased our reserve requirements in that plan. Other states may elect to adopt risk-based capital requirements based on guidelines adopted by the NAIC. As of December 31, 2011, our HMO operations in Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio and Texas as well as three of our insurance company subsidiaries were all subject to such guidelines.
Our subsidiaries also may be required to maintain higher levels of statutory capital due to the adoption of risk-based capital requirements by other states in which we operate. Our subsidiaries are subject to their state regulators’ general oversight powers. Regardless of whether a state adopts the risk-based capital requirements, the state’s regulators can require our subsidiaries to maintain minimum levels of statutory net worth in excess of amounts required under the applicable state laws if they determine that maintaining such additional statutory net worth is in the best interests of our members and other constituents. For example, if premium rates are inadequate, reduced profits or losses in our regulated subsidiaries may cause regulators to increase the amount of capital required. Any additional capital contribution made to one or more of the affected subsidiaries could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, cash flows and growth potential. In addition, increases of statutory capital requirements could cause us to withdraw from certain programs or markets where it becomes economically difficult to continue operating profitably.
Failure of our state regulators to approve payments of dividends and/or distributions from certain of our regulated subsidiaries to us or our non-regulated subsidiaries may have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, non-regulated cash flows, business and financial condition.
In most states, we are required to seek the prior approval of state regulatory authorities to transfer money or pay dividends from our regulated subsidiaries in excess of specified amounts or, in some states, any amount. The discretion of the state regulators, if any, in approving or disapproving a dividend or intercompany transaction is often not clearly defined. Health plans that declare ordinary dividends usually must provide notice to the regulators in advance of the intended distribution date of such dividend. Extraordinary dividends require approval by state regulators prior to declaration. If our state regulators do not approve payments of dividends and/or distributions by certain of our regulated subsidiaries to us or our non-regulated subsidiaries, our liquidity, unregulated cash flows, business and financial condition may be materially adversely affected.
Our encounter data may be inaccurate or incomplete, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows and ability to bid for, and continue to participate in, certain programs.
To the extent that our encounter data is inaccurate or incomplete, we have expended and may continue to expend additional effort and incur significant additional costs to collect or correct this data and have been and could be exposed to operating sanctions and financial fines and penalties for noncompliance. The accurate and timely reporting of encounter data is increasingly important to the success of our programs because more states are using encounter data to determine compliance with performance standards and, in part, to set premium rates. In some instances, our government clients have established retroactive requirements for the encounter data we must submit. There also may be periods of time in which we are unable to meet existing requirements. In either case, it may be prohibitively expensive or impossible for us to collect or reconstruct this historical data.
As states increase their reliance on encounter data, challenges in obtaining complete and accurate encounter data could affect the premium rates we receive and how membership is assigned to us, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows and our ability to bid for, and continue to participate in, certain programs.
Claims relating to medical malpractice and other litigation could cause us to incur significant expenses, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
Our providers involved in medical care decisions and associates involved in coverage decisions may be exposed to the risk of medical malpractice claims. Some states have passed or are considering legislation that permits managed care organizations to be held liable for negligent treatment decisions or benefits coverage determinations, or eliminates the requirement that providers carry a minimum amount of professional liability insurance. This kind of legislation has the effect of shifting the liability for medical decisions or adverse outcomes to the managed care organization. This could result in substantial damage awards against us and our providers that could exceed the limits of our insurance coverage or could cause us to pay additional premiums to increase our insurance coverage. Therefore, successful malpractice or tort claims asserted against us, our providers or our associates could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
From time to time, we are party to various other litigation matters (including the matters discussed in Part I, Item 3 – Legal Proceedings), some of which seek monetary damages. We cannot predict with certainty the outcome of any pending litigation or potential future litigation, and we may incur substantial expense in defending these lawsuits or indemnifying third parties with respect to the results of such litigation, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We maintain errors and omissions policies as well as other insurance coverage. However, potential liabilities may not be covered by insurance, our insurers may dispute coverage or may be unable to meet their obligations, or the amount of our insurance coverage may be inadequate. We cannot provide assurance that we will be able to obtain insurance coverage in the future or that insurance will continue to be available to us on a cost-effective basis. Moreover, even if claims brought against us are unsuccessful or without merit, we would have to defend ourselves against such claims. The defense of any such actions may be time-consuming and costly and may distract our management’s attention. As a result, we may incur significant expenses and may be unable to effectively operate our business.
Our inability to obtain or maintain adequate intellectual property rights in our brand names for our health plans or enforce such rights may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and cash flows.
Our success depends, in part, upon our ability to market our health plans under our brand names, including “WellCare,” “HealthEase,” “Staywell,” “Harmony” and “Ohana”. We hold federal trademark registrations for the “WellCare,” "HealthEase" and "Harmony" trademarks, and we are pursuing an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to register “Ohana Health Plan, Inc. & Design.” We use the “Staywell” trademark only in the State of Florida, and, pursuant to an agreement with The Staywell Company, a health education company based in St. Paul, Minnesota, we will co-exist with their use of that term for very different kinds of services and will not pursue a federal registration of that trademark. It is possible that other businesses may have actual or purported rights in the same names or similar names to those under which we market our health plans, which could limit or prevent our ability to use these names, or our ability to prevent others from using these names. If we are unable to prevent others from using our brand names, if others prohibit us from using such names or if we incur significant costs to protect our intellectual property rights in such brand names, our business, results of operations and cash flows may be materially adversely affected.
Difficulties in successfully executing acquisitions and other significant transactions may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
As part of our business strategy, we may engage in discussions with third parties regarding potential acquisitions of program contract rights and related assets of other health plans, both in existing service areas and in new markets. We believe acquisitions may contribute to our growth strategy. However, many other potential acquirers have greater financial resources than we have. For this reason, among others, we cannot provide assurance that we will be able to complete favorable acquisitions or that we will be able to obtain appropriate financing for these acquisitions, especially in light of the volatility in the capital markets over the past several years.
In addition, we generally are required to obtain regulatory approval from federal and state agencies when making acquisitions. In the case of an acquisition of a business located in a state in which we do not currently operate, we would be required to obtain the necessary licenses to operate in that state. Furthermore, even if we currently operate in a state in which we acquire a new business, we would be required to obtain additional regulatory approval if the acquisition would result in operating in an area of the state in which we did not operate previously, and we would be required to renegotiate contracts with the network providers of the acquired business. We cannot provide assurance that we would be able to comply with these regulatory requirements for an acquisition, or renegotiate the necessary provider contracts, in a timely manner, or at all.
In addition to the difficulties discussed above, we would also be required to integrate and consolidate the acquired businesses within our existing operations, which may result in certain inherent difficulties:
· | additional personnel who are not familiar with our operations and corporate culture; |
· | acquired provider networks may operate on different terms than our existing networks; |
· | existing members may decide to switch to another health care plan; and |
· | disparate administrative and information systems. |
We may be unable to successfully identify, consummate and integrate future acquisitions, including integrating the acquired businesses on our information technology platform, or to implement our operations strategy in order to operate acquired businesses profitably. Furthermore, we may incur significant transaction expenses in connection with a potential acquisition which may or may not be consummated. These expenses could impact our selling, general and administrative expense ratio. If we are unable to effectively execute our acquisition strategy or integrate acquired businesses, our future growth may suffer and our profitability may decrease.
Reductions in Medicaid or Medicare funding by states or the federal government could significantly reduce our profitability.
Our revenues are derived primarily from Medicaid premiums provided by the states in which we conduct business, and Medicare Advantage premiums provided by CMS, an agency of the federal government. Essentially, the federal government and states account for substantially all of our revenue. From time to time the federal government and many states change the level of funding for these health care programs with the consequence of adversely impacting our profitability.
State governments generally are experiencing tight budgetary conditions within their Medicaid programs. Macroeconomic conditions in recent years have and are expected to continue to put pressure on state budgets as the Medicaid eligible population increases. We anticipate this will require government agencies with which we contract to find funding alternatives, which may result in reductions in funding. If any state in which we operate were to decrease premiums paid to us, or pay us less than the amount necessary to keep pace with our cost trends, it could have a material adverse effect on our revenues and results of operations.
As noted above, our Medicare Advantage premium revenues come from CMS and are dependent on federal government funding levels. The 2010 Acts included significant cuts in payments to Medicare Advantage plans and restructured payments to these same plans. The 2010 Acts froze 2011 benchmark rates at 2010 levels so that in 2011, Medicate Advantage Plans did not receive rate increases to account for recent health care cost increases. Additionally, continued government efforts to contain health care related expenditures, such as prescription drug costs, and other federal budgetary constraints that result in decreased funding of the Medicare program, could lead to reductions in the amount of reimbursement, elimination of coverage for certain benefits, the mandating of additional benefits with no corresponding increase in premium, and/or reductions in the number of persons enrolled in or eligible for Medicare. Such actions could have a material adverse effect on our revenues and operating results.
Risks Related to Pending Governmental Investigations and Litigation
If we commit a material breach of our deferred prosecution agreement, we will likely be subject to prosecution of one or more criminal offenses, including health care fraud, which would cause us to be excluded from certain programs and would result in the revocation or termination of contracts and/or licenses potentially having a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
In 2009 we entered into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (the “DPA”) with the United States Attorney's Office for the Mdiddle District of Florida (the "USAO") and the Florida Attorney General’s Office, resolving previously disclosed investigations by those offices. As previously disclosed, we paid the USAO a total of $80.0 million pursuant to the terms of the DPA.
Pursuant to the DPA, the USAO filed a one-count criminal information (the “Information”) in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida (the “Federal Court”), charging us with conspiracy to commit health care fraud against the Florida Medicaid Program in connection with reporting of expenditures under certain community behavioral health contracts, and against the Florida Healthy Kids program, under certain contracts, in violation of 18 U.S.C. Section 1349. The USAO recommended to the Federal Court that the prosecution of us be deferred during the duration of the DPA, which expires May 2012. In the event of a knowing and willful material breach of a provision of the DPA, the USAO has broad discretion to prosecute us through the filed Information or otherwise. We could also be prosecuted by the Florida Attorney General’s office under such circumstances. In light of the provisions of the DPA, any such proceeding would likely result in one or more criminal convictions, including for health care fraud, which, in turn, would cause us to be excluded from certain programs and could result in the revocation or termination of contracts and/or licenses potentially having a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
For more information regarding the DPA, please see Part I, Item 3- Legal Proceedings.
The settlement we have reached with certain federal and state agencies relating to their investigations remains pending and the final resolution, or further delay in the final resolution, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
On April 26, 2011, we entered into certain settlement agreements which will resolve the inquiries of the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice (the "Civil Division"), the USAO and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut (the “USAO Connecticut”). These settlement agreements are related to four federal qui tam complaints filed by relators against us under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. sections 3729-3733 as well as one state qui tam action filed in Leon County, Florida, which is similar to one of the federal qui tam complaints.
The settlement agreements are with (a) the United States, with signatories from the Civil Division, the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (“OIG-HHS”) and the Civil Divisions of the USAO and the USAO Connecticut (the “Federal Settlement Agreement”) and (b) the following states: Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New York and Ohio (collectively, the “State Settlement Agreements”). Pursuant to these settlement agreements we have agreed, among other things, to pay a total of $137.5 million, plus interest, over a period of 36 months, and a possible contingent payment of $35.0 million upon the occurrence of certain change in control events.
One of the relators has objected to the Federal Settlement Agreement. In the case of an objection, the Federal Court is required to conduct a hearing (a “Fairness Hearing”) to determine whether the proposed settlement is fair, adequate and reasonable under all the circumstances. The Federal Settlement Agreement and the State Settlement Agreements will not be effective until the earlier of (a) the execution of the Federal Settlement Agreement by the objecting relator or (b) entry by the Federal Court of a final order determining that the settlement is fair, adequate and reasonable under all the circumstances.
If the objecting relator does not execute the Federal Settlement Agreement and the Federal Court does not approve the settlement at a Fairness Hearing then the actual outcome of these matters may differ materially from the terms of the settlement described above. If the Federal Court determines that the settlement is not fair, adequate and reasonable under all the circumstances, we may be required to pay an amount in excess of the amount contemplated by the settlement agreements. The final resolution of these matters could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. For more information regarding the settlement, please see Part I, Item 3 – Legal Proceedings.
In addition, the pendency of these matters could impair our ability to expand our business and/or to raise additional capital, which may be needed to pay any resulting interest, civil or criminal fines, penalties or other assessments.
If we commit a material breach of our corporate integrity agreement, we may be excluded from certain programs, resulting in the revocation or termination of contracts and/or licenses potentially having a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
On April 26, 2011, we entered into a Corporate Integrity Agreement (the “Corporate Integrity Agreement”) with OIG-HHS. The Corporate Integrity Agreement has a term of five years and concludes the previously disclosed matters relating to us under review by OIG-HHS. The Corporate Integrity Agreement requires us to maintain various ethics and compliance programs designed to help ensure our ongoing compliance with federal health care program requirements. The terms of the Corporate Integrity Agreement include certain organizational structure requirements, internal monitoring requirements, compliance training, screening processes for new employees, requirements for reporting to OIG-HHS, and the engagement of an independent review organization to review and prepare written reports regarding, among other things, our reporting practices and bid submissions to federal health care programs.
If we fail to comply with the terms of the Corporate Integrity Agreement we may be required to pay certain monetary penalties. Furthermore, if we commit a material breach of the Corporate Integrity Agreement, OIG-HHS may exclude us from participating in federal health care programs. Any such exclusion would result in the revocation or termination of contracts and/or licenses and potentially have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Our indemnification obligations and the limitations of our director and officer liability insurance may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Under Delaware law, our charter and bylaws and certain indemnification agreements to which we are a party, we have an obligation to indemnify, or we have otherwise agreed to indemnify, certain of our current and former directors, officers and associates with respect to current and future investigations and litigation, including the matters discussed in Part I, Item 3 – Legal Proceedings. In connection with some of these pending matters, we are required to, or we have otherwise agreed to, advance, and have advanced, significant legal fees and related expenses to several of our current and former directors, officers and associates and expect to continue to do so while these matters are pending.
In August 2010, we entered into an agreement and release with the carriers of our directors and officers (“D&O”) liability insurance relating to coverage we sought for claims relating to the previously disclosed government investigations and related litigation. We agreed to accept immediate payment of $32.5 million, including $6.7 million received by us in prior years, in satisfaction of the $45.0 million face amount of the relevant D&O insurance policies and the carriers agreed to waive any rights they may have to challenge our coverage under the policies. No additional recoveries with respect to such matters are expected under our insurance policies and all expenses incurred by us in the future for these matters will not be further reimbursed by our insurance policies. The agreement and release did not include a $10.0 million face amount policy that we maintain for non-indemnifiable securities claims by directors and officers during the same time period and such policy is not affected by the agreement and release. We currently maintain insurance in the amount of $125.0 million which provides coverage for our independent directors and officers hired after January 24, 2008 for certain potential matters to the extent they occur after October 2007. We cannot provide any assurances that pending claims, or claims yet to arise, will not exceed the limits of our insurance policies, that such claims are covered by the terms of our insurance policies or that our insurance carrier will be able to cover our claims.
Continuing negative publicity regarding the investigations, or the managed care industry in general, may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.
As a result of the federal and state investigations, stockholder and derivative litigation, restatement during 2009 of our previously issued financial statements and related matters, we have been the subject of negative publicity. This negative publicity may harm our relationships with current and future investors, government regulators, associates, members, vendors and providers. Negative publicity may adversely affect our reputation, which could harm our ability to obtain new membership, build or maintain our network of providers, or business in the future. For example, when making award determinations, states frequently consider the plan’s historical regulatory compliance, litigation and reputation. In most cases where we are bidding for new business we are required to disclose material investigations and litigation, including in some cases investigations and litigation that occurred in the past. As a result, continuing negative publicity and other negative perceptions regarding the investigations may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.
In addition, the managed care industry historically has been subject to negative publicity. This publicity may result in increased legislation, regulation and review of industry practices and, in some cases, litigation. For example, the Obama administration and certain members of Congress have been questioning the profits of health insurance plans and the percentage of premiums paid that are going directly to health care benefits. These inquiries have resulted in news reports that are generally negative to the health insurance industry. These factors may have a material adverse effect on our ability to market our products and services, require us to change our products and services and increase regulatory or legal burdens under which we operate, further increasing the costs of doing business and materially adversely affecting our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
None.
Our principal administrative, sales and marketing facilities are located at our leased corporate headquarters in Tampa, Florida. Our corporate headquarters is used in all of our lines of business. We also lease office space for the administration of our health plans in Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Texas. These properties are all in good condition and are well maintained. We believe these facilities are suitable and provide the appropriate level of capacity for our current operations.
Government Investigations
Deferred Prosecution Agreement. As previously disclosed, in May 2009, we entered into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (the "DPA") with the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida (the "USAO") and the Florida Attorney General’s Office, resolving investigations by those offices.
Under the one count criminal information (the "Information") filed with the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida (the "Federal Court") by the USAO pursuant to the DPA, we were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud against the Florida Medicaid Program in connection with reporting of expenditures under certain community behavioral health contracts, and against the Florida Healthy Kids programs, under certain contracts, in violation of 18 U.S.C. Section 1349. The USAO recommended to the Federal Court that the prosecution be deferred for the duration of the DPA, which has a term of thirty-six months.
The DPA expires by its terms on May 5, 2012. Within five days of the expiration of the DPA the USAO will seek dismissal with prejudice of the Information, provided we have complied with the DPA.
The DPA does not, nor should it be construed to, operate as a settlement or release of any civil or administrative claims for monetary, injunctive or other relief against us, whether under federal, state or local statutes, regulations or common law. Furthermore, the DPA does not operate, nor should it be construed, as a concession that we are entitled to any limitation of our potential federal, state or local civil or administrative liability. Pursuant to the terms of the DPA, we have paid the USAO a total of $80.0 million over the course of 2008 and 2009.
Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice. In October 2008, the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice (the "Civil Division") informed us that as part of its pending civil inquiry, it was investigating four qui tam complaints filed by relators against us under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. sections 3729-3733. As previously disclosed, we also learned from a docket search that a former employee filed a qui tam action on October 25, 2007 in state court for Leon County, Florida against several defendants, including us and one of our subsidiaries (the "Leon County qui tam Action").
In June 2010, (i) the United States government filed its Notice of Election to Intervene in three of the qui tam matters (the “Florida Federal qui tam Actions”), and (ii) we announced that we reached a preliminary agreement with the Civil Division, the Civil Division of the USAO, and the Civil Division of the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut (the "USAO Connecticut") to settle their pending inquiries. In April 2011, we entered into certain settlement agreements, described below, which will resolve the pending inquiries of the Civil Division, the USAO and the USAO Connecticut. These settlement agreements are related to the Florida Federal qui tam Actions as well as another federal qui tam action that had been filed in the District of Connecticut (the “Connecticut Federal qui tam Action”) and the Leon County qui tam Action.
The settlement agreements are with (a) the United States, with signatories from the Civil Division, the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services ("OIG-HHS") and the Civil Divisions of the USAO and the USAO Connecticut (the "Federal Settlement Agreement") and (b) the following states (collectively, the "Settling States"): Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New York and Ohio (collectively, the "State Settlement Agreements"). The material terms of the Federal Settlement Agreement and the State Settlement Agreements are, collectively, substantively the same as the terms of the previously disclosed preliminary settlement with the Civil Division, the USAO and the USAO Connecticut. We have agreed, among other things, to pay the Civil Division $137.5 million (the “Settlement Amount”), which is to be paid in installments over a period of up to 36 months after the effective date of the Federal Settlement Agreement (the “Payment Period”) plus interest accrued from December 2010 at the rate of 3.125% per year. The settlement includes an acceleration clause that would require immediate payment of the remaining balance of the Settlement Amount in the event that we are acquired or otherwise experience a change in control during the Payment Period. In addition, the settlement provides for a contingent payment of an additional $35 million in the event that we are acquired or otherwise experience a change in control within three years of the effective date of the Federal Settlement Agreement and provided that the change in control transaction exceeds certain minimum transaction value thresholds as specified in the Federal Settlement Agreement.
In exchange for the payment of the Settlement Amount, the United States and the Settling States agreed to release us from any civil or administrative monetary claim under the False Claims Act and certain other legal theories for certain conduct that was at issue in their inquiries and the qui tam complaints. Likewise, in consideration of the obligations in the Federal Settlement Agreement and the Corporate Integrity Agreement (as described below under United States Department of Health and Human Services), OIG-HHS agreed to release and refrain from instituting, directing or maintaining any administrative action seeking to exclude us from Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health care programs.
The Federal Settlement Agreement has not been executed by one of the relators. This relator has objected to the Federal Settlement Agreement. Because of the objection, the Federal Court is required to conduct a hearing (a “Fairness Hearing”) to determine whether the proposed settlement is fair, adequate and reasonable under all the circumstances. The Federal Settlement Agreement and the State Settlement Agreements will not be effective until the earlier of (a) the execution of the Federal Settlement Agreement by the objecting relator or (b) entry by the Federal Court of a final order determining that the settlement is fair, adequate and reasonable under all the circumstances.
We can make no assurances that the objecting relator will execute the Federal Settlement Agreement or that the Federal Court will approve the settlement at a Fairness Hearing and the actual outcome of these matters may differ materially from the terms of the settlement.
United States Department of Health and Human Services. In April 2011, we entered into a Corporate Integrity Agreement (the"Corporate Integrity Agreement") with OIG-HHS. The Corporate Integrity Agreement has a term of five years and concludes the previously disclosed matters relating to the Company under review by OIG-HHS. The Corporate Integrity Agreement requires various ethics and compliance programs designed to help ensure our ongoing compliance with federal health care program requirements. The terms of the Corporate Integrity Agreement include certain organizational structure requirements, internal monitoring requirements, compliance training, screening processes for new employees, reporting requirements to OIG-HHS, and the engagement of an independent review organization to review and prepare written reports regarding, among other things, our reporting practices and bid submissions to federal health care programs.
If we fail to comply with the terms of the Corporate Integrity Agreement we may be required to pay certain monetary penalties. Furthermore, if we commit a material breach of the Corporate Integrity Agreement, OIG-HHS may exclude us from participating in federal health care programs. Any such exclusion would result in the revocation or termination of contracts and/or licenses and potentially have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Other Lawsuits and Claims
Separate and apart from the legal matters described above, we are also involved in other legal actions in the normal course of our business, including, without limitation, wage and hour claims and provider disputes regarding payment of claims. Some of these actions seek monetary damages, including claims for liquidated or punitive damages, which are not covered by insurance. We accrue for contingent liabilities related to these matters if a loss is deemed probable and is estimable. The actual outcome of these matters may differ materially from our current estimates and therefore could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.
Not Applicable.
PART II
Market for Common Stock
Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “WCG.” The following table sets forth the high and low sales prices of our common stock, as reported on the New York Stock Exchange, for each of the periods listed.
| | High | | | Low |
2011 | | | | | |
First Quarter ended March 31, 2011 | | $ | 41.99 | | | $ | 41.40 |
Second Quarter ended June 30, 2011 | | $ | 52.78 | | | $ | 51.41 |
Third Quarter ended September 30, 2011 | | $ | 39.62 | | | $ | 37.90 |
Fourth Quarter ended December 31, 2011 | | $ | 53.27 | | | $ | 52.38 |
2010 | | | | | | | |
First Quarter ended March 31, 2010 | | $ | 37.82 | | | $ | 25.68 |
Second Quarter ended June 30, 2010 | | $ | 32.16 | | | $ | 22.55 |
Third Quarter ended September 30, 2010 | | $ | 29.99 | | | $ | 22.25 |
Fourth Quarter ended December 31, 2010 | | $ | 30.46 | | | $ | 27.33 |
The last reported sale price of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange on February 10, 2012 was $60.83. As of February 10, 2012, we had approximately 26 holders of record of our common stock.
Performance Graph
The following graph compares the cumulative total stockholder return on our common stock for the period from December 31, 2006, to December 31, 2011 with the cumulative total return on the stocks included in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Stock Index and the custom composite index over the same period. The Custom Composite Index includes the stock of Aetna, Inc., Amerigroup Corporation, Centene Corporation, Cigna Corp., Coventry Health Care Inc., Health Net Inc., HealthSpring, Inc., Humana, Inc., Molina Healthcare, Inc., Unitedhealth Group, Inc., Universal American Corp. and WellPoint, Inc. The graph assumes an investment of $100 made in our common stock and the custom composite index on December 31, 2006. The graph also assumes the reinvestment of dividends and is weighted according to the respective company’s stock market capitalization at the beginning of each of the periods indicated. We did not pay any dividends on our common stock during the period reflected in the graph. Further, our common stock price performance shown below should not be viewed as being indicative of future performance.
| | 12/31/06 | | | 12/31/07 | | | 12/31/08 | | | 12/31/09 | | | 12/31/10 | | | 12/31/11 |
WellCare Health Plans, Inc. | | $ | 100 | | | $ | 62 | | | $ | 19 | | | $ | 53 | | | $ | 44 | | | $ | 76 |
S&P 500 Index | | $ | 100 | | | $ | 105 | | | $ | 66 | | | $ | 84 | | | $ | 97 | | | $ | 99 |
Custom Composite Index (12 stocks) | | $ | 100 | | | $ | 115 | | | $ | 52 | | | $ | 66 | | | $ | 73 | | | $ | 102 |
Dividends
We have never paid cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain any future earnings to fund our business, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
Our ability to pay dividends is partially dependent on, among other things, our receipt of cash dividends from our regulated subsidiaries. The ability of our regulated subsidiaries to pay dividends to us is limited by the state departments of insurance in the states in which we operate or may operate, as well as requirements of the government-sponsored health programs in which we participate. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our board and will depend upon, among other factors, our results of operations, financial condition, capital requirements and contractual restrictions. For more information regarding restrictions on the ability of our regulated subsidiaries to pay dividends to us, please see Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Regulatory Capital and Restrictions on Dividends and Management Fees.
Unregistered Issuances of Equity Securities
None.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
We do not have a stock repurchase program. However, during the quarter ended December 31, 2011, certain of our employees were deemed to have surrendered shares of our common stock to satisfy their withholding tax obligations associated with the vesting of shares of restricted common stock. The following table summarizes these repurchases:
Period | | Total Number of Shares Purchased(1) | | | Average Price Paid Per Share(1) | | | Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs | | | Maximum Number of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs |
October 1, 2011 through October 31, 2011 | | | 1,082 | | | $ | 42.39 | (2) | | | N/A | | | | N/A |
November 1, 2011 through November 30, 2011 | | | 682 | | | $ | 52.66 | (3) | | | N/A | | | | N/A |
December 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011 | | | — | | | $ | 53.19 | (4) | | | N/A | | | | N/A |
Total during quarter ended December 31, 2011 | | | 1,764 | | | $ | 45.85 | (5) | | | N/A | | | | N/A |
| The number of shares purchased represents the number of shares of our common stock deemed surrendered by our employees to satisfy their withholding tax obligations due to the vesting of shares of restricted common stock. For the purposes of this table, we determined the average price paid per share based on the closing price of our common stock as of the date of the determination of the withholding tax amounts (i.e., the date that the shares of restricted stock vested). We did not pay any cash consideration to repurchase these shares. |
(2) | The weighted average price paid per share during the period was $41.49. |
(3) | The weighted average price paid per share during the period was $51.64. |
(4) | The weighted average price paid per share during the period was $53.19. |
(5) | The weighted average price paid per share during the period was $45.16. |
The following table sets forth our summary financial data. This information should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included elsewhere in this 2011 Form 10-K. The data for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, and as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, is derived from consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this 2011 Form 10-K. The data for the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007, and as of December 31, 2009, 2008 and 2007, is derived from audited financial statements not included in this 2011 Form 10-K.
| | For the Years Ended December 31, |
| | 2007 | | 2008 | | 2009 | | 2010 | | 2011 |
| | (In thousands, except share data) |
Consolidated Statements of Operations: | | | | | | | | | | |
Revenues: | | | | | | | | | | |
Premium: | | | | | | | | | | |
Medicaid | | $ | 2,612,601 | | $ | 2,902,120 | | $ | 3,165,705 | | $ | 3,252,377 | | $ | 3,505,448 |
Medicaid premium taxes | | | 79,180 | | | 88,929 | | | 91,026 | | | 56,374 | | | 76,163 |
Total Medicaid | | | 2,691,781 | | | 2,991,049 | | | 3,256,731 | | | 3,308,751 | | | 3,581,611 |
Medicare Advantage | | | 1,586,266 | | | 2,436,226 | | | 2,775,442 | | | 1,336,089 | | | 1,479,750 |
PDP | | | 1,026,842 | | | 1,055,795 | | | 835,079 | | | 785,350 | | | 1,036,769 |
Total premium | | | 5,304,889 | | | 6,483,070 | | | 6,867,252 | | | 5,430,190 | | | 6,098,130 |
Investment and other income | | | 85,903 | | | 38,837 | | | 10,912 | | | 10,035 | | | 8,738 |
Total revenues | | | 5,390,792 | | | 6,521,907 | | | 6,878,164 | | | 5,440,225 | | | 6,106,868 |
Expenses: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Medical benefits: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Medicaid | | | 2,136,710 | | | 2,537,422 | | | 2,810,611 | | | 2,847,315 | | | 2,837,639 |
Medicare Advantage | | | 1,251,753 | | | 2,058,430 | | | 2,299,378 | | | 1,054,071 | | | 1,180,500 |
PDP | | | 824,921 | | | 934,364 | | | 752,468 | | | 635,245 | | | 853,932 |
Total medical benefits | | | 4,213,384 | | | 5,530,216 | | | 5,862,457 | | | 4,536,631 | | | 4,872,071 |
Selling, general and administrative (1) | | | 687,669 | | | 844,929 | | | 805,238 | | | 895,894 | | | 718,003 |
Medicaid premium taxes | | | 79,180 | | | 88,929 | | | 91,026 | | | 56,374 | | | 76,163 |
Depreciation and amortization | | | 18,757 | | | 21,324 | | | 23,336 | | | 23,946 | | | 26,454 |
Interest (2) | | | 13,834 | | | 11,340 | | | 3,087 | | | 229 | | | 6,510 |
Goodwill impairment (3) | | | — | | | 78,339 | | | — | | | — | | | — |
Total expenses | 5,012,824 | | | 6,575,077 | | | 6,785,144 | | | 5,513,074 | | | 5,699,201 |
Income (loss) from operations | | | 377,968 | | | (53,170 | | | 93,020 | | | (72,849) | | | 407,667 |
Gain on repurchase of subordinated notes (4) | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | 10,807 |
Income (loss) before income taxes | | | 377,968 | | | (53,170) | | | 93,020 | | | (72,849) | | | 418,474 |
Income tax expense (benefit) | | | 161,732 | | | (16,337) | | | 53,149 | | | (19,449) | | | 154,228 |
Net income (loss) | | $ | 216,236 | | $ | (36,833) | | $ | 39,871 | | $ | (53,400) | | $ | 264,246 |
Net income (loss) per share: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Basic | | $ | 5.31 | | $ | (0.89) | | $ | 0.95 | | $ | (1.26) | | $ | 6.17 |
Diluted | | $ | 5.16 | | $ | (0.89) | | $ | 0.95 | | $ | (1.26) | | $ | 6.10 |
| For the Years Ended December 31, |
| 2007 | | 2008 | | 2009 | | 2010 | | 2011 |
Operating Statistics: | | | | | | | | | |
Medical benefits ratio — Consolidated (5)(6)(7) | | 80.6% | | | 86.5% | | | 86.5% | | | 84.4% | | | 80.9% |
Medical benefits ratio — Medicaid (5) | | 81.8% | | | 87.4% | | | 88.8% | | | 87.5% | | | 80.9% |
Medical benefits ratio — Medicare Advantage (5) | | 78.9% | | | 84.5% | | | 82.8% | | | 78.9% | | | 79.8% |
Medical benefits ratio — PDP (5) | | 80.3% | | | 88.5% | | | 90.1% | | | 80.9% | | | 82.4% |
Selling, general and administrative expense ratio (8) | | 12.9% | | | 13.1% | | | 11.9% | | | 16.6% | | | 11.9% |
Members — Consolidated | | 2,373,000 | | | 2,532,000 | | | 2,321,000 | | | 2,224,000 | | | 2,562,000 |
Members — Medicaid | | 1,232,000 | | | 1,300,000 | | | 1,349,000 | | | 1,340,000 | | | 1,451,000 |
Members — Medicare Advantage | | 158,000 | | | 246,000 | | | 225,000 | | | 116,000 | | | 135,000 |
Members — PDP | | 983,000 | | | 986,000 | | | 747,000 | | | 768,000 | | | 976,000 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| As of December 31, |
| | 2007 | | | 2008 | | | 2009 | | | 2010 | | | 2011 |
| (In thousands) |
Balance Sheet Data: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 1,008,409 | | $ | 1,181,922 | | $ | 1,158,131 | | $ | 1,359,548 | | $ | 1,325,098 |
Total assets | | 2,082,731 | | | 2,203,461 | | | 2,118,447 | | | 2,247,293 | | | 2,488,111 |
Long-term debt (including current maturities) | | 154,581 | | | 152,741 | | | — | | | — | | | 146,250 |
Total liabilities | | 1,274,840 | | | 1,397,632 | | | 1,237,547 | | | 1,415,247 | | | 1,371,265 |
Total stockholders’ equity | | 807,891 | | | 805,829 | | | 880,900 | | | 832,046 | | | 1,116,846 |
(1) | SG&A expense includes $47.0 million, $266.0 million, $105.0 million, $103.0 million and $71.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively, of aggregate costs related to the resolution of the previously disclosed governmental and Company investigations, such as: settlement accruals and related fair value accretion, legal fees and other similar costs. These amounts are net of $25.8 million, $6.4 million and $0.3 million of D&O insurance recoveries related to the consolidated securities class action during the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. |
(2) | Interest expense includes $6.1 million of interest related to the $112.5 million subordinated notes issued in September 2011, and to a lesser extent, interest on the $150.0 million term loan, which closed on August 1, 2011. We issued $112.5 million (aggregate par value) of tradable unsecured subordinated notes on September 30, 2011 in connection with the stipulation and settlement agreement, which was approved in May 2011 to resolve the putative class action complaints previously filed against us in 2007. The subordinated notes had a fixed coupon of 6% and interest was retroactive to May 2011. |
(3) | Based on the general economic conditions and outlook during 2008, we performed an analysis of the underlying valuation of Goodwill at December 31, 2008. Upon reviewing the valuation results, we determined that the Goodwill associated with our Medicare reporting unit was fully impaired. The impairment to our Medicare reporting unit was due to, among other things, the anticipated operating environment resulting from regulatory changes and new health care legislation, and the resulting effects on our future membership trends. In 2008, we recorded goodwill impairment expense of $78.3 million. |
(4) | Gain relates to the December 15, 2011 repurchase of all of the $112,500 tradable unsecured subordinated notes we issued on September 30, 2011 in connection with the stipulation and settlement agreement, which was approved in May 2011, to resolve the putative class-action complaints previously filed against us in 2007. Thus, we recorded a gain on the repurchase of subordinated notes in the amount of $10.8 million. |
(5) | Medical benefits ratio measures medical benefits expense as a percentage of premium revenue, excluding premium taxes. |
(6) | As a result of the restatement and investigation, we were delayed in filing our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007 (the “2007 Form 10-K”). Due to the substantial lapse in time between December 31, 2007 and the date of filing of our 2007 Form 10-K, we were able to review substantially complete claims information that had become available due to the substantial lapse in time between December 31, 2007 and the date of filing of our 2007 Form 10-K. We determined that the claims information that had become available provided additional evidence about conditions that existed with respect to medical benefits payable at the December 31, 2007 balance sheet date and had been considered in accordance with GAAP. Consequently, the amounts we recorded for medical benefits payable and medical benefits expense for the year ended December 31, 2007 were based on actual claims paid. The difference between our actual claims paid for the 2007 period and the amount that would have resulted from using our original actuarially determined estimate is approximately $92.9 million, or a decrease of 1.8% in the MBR. Thus, medical benefits expense, medical benefits payable and the MBR for the year ended December 31, 2007 include the effect of using actual claims paid. |
(7) | As discussed above, due to the delay in filing our 2007 Form 10-K, we were able to review substantially complete claims information that had become available due to the substantial lapse in time between December 31, 2007 and the date we filed our 2007 Form 10-K; therefore, the favorable development was reported in 2007 instead of 2008 as it otherwise would have been. Therefore, our recorded amounts for medical benefits expense and MBR for the year ended December 31, 2008 is approximately $92.9 million, or 1.4%, higher than it otherwise would have been if we had filed our 2007 Form 10-K on time. |
(8) | SG&A expense ratio measures selling, general and administrative expense as a percentage of total revenue, excluding premium taxes, and does not include depreciation and amortization expense for purposes of determining the ratio. |
We have never paid cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain any future earnings to fund our business, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the future.
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with Part II, Item 6 – Selected Financial Data and our consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this 2011 Form 10-K. The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause our actual results to differ materially from management’s expectations. Factors that could cause such differences include those set forth under Part I, Item 1 – Business and Part I, Item 1A – Risk Factors, as well as Forward-Looking Statements discussed earlier in this 2011 Form 10-K.
Overview
Executive Summary
We are a leading provider of managed care services to government-sponsored health care programs, serving approximately 2.6 million members nationwide. We operate exclusively within the Medicaid and Medicare programs, serving the full spectrum of eligibility groups, with a focus on lower-income beneficiaries. Our primary mission is to help our government customers deliver cost-effective health care solutions, while improving health care quality and access for these programs. We are committed to operating our business in a manner that serves our key constituents – members, providers, government clients, and associates – while delivering competitive returns for our investors.
Business Strategy
Our strategic priorities for 2012 include improving health care quality and access for our members, ensuring a competitive cost position and delivering prudent and profitable growth. See Part I, Item 1 – Business for a complete definition of our strategic priorities.
Key Developments and Accomplishments
Presented below are key developments and accomplishments relating to progress on our strategic business priorities that occurred during 2011 and impacted our financial condition and results of operations.
· | Effective during the fourth quarter of 2011, we expanded into four new Florida counties and are currently providing Medicaid services to an additional 16,000 Medicaid members. As a result, we now serve 36 counties in the State of Florida and we are one of the largest Medicaid plans in that state. |
· | During the 2011 third quarter, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services awarded us a contract to serve Kentucky’s Medicaid program in seven of Kentucky’s eight regions. In November 2011, we initially began serving approximately 116,000 beneficiaries across these seven regions. Subsequently, during the remainder of 2011 and in early 2012, membership has increased to approximately 146,000 due to members’ opportunity to change plans. Our contract is for three years and may be extended for up to four one-year extension periods upon mutual agreement of the parties. Under this new program, we coordinate medical, behavioral and dental health care for eligible Kentucky Medicaid beneficiaries in the TANF, CHIP and ABD programs. We currently are projecting the program will generate between $575 million and $600 million in premium revenue in 2012. |
· | In 2011, our Florida, Georgia and Missouri health plans received accreditation from nationally-recognized, independent organizations that measure health plans’ commitment to high-quality care, effective management, and accountability. We remain dedicated to our long-term target of attaining accreditation for all of our health plans. |
· | Another important aspect of our work on quality in 2011 was the finalization of our HEDIS measures for 2010, which showed broad-based improvement across our lines of business. |
· | During the 2011 third quarter, we successfully completed an upgrade of our core operating systems. This new technology will enable further progress in our work to improve service and productivity, and positions us to comply with future regulatory changes such as the implementation of ICD-10. The upgrade will also support our health care quality and access initiatives. |
· | In 2011, through continued organizational and process refinements, we achieved a 60 basis point reduction in our SG&A expense ratio, excluding investigation-related litigation and other costs (as defined in Results of Operations, Summary of Consolidated Financial Results, Selling general and administrative expense) . Administrative and medical cost initiatives remain an important discipline for us in light of the fiscal challenges of our state and federal customers. For 2012, we are anticipating a reduction in this ratio in the range of approximately 50 to 70 basis points. |
· | Additionally, as part of our medical expense initiatives, we have implemented provider contracting case and disease management initiatives which have contributed meaningfully to year-over-year reduction in the Medicaid MBR and, in the case of MA, have moderated the year-over-year increase in MBR. |
· | In August 2011, we entered into a $300.0 million senior secured credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) that can be used for general corporate purposes. The Credit Agreement provides for a $150.0 million term loan facility as well as a $150.0 million revolving credit facility. Both the term loan and revolving credit facility expire in August 2016. Upon closing, we borrowed $150.0 million pursuant to the term loan facility and $146.3 million remained outstanding at December 31, 2011. This new credit agreement replaces our previous $65.0 million credit agreement, which was never drawn upon. Our new credit agreement provides liquidity in support of the significant growth opportunities available to us. In particular, additions to statutory capital may be needed for new markets, such as the new Kentucky Medicaid program, or markets experiencing significant growth. For further information regarding the new credit agreement, refer to New Credit Agreement under Liquidity and Capital Resources and in Part IV, Item 15(c)—Note 10—Debt. |
General Economic and Political Environment
We expect the U.S. Congress to continue its close scrutiny of each component of the Medicare program (including Medicare Part D drug benefits) and possibly seek to limit the private insurers’ role. For example, the federal government may seek to negotiate drug prices for PDPs and MA-Prescription Drug Plans, a function currently performed by plan sponsors.
We also expect state legislatures to continue to focus on the impact of health care reform and state budget deficits in 2012. Many states are proposing or implementing strategies that will significantly change their current Medicaid programs. These changes include moving programs such as ABD populations into managed care; expanding existing Medicaid programs to provide coverage to those who are currently uninsured; re-procurement of existing managed care programs and mandating minimum medical benefit ratios. We cannot predict the outcome of any Congressional oversight or any legislative activity, or predict what provisions legislation or regulation will contain in any state or what effect the legislation or regulation will have on our business operations or financial results, any of which could adversely affect us.
See Part I, Item 1 – Business for a discussion of the current and political environment that is affecting our business.
Health Care Reform
We believe that the 2010 Acts will bring about significant changes to the American health care system. For further discussion of health care reform and its potential impact on our business, see Part I, Item 1 – Business – Health Care Reform. In addition, refer to the risks and uncertainties related to health care reform as discussed in Part I, Item 1A – Risk Factors – Future changes in health care law present challenges for our business that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows.
Business and Financial Outlook
Premium Rates and Payments
The states in which we operate continue to experience fiscal challenges which have led to budget cuts and reductions in Medicaid premiums in certain states or rate increases that are below medical costs trends. In particular, we continue to experience pressure on rates in Florida and Georgia, two states from which we derive a substantial portion of our revenue. Our rates increased approximately 2.5% - 3.0% in Georgia effective July 1, 2011. In Florida, changes that were effective September 1, 2011 had essentially no net impact on our overall rate. The ultimate premium rate is based on program type, demographic mix and geographic location.
Although premiums are generally contractually payable to us before or during the month in which we are obligated to provide services to our members, we have experienced delays in premium payments from certain states. In particular, the State of Georgia passed legislation in 2010 mandating that payment for Medicaid premiums in that state be made in the middle and at the end of the month in which services are provided. Previously, such payments were made at the beginning of each month. Additionally, the Georgia DCH has recently informed us that it is delaying the payment of certain premiums for as much as $300 million during the first quarter of 2012, and plans to restore these payments during the second quarter of 2012. Payments have already been delayed in January 2012 and February 2012 to date and if the delays continue through March 2012 as planned, our consolidated operating cash flow for the first quarter of 2012 will be materially impacted. However, at this time, the delays are considered to be a timing issue and we have adequate liquidity to manage the delays. We expect our programs in Georgia and elsewhere will continue to operate as they have historically. Given the budget shortfalls in many states with which we contract, additional payment delays may occur in the future.
As part of the 2010 Acts, MA payment benchmarks for 2011 were frozen at 2010 levels. Separately, CMS implemented a reduction in Medicare Advantage reimbursements of 1.6% for 2011. Beginning in 2012, additional cuts to Medicare Advantage plans will take effect (with the quartile system) with changes being phased-in over two to six years, depending on the level of payment reduction in a county. These changes could result in reduced reimbursement or payment levels. This places increased importance on administrative cost improvements and effective medical expense initiatives.
Market Developments
Many states are proposing or implementing strategies that will significantly change their current Medicaid programs. These changes include moving programs into managed care; expanding existing programs to provide coverage to those who are currently uninsured; and reprocurement of existing managed care programs. State budget shortfalls in many states will be a significant consideration in any changes to existing Medicaid programs.
In December 2011, the Georgia DCH amended its contracts for its Medicaid programs, to provide for two additional one year option terms, exercisable by Georgia DCH, which potentially extends the total contract term until June 30, 2014. Separately, Georgia DCH recently published a consultant’s report evaluating alternatives for its Medicaid program that includes a suggestion that the state should maintain the current program model, and also consider expanding it to include new populations, including the ABD population, that may number as many as 350,000 individuals.
In January 2012, Hawaii’s Department of Human Services selected us to serve the state’s QUEST Medicaid program, which covers beneficiaries of Hawaii’s TANF and CHIP, as well as other eligible beneficiaries across Hawaii. This is an expansion of Hawaii’s Medicaid program into managed care, where we currently serve approximately 24,000 ABD beneficiaries. We are one of five health plans selected to serve approximately QUEST 230,000 beneficiaries across the state. Beneficiaries of the QUEST program include low-income individuals, families and children who are not aged, blind or disabled. Services are expected to begin on or about July 1, 2012, and we will coordinate medical, behavioral and pharmacy services with a focus on improving health care access and the quality of care. With this new award, we become Hawaii’s only health plan to provide QUEST, QUEST Expanded Access and Medicare Advantage services across all six islands. We are unable to estimate our expected additional membership at this time.
Other states in which we have offered health plans for several years are expanding or reprocuring their Medicaid managed care programs, which may be very complementary to our existing operations and infrastructure, including Kansas, Missouri and Ohio. In addition, we anticipate the managed long-term care procurement by the Florida Medicaid program will occur in mid-2012.
Effective October 1, 2011, New York and Ohio implemented changes to their administration of prescription drug coverage for their Medicaid managed care enrollees. Pharmacy benefits that had been previously administered by the states will now be offered through health plans. This change resulted in additional revenue of approximately $28 million in 2011 and is expected to result in approximately $110.0 million to $120.0 million in additional revenue on an annual basis. New York is also working toward the potential expansion of its managed long-term care program. We participate in this program today, which includes the opportunity to coordinate Medicare and Medicaid benefits for dual members. In addition, New York is evaluating a number of alternatives for strengthening quality and cost management for its Medicaid program.
Effective January 1, 2012, we have expanded the geographic footprint of our MA plans by 19 counties to a total of 138 counties. These expansions occurred within our existing states. MA membership as of January 1, 2012 was approximately 146,000, an increase from 135,000 as of December 31, 2011. In addition, we now offer special needs plans for dually-eligible beneficiaries in all of the markets we serve. This expansion is consistent with our focus on the lower-income demographic of the market and our ability over time to serve both the Medicaid and Medicare-related coverage of these members.
Based on the outcome of our 2012 stand-alone PDP bids, our 2012 plans are below the benchmarks in five of the 34 CMS regions and within the de minimis range of the benchmark in 17 other CMS regions. Comparatively, in 2011, our plans were below the benchmarks in 20 regions and within the de minimis range in eight other regions. We have retained our auto-assigned members in those 17 regions in which we bid within the de minimis range; however, we will not be auto-assigned new members in those regions during 2012. Consequently, membership has declined to approximately 900,000 as of January 1, 2012, a decrease from 976,000 as of December 31, 2011. The Company anticipates PDP segment membership will decrease slightly during the remainder of 2012 due to normal attrition being offset by fewer new members as we will be auto-assigned newly eligible members in 2012 in only the five regions where we are below the benchmark. We believe our plans are well positioned relative to member utilization patterns, cost-sharing, and a focus on generic medications. Consequently, we believe our PDPs remain attractive to choosers, who comprise more than fifty percent of our current membership.
Our revenues and medical benefits expenses for fiscal years 2011 and 2010 were lower than in prior periods due to our exit on December 31, 2009 from our MA PFFS product and our exit from Medicaid programs in certain Florida counties during 2009. Premium revenue from our PFFS product represented approximately 41% of our MA reportable operating segment revenue and 17% of our consolidated premium revenue for the 2009 fiscal year.
Regulation
Provider reimbursement levels are subject to change by the states and CMS. In addition, some hospital contracts are directly tied to state Medicaid fee schedules, resulting in reimbursement levels that may be adjusted up or down, generally on a prospective basis, based on adjustments made by the state to the fee schedule. We have experienced, and may continue to experience, such adjustments. Unless such adjustments are mitigated by corresponding changes in premiums, our profitability will be negatively impacted.
Financial Impact of Government Investigations and Litigation
For a complete discussion of government investigations and litigation including the associated financial impact, please refer to our Selling, general and administrative expense discussion under Results of Operations below and Part IV, Item 15(a) – Note 11 – Commitments and Contingencies.
Basis of Presentation
Segments
Reportable operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise for which discrete financial information is available and evaluated on a regular basis by the Company’s decision-makers to determine how resources should be allocated to an individual segment and to assess performance of those segments. Previously, we reported two operating segments, Medicaid and Medicare, which coincide with our two main business lines. During the first quarter of 2010, we reassessed our segment reporting practices and made revisions to reflect our current method of managing performance and determining resource allocation, which includes reviewing the results of our PDP operations separately from other Medicare products. Accordingly, we now have three reportable segments: Medicaid, MA and PDP. The PFFS product that we exited December 31, 2009 is reported within the MA segment. The prior periods have been revised to reflect this segment presentation.
Medicaid
Medicaid was established to provide medical assistance to low-income and disabled persons. It is state operated and implemented, although it is funded and regulated by both the state and federal governments. Our Medicaid segment includes plans for beneficiaries of TANF, SSI, ABD and state-based programs that are not part of Medicaid programs, such as CHIP and FHP programs for qualifying families that are not eligible for Medicaid because they exceed the applicable income thresholds. TANF generally provides assistance to low-income families with children; ABD and SSI generally provide assistance to low-income aged, blind or disabled individuals.
The Medicaid programs and services we offer to our members vary by state and county and are designed to serve our various constituencies effectively in the communities we serve. Although our Medicaid contracts determine to a large extent the type and scope of health care services that we arrange for our members, in certain markets we customize our benefits in ways that we believe make our products more attractive. Our Medicaid plans provide our members with access to a broad spectrum of medical benefits from many facets of primary care and preventive programs to full hospitalization and tertiary care.
In general, members are required to use our network, except in cases of emergencies, transition of care or when network providers are unavailable to meet their medical needs, and generally must receive a referral from their PCP in order to receive health care from specialists, such as surgeons or neurologists. Members do not pay any premiums, deductibles or co-payments for most of our Medicaid plans.
Medicare Advantage
Medicare is a federal health insurance program that provides eligible persons age 65 and over, and some disabled persons, a variety of hospital, medical and prescription drug benefits. Our MA segment consists of MA plans which, following the exit of our PFFS product on December 31, 2009, is comprised of CCPs. MA is Medicare’s managed care alternative to original Medicare, which provides individuals standard Medicare benefits directly through CMS. CCPs are administered through HMOs and generally require members to seek health care services and select a PCP from a network of health care providers. In addition, we offer Medicare Part D coverage, which provides prescription drug benefits, as a component of our MA plans.
We cover a wide spectrum of medical services through our MA plans including, in some cases, additional benefits not covered by original Medicare, such as vision, dental and hearing services. Through these enhanced benefits, the out-of-pocket expenses incurred by our members are reduced, which allows our members to better manage their health care costs.
Most of our MA plans require members to pay a co-payment, which varies depending on the services and level of benefits provided. Typically, members of our MA CCPs are required to use our network of providers except in cases such as emergencies, transition of care or when specialty providers are unavailable to meet a member’s medical needs. MA CCP members may see out-of-network specialists if they receive referrals from their PCPs and may pay incremental cost-sharing. In most of our markets, we also offer special needs plans to individuals who are dually-eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. These plans, commonly called D-SNPs, are designed to provide specialized care and support for beneficiaries who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. We believe that our D-SNPs are attractive to these beneficiaries due to the enhanced benefit offerings and clinical support programs.
Prescription Drug Plans
We offer stand-alone Medicare Part D coverage to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries through our PDP segment. The Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit is supported by risk sharing with the federal government through risk corridors designed to limit the losses and gains of the drug plans and by reinsurance for catastrophic drug costs. The government subsidy is based on the national weighted average monthly bid for this coverage, adjusted for risk-factor payments. Additional subsidies are provided for dually-eligible beneficiaries and specified low-income beneficiaries. The Medicare Part D program offers national in-network prescription drug coverage that is subject to limitations in certain circumstances.
Depending on medical coverage type, a beneficiary has various options for accessing drug coverage. Beneficiaries enrolled in original Medicare can either join a stand-alone PDP or forego Part D drug coverage. Beneficiaries enrolled in MA CCPs can join a plan with Part D coverage, select a separate Part D plan, or forego Part D coverage.
We use three measures to assess the performance of our reportable operating segments: premium revenue, MBR and gross margin. Our MBR measures the ratio of our medical benefits expense to premiums earned, after excluding Medicaid premium taxes. Our gross margin is defined as our premium revenue less our medical benefits expense.
Our profitability depends in large part on our ability to, among other things, effectively price our health and prescription drug plans; predict and effectively manage medical benefits expense relative to the primarily fixed premiums we receive, including reserve estimates and pharmacy costs; contract with health care providers; and attract and retain members. In addition, factors such as regulation, competition and general economic conditions affect our operations and profitability. The effect of escalating health care costs, as well as any changes in our ability to negotiate competitive rates with our providers may impose further risks to our profitability and may have a material impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our largest expense is the cost of medical benefits that we provide, which is based primarily on our arrangements with health care providers and utilization of health care services by our members. Our arrangements with providers primarily fall into two broad categories: capitation arrangements, pursuant to which we pay the capitated providers a fixed fee per member and fee-for-service as well as risk-sharing arrangements, pursuant to which the provider assumes a portion of the risk of the cost of the health care provided. Capitation payments represented 11.0%, 12.0% and 11.0% of our total medical benefits expense for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Other components of medical benefits expense are variable and require estimation and ongoing cost management.
We use a variety of techniques to manage our medical benefits expense, including payment methods to providers, referral requirements, quality and disease management programs, reinsurance and member co-payments and premiums for some of our Medicare plans. National health care costs have been increasing at a higher rate than the general inflation rate; however, relatively small changes in our medical benefits expense relative to premiums that we receive can create significant changes in our financial results. Changes in health care laws, regulations and practices, levels of use of health care services, competitive pressures, hospital costs, major epidemics, terrorism or bio-terrorism, new medical technologies and other external factors could reduce our ability to manage our medical benefits expense effectively.
Our primary tools for measuring profitability are gross margin and MBR. Changes in gross margin and MBR from period to period result from, among other things, changes in Medicaid and Medicare funding, changes in the mix of Medicaid and Medicare membership, our ability to manage medical costs and changes in accounting estimates related to IBNR claims. We use gross margin and MBRs both to monitor our management of medical benefits and medical benefits expense and to make various business decisions, including what health care plans to offer, what geographic areas to enter or exit and which health care providers to select. Although gross margin and MBRs play an important role in our business strategy, we may be willing to enter new geographical markets and/or enter into provider arrangements that might produce a less favorable gross margin and MBR if those arrangements, such as capitation or risk sharing, would likely lower our exposure to variability in medical costs or for other reasons.
The following table sets forth data from our consolidated statements of operations, as well as other key data used in our results of operations discussion. The historical results are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for any future period.
2011 vs. 2010:
In 2012, we expect membership growth in our Medicaid and MA segments, offset in part by reduced PDP segment membership. The growth expectation in Medicaid is driven by membership increases in Kentucky subsequent to our initial launch, the contract award for Hawaii’s QUEST Medicaid program in January that is effective July 1, 2012, as well as membership growth opportunities existing in states in which we currently operate. The growth expectation in MA is based on results of the annual election period, which resulted in an increase of approximately 10,000 members effective January 1, 2012, as well as our continued focus on dually-eligible beneficiaries. However, as a result of our 2012 PDP bids, our PDP membership declined to approximately 900,000 as of January 1, 2012. We anticipate PDP segment membership will decrease slightly during the remainder of 2012 due to normal attrition being offset by fewer new members as we will be auto-assigned newly eligible members in fewer regions.
2010 vs. 2009:
2011 vs. 2010:
2010 vs. 2009:
For the year ended December 31, 2010, the net loss was $53.4 million compared to $39.9 million of net income for the same period in 2009. Excluding investigation-related and litigation-resolution costs of $167.6 million and $86.7 million, net of tax, net income would have been $114.2 million and $126.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The decrease in net income, as adjusted, for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to the same period in the prior year was mainly the result of the loss of gross margin from the withdrawal of our PFFS product and increases in Medicare-related marketing costs, partially offset by our overall MBR improvement and reductions in SG&A expenses.
2011 vs. 2010:
Premium revenue for the year ended December 31, 2011 increased by approximately $667.9 million, or 12%, compared to the same period in the prior year primarily due to membership growth during 2011 in our PDP and MA segments, rate increases in certain of our Medicaid markets, the launch of our Kentucky Medicaid program in November 2011 and additional premiums recognized in connection with retrospective maternity claims in Georgia. Premium revenue includes $76.2 million and $56.4 million of Medicaid premium taxes for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.
2010 vs. 2009:
2011 vs. 2010:
2010 vs. 2009:
For the year ended December 31, 2010, investment and other income decreased $0.9 million, or 8.3%, to $10.0 million from $10.9 million for the same period in the prior year. The decrease was primarily due to reduced market rates on lower average cash and investment balances, partially offset by the increase in other income attributed to shifting our investment portfolio during the third quarter of 2010 from tax-exempt to taxable investments, which typically generates a higher yield, and from other income derived primarily from co-payments collected on member prescriptions and sales of prescription drugs to non-members that can vary during any particular period.
2011 vs. 2010:
Total medical benefits expense for the year ended December 31, 2011 increased $335.4 million, or 7%, compared to the same period in 2010. The increase in medical benefits expense is due mainly to the increase in PDP membership, the increase in MBR in the PDP segment that was consistent with our bids, and increased membership and higher MBR in the MA segment. The increases were partially offset by lower expense in the Medicaid segment resulting principally from the impact of net favorable prior period development in medical benefits payable and our medical expense initiatives. For the year ended December 31, 2011, medical benefits expense was impacted by approximately $191.2 million of net favorable development related to prior years. For the year ended December 31, 2010, medical benefits expense was impacted by approximately $56.2 million of net favorable reserve development related to prior years. The increased net favorable development of prior years’ medical benefits payable experienced in 2011 compared to 2010 was primarily related to unusually low utilization in our Medicaid segment in 2010 that became clearer over time as claim payments were processed and more complete claims information was obtained.
We anticipate that the consolidated MBR, as well as the MBRs for all three of our segments, will increase in 2012 compared to 2011 as a result of the magnitude of net favorable development of medical benefits payable that occurred in 2011.
2010 vs. 2009:
2011 vs. 2010:
2010 vs. 2009:
Medicaid premium taxes incurred in the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 amounted to $76.2 million and $56.4 million, respectively. The increase in Medicaid premium taxes in 2011 was mainly due to the reinstatement of premium taxes by Georgia in July 2010. In October 2009, Georgia stopped assessing taxes on Medicaid premiums remitted to us, which resulted in an equal reduction to premium revenues and Medicaid premium taxes. However, effective July 1, 2010, Georgia began assessing premium taxes again on Medicaid premiums. Therefore, during the first half of 2010, we were not assessed, nor did we remit, any taxes on premiums in Georgia. We were assessed and remitted taxes on premiums in Hawaii, Missouri, New York and Ohio for both the 2011 and 2010 periods.
Interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2011 was $6.5 million compared to $0.2 million and $3.1 million for the same periods in 2010 and 2009. The increase in interest expense in 2011 is mainly driven by $6.1 million of interest related to the $112.5 million subordinated notes issued in September 2011, and to a lesser extent, interest on the $150.0 million term loan, which closed on August 1, 2011. We issued $112.5 million (aggregate par value) of tradable unsecured subordinated notes on September 30, 2011 in connection with the stipulation and settlement agreement, which was approved in May 2011 to resolve the putative class action complaints previously filed against us in 2007. The subordinated notes had a fixed coupon of 6% and interest was retroactive to May 2011.
2011 vs. 2010:
Income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2011 was $154.2 million compared to an income tax benefit of $19.4 million for the same period in 2010. Our effective income tax rate on pre-tax income was 36.9% for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to 26.7% on a pre-tax loss for the same period in 2010. The comparability of the effective tax rates between 2011 and 2010 was impacted by changes related to estimated non-deductible amounts associated with investigation resolution payments, the favorable resolution of prior years’ state tax matters in 2011 and the incurrence of a pre-tax loss in 2010. Additionally, the effective tax rate for the 2010 period was impacted by limitations on the deductibility of certain administrative expenses associated with the resolution of investigation-related matters.
2010 vs. 2009:
Income tax benefit on pre-tax loss for the year ended December 31, 2010 was $19.4 million compared to income tax expense of $53.1 million on pre-tax income for the same period in the prior year, with an effective tax rate of 26.7% and 57.1% for the year ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Our effective income tax rate in both years differed from the statutory tax rate primarily due to limitations on the deductibility of certain administrative expenses associated with the resolution of investigation-related matters as well as certain executive compensation costs.
2011 vs. 2010:
2010 vs. 2009:
Excluding Medicaid premium taxes, Medicaid premium revenue for the year ended December 31, 2010 increased $86.7 million to $3,252.4 million from $3,165.7 million for the same period in the prior year. The increase in premium revenue was mainly due to rate increases implemented in most markets during the year and membership growth in Georgia, partially offset by the overall decrease in membership, primarily in Florida. Membership decreased overall by approximately 9,000 members to 1,340,000 as of December 31, 2010, from 1,349,000 as of December 31, 2009.
Medicaid medical benefits expense for the year ended December 31, 2010 increased $36.7 million to $2,847.3 million from $2,810.6 million from the same period in the prior year due mainly to the impact of prior period favorable reserve development experienced in 2009, increase in membership and a change in the demographic mix of our members. The decrease in Medicaid MBR for the year ended December 31, 2010 is mainly from premium increases during 2010 and the impact of medical cost initiatives that we have implemented, partially offset by the impact of the net favorable prior year reserve development recognized in 2009 that exceeds the impact of the net favorable prior year reserve development recognized in 2010.
MA premium revenue for the year ended December 31, 2011 increased 11% when compared to the same period in 2010 mainly from an increase in membership. Membership increased by approximately 19,000 members between December 31, 2010 and 2011. The increase in MA premium revenue and membership was attributable to our product design, strengthening of our sales processes and heightened focus on membership growth activities during the annual election periods in 2010 and 2011. MA medical expense increased by 12% in 2011, due to the increase in membership, as well as an increase in the segment MBR. MA segment MBR increased by approximately 90 basis points for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to the same period in 2010, primarily due to the favorable reserve development we experienced in 2010 from the wind-down of our PFFS plans. As a result, the segment gross margin increase in 2011 amounted to 6%.
2010 vs. 2009:
As previously discussed, our MA segment includes results from the PFFS product that we exited on December 31, 2009. Our PFFS product contributed revenues of approximately $1,133.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2009 and medical benefits expense for our PFFS product was $984.1 million for the same period. During 2010 we continue to administer the PFFS program, which included processing claims payments as well as providing member and provider services related to health care services provided prior to our exit on December 31, 2009. As a result, we recognized $3.5 million for retrospective risk-adjusted premium settlements related to our PFFS product for the year ended December 31, 2010. The wind-down of PFFS also lowered medical benefits expense by approximately $33.4 million as a result of the favorable development of 2009 and prior years’ medical benefits payable.
For the MA segment, membership for January 2012 is estimated to be 145,000, an increase from 135,000 as of December 31, 2011. Currently, we expect MA segment membership to continue to grow during the remaining months of 2012, as we leverage our success in serving dually-eligible beneficiaries as well as the broader growth in the Medicare population.
PDP premium revenue increased 32% for the year ended December 31, 2011 when compared to the same period in 2010, resulting primarily from increased membership, partially offset by the impact of lower pricing consistent with our bid results. Membership increased by 27% in 2011, largely due to an increase in auto-assigned members resulting from our 2011 bids and the addition of one CMS region. The PDP MBR increased by 150 basis points in 2011 compared to 2010 due to our bid results, member mix and higher utilization. The segment gross margin increased by approximately 22%.
2010 vs. 2009:
PDP MBR improved for the year ended December 31, 2010 due to improved performance of the product as a result of our revised product benefit design and increased generic drug dispensing through the bid process. PDP gross margin for the year ended December 31, 2010 increased $67.5 million to $150.1 million from $82.6 million for the same period in the prior year. The improvement in gross margin was due mainly to better overall performance of the Part D product and improved MBR despite the decrease in premiums.
Our business consists of operations conducted by our regulated subsidiaries, including HMOs and insurance subsidiaries, and our non-regulated subsidiaries. The primary sources of cash for our regulated subsidiaries include premium revenue, investment income and capital contributions made by us to our regulated subsidiaries. Our regulated subsidiaries are each subject to applicable state regulations that, among other things, require the maintenance of minimum levels of capital and surplus. Our regulated subsidiaries’ primary uses of cash include payment of medical expenses, management fees to our non-regulated third-party administrator subsidiary (the “TPA”) and direct administrative costs, which are not covered by the agreement with the TPA, such as selling expenses and legal costs. We refer collectively to the cash and investment balances maintained by our regulated subsidiaries as “regulated cash” and “regulated investments,” respectively.
The primary sources of cash for our non-regulated subsidiaries are management fees and dividends received from our regulated subsidiaries and investment income. Our non-regulated subsidiaries’ primary uses of cash include payment of administrative costs not charged to our regulated subsidiaries for corporate functions, including administrative services related to claims payment, member and provider services, information technology and debt service. Other primary uses include capital contributions made by our non-regulated subsidiaries to our regulated subsidiaries. We refer collectively to the cash and investment balances available in our non-regulated subsidiaries as “unregulated cash” and “unregulated investments,” respectively.
The table below presents our cash and investment positions, excluding restricted investments.
We are pursuing alternatives to raise additional unregulated cash. Some of these initiatives include, but are not limited to, consideration of obtaining dividends from certain of our regulated subsidiaries to the extent that we are able to access any available excess capital and/or accessing the debt and equity capital markets. However, we cannot provide any assurances that we will obtain applicable state regulatory approvals for additional dividends to our non-regulated subsidiaries by our regulated subsidiaries or be successful in accessing the capital markets if we determine to do so.
In August 2011, we entered into a $300.0 million senior secured credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) that can be used for general corporate purposes. The Credit Agreement provides for a $150.0 million term loan facility as well as a $150.0 million revolving credit facility. Upon closing, we borrowed $150.0 million pursuant to the term loan facility and incurred approximately $2.5 million of debt issuance costs that have been deferred and will be amortized over the life of the agreement. The Credit Agreement replaces the previous credit facility, which had never been drawn upon and which has now been terminated. We had at all times remained in compliance with all covenants associated with the former agreement.
As of the date of this filing, the revolving credit facility has not been drawn upon and we remain in compliance with all covenants.
As of December 31, 2011, we held municipal note investments with an auction reset feature (“auction rate securities”). These notes are issued by various state and local municipal entities for the purpose of financing student loans, public projects and other activities, which carry investment grade credit ratings. Liquidity for these auction rate securities is typically provided by an auction process which allows holders to sell their notes and resets the applicable interest rate at pre-determined intervals, usually every seven or 35 days. As of the date of this Form 10-K, auctions have failed for our auction rate securities and there is no assurance that auctions will succeed in the future. An auction failure means that the parties wishing to sell their securities could not be matched with an adequate volume of buyers. In the event that there is a failed auction the indenture governing the security requires the issuer to pay interest at a contractually defined rate that is generally above market rates for other types of similar instruments. The securities for which auctions have failed will continue to accrue interest at the contractual rate and be auctioned every seven or 35 days until the auction succeeds, the issuer calls the securities, or they mature. As a result, our ability to liquidate and fully recover the carrying value of our remaining auction rate securities in the near term may be limited or non-existent. In addition, while all of our auction rate securities currently carry investment grade ratings, if the issuers are unable to successfully close future auctions and their credit ratings deteriorate, we may in the future be required to record an impairment charge on these investments.
Although auctions continue to fail, we believe we will be able to liquidate these securities without significant loss. There are government guarantees or municipal bond insurance in place and we have the ability and the present intent to hold these securities until maturity or market stability is restored. Accordingly, we do not believe our auction rate securities are impaired and as a result, we have not recorded any impairment losses for our auction rate securities. However, it could take until the final maturity of the underlying securities to realize our investments’ recorded value. The final maturity of the underlying securities could be as long as 28 years. The weighted-average life of the underlying securities for our auction rate securities portfolio is 23 years. During 2011, auction rate securities of $11.2 million, in the aggregate, were called at par, at the option of the issuer.
We have expended significant financial resources in connection with the investigations and related litigation. Since the inception of these investigations through December 31, 2011, we have incurred a total of approximately $241.4 million for administrative expenses associated with, or consequential to, these governmental and Company investigations specifically for legal fees, accounting fees, consulting fees, employee recruitment and retention costs and other similar expenses, prior to any insurance recoveries.
In August 2010, we entered into an agreement and release with the carriers of our D&O liability insurance relating to coverage we sought for claims relating to the previously disclosed government investigations and related litigation. We agreed to accept immediate payment of $32.5 million, including $6.7 million received by us in prior years, in satisfaction of the $45.0 million face amount of the relevant D&O insurance policies and the carriers agreed to waive any rights they may have to challenge our coverage under the policies. The agreement and release did not include a $10.0 million face amount policy we maintain for non-indemnifiable securities claims by directors and officers during the same time period and such policy is not affected by the agreement and release. Accordingly, we recorded the $25.8 million of insurance proceeds as a reduction to SG&A expenses at the time the agreement was executed in 2010. No additional recoveries with respect to such matters are expected under our insurance policies and all expenses incurred by us in the future for these matters will not be further reimbursed by our insurance policies. We currently maintain directors’ and officers’ liability insurance in the amount of $125.0 million for other matters not addressed above.
Our operations are conducted primarily through HMO and insurance subsidiaries. These subsidiaries are licensed by the insurance department in the state in which they operate, except our New York HMO subsidiary, which is licensed as a Prepaid Health Services Plan by the New York State Department of Health, and are subject to the rules, regulation and oversight of the applicable state agencies in the areas of licensing and solvency. State insurance laws and regulations prescribe accounting practices for determining statutory net income and capital and surplus. Each of our regulated subsidiaries is required to report regularly on its operational and financial performance to the appropriate regulatory agency in the state in which it is licensed. These reports describe each of our regulated subsidiaries’ capital structure, ownership, financial condition, certain intercompany transactions and business operations. From time to time, any of our regulated subsidiaries may be selected to undergo periodic audits, examinations or reviews by the applicable state agency of our operational and financial assertions.
Each of our regulated subsidiaries generally must obtain approval from, or provide notice to, the state in which it is domiciled before entering into certain transactions such as declaring dividends in excess of certain thresholds, entering into other arrangements with related parties, and acquisitions or similar transactions involving an HMO or insurance company, or any change in control. For purposes of these laws, in general, control commonly is presumed to exist when a person, group of persons or entity, directly or indirectly, owns, controls or holds the power to vote 10% or more of the voting securities of another entity.
The statutory framework for our regulated subsidiaries’ minimum capital changes over time. For instance, RBC requirements may be adopted by more of the states in which we operate. These subsidiaries are also subject to their state regulators’ overall oversight powers. In addition, regulators could require our subsidiaries to maintain minimum levels of statutory net worth in excess of the amount required under the applicable state laws if the regulators determine that maintaining such additional statutory net worth is in the best interest of our members and other constituents. Moreover, if we expand our plan offerings in new states or pursue new business opportunities, we may be required to make additional statutory capital contributions.
In addition to the foregoing requirements, our regulated subsidiaries are subject to restrictions on their ability to make dividend payments, loans and other transfers of cash. Dividend restrictions vary by state, but the maximum amount of dividends which can be paid without prior approval from the applicable state is subject to, among other things, restrictions relating to statutory capital, surplus and net income for the previous year. States may disapprove any dividend that, together with other dividends paid by a subsidiary in the prior twelve months, exceeds the regulatory maximum as computed for the subsidiary based on its statutory surplus and net income.
Also, we may only invest in the types of investments allowed by the state in order to qualify as admitted assets and we are required by certain states to deposit or pledge assets that are considered as restricted assets. At December 31, 2011 and 2010, all of our restricted assets consisted of cash and cash equivalents, money market accounts, certificates of deposits, and U.S. government securities.
We generally receive premiums in advance of payments of claims for health care services; however, cash flows related to our operations can fluctuate significantly in a particular period depending on the timing of premiums receipts from our government partners or payments related to resolving government investigations and related litigation.
The net cash inflow from operations for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 was primarily due to changes in the receivables and liabilities due to timing of cash receipts and payments. In 2011, we paid approximately $87.5 million in connection with resolving shareholder class action complaints. Cash flows in 2009 were negatively impacted by payments related to settlements reached with the USAO and SEC. Pursuant to the terms of the DPA, we paid the USAO a total of $44.8 million and paid the SEC $7.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2009.
In 2010, investing activities consisted primarily of net purchases of investments totaling approximately $56.0 million as well as $27.5 million of additions to property, equipment and capitalized software, partially offset by net proceeds from the maturity of restricted investments totaling approximately $23.0 million.
In 2009, investing activities consisted primarily of net proceeds from the maturity of restricted investments totaling approximately $68.4 million and the net proceeds from the sale and maturities of investments totaling approximately $11.4 million, partially offset by increases in property, equipment and capitalized software totaling approximately $16.1 million.
In 2010, financing activities consisted primarily of funds held for the benefit of members, which increased approximately $44.7 million over 2009. In 2009, financing activities consisted primarily of the repayment in full of the outstanding amount of $152.8 million under the credit facility on its due date.
At December 31, 2011, we did not have any off-balance sheet financing arrangements except for operating leases as described in the table below.
The following table sets forth information regarding our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2011.
We are not an obligor under or guarantor of any indebtedness of any other party; however, we may have to pay referral claims of health care providers under contract with us who are not able to pay costs of medical services provided by other providers.
In the ordinary course of business, we make a number of estimates and assumptions relating to the reporting of our results of operations and financial condition in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ significantly from those estimates under different assumptions and conditions. We believe that the accounting estimates relating to premium revenue recognition, medical benefits expense and medical benefits payable, and goodwill and intangible assets are those that are most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations and require management’s most difficult, subjective and complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain.
We receive premiums from state and federal agencies for the members that are assigned to, or have selected, us to provide health care services under Medicaid and Medicare contracts. The premiums we receive for each member vary according to the specific government program and are generally determined at the beginning of the contract period. These premiums are subject to adjustment throughout the term of the contract by CMS and the states throughout the term of the contracts, although such adjustments are typically made at the commencement of each new contract renewal period.
We recognize premium revenues in the period in which we are obligated to provide services to our members. Premiums are billed monthly for coverage in the following month and we are paid generally in the month in which we provide services. Any amounts that have been earned and have not been received are recorded in our consolidated balance sheets as premium receivables. Any amounts received by us in advance of the period of service are recorded as a liability, unearned premiums, in our consolidated balance sheets and are not recognized as revenue until the respective services have been provided. On a monthly basis, we bill members for any premiums for which they are responsible according to their respective plan. We estimate, on an ongoing basis, the amount of member billings that may not be fully collectible based on historical trends. An allowance is established for the estimated amount that may not be collectible and a liability is established for premium expected to be returned. Historically, the allowance for member premiums receivable has not been significant relative to premium revenue.
We record adjustments to revenues based on member retroactivity. These adjustments reflect changes in the number and eligibility status of enrollees subsequent to when revenue was billed. Premium payments that we receive are based upon eligibility lists produced by the government. We verify these lists to determine whether we have been paid for the correct premium category and program. From time to time, the states or CMS requires us to reimburse them for premiums that we received based on an eligibility list that a state, CMS or we later discover contains individuals who were not eligible for any government-sponsored program or belong to a plan other than ours. The verification and subsequent membership changes may result in additional amounts due to us or we may owe premiums back to the government. We estimate the amount of outstanding retroactivity adjustments each period and adjust premium revenue accordingly; if appropriate, the estimates of retroactivity adjustments are based on historical trends, premiums billed, the volume of member and contract renewal activity and other information. The amounts receivable or payable identified by us through reconciliation and verification of agency eligibility lists relate to current and prior periods. The amounts receivable from government agencies for reconciling items were $28.3 million and $0.3 million at December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The amounts due to government agencies for reconciling items were $7.3 million and $63.3 million at December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively. These amounts are recorded net and are included in premium receivables in the consolidated balance sheets.
The cost of medical benefits is recognized in the period in which services are provided and includes an estimate of the cost of IBNR medical benefits. Medical benefits payable included in our consolidated balance sheets represents amounts for claims fully adjudicated but not yet paid and estimates for IBNR, and includes direct medical expenses and medically-related administrative costs. Direct medical expenses include amounts paid or payable to hospitals, physicians and providers of ancillary services, such as laboratories and pharmacies. Such expense may also include reserves for estimated referral claims related to health care providers under contract with us who are financially troubled or insolvent and who may not be able to honor their obligations for the costs of medical services provided by other providers. In these instances, we may be required to honor these obligations for legal or business reasons. Based on our current assessment of providers under contract with us, such losses have not been and are not expected to be significant. Also, included in direct medical expense are estimates for provider settlements due to clarification of contract terms, out-of-network reimbursement, claims payment differences and amounts due to contracted providers under risk-sharing arrangements. Medically-related administrative costs include items such as case and disease management, utilization review services, quality assurance and on-call nurses, which are recorded in selling, general, and administrative expense. The following table provides a detail of the components of medical benefits payable:
The medical benefits payable estimate has been and continues to be our most significant estimate included in our financial statements. We historically have used and continue to use a consistent methodology for estimating our medical benefits expense and medical benefits payable. Our policy is to record management’s best estimate of medical benefits payable based on the experience and information available to us at the time. This estimate is determined utilizing standard actuarial methodologies based upon historical experience and key assumptions consisting of trend factors and completion factors using an assumption of moderately adverse conditions, which vary by business segment. These standard actuarial methodologies include using, among other factors, contractual requirements, historic utilization trends, the interval between the date services are rendered and the date claims are paid, denied claims activity, disputed claims activity, benefits changes, expected health care cost inflation, seasonality patterns, maturity of lines of business and changes in membership.
The factors and assumptions described above that are used to develop our estimate of medical benefits expense and medical benefits payable inherently are subject to greater variability when there is more limited experience or information available to us. The ultimate claims payment amounts, patterns and trends for new products and geographic areas cannot be precisely predicted at their onset, since we, the providers and the members do not have experience in these products or geographic areas. Standard accepted actuarial methodologies, discussed above, would allow for this inherent variability. This can result in larger differences between the originally estimated medical benefits payable and the actual claims amounts paid. Conversely, during periods where our products and geographies are more stable and mature, we have more reliable claims payment patterns and trend experience. With more reliable data, we should be able to more closely estimate the ultimate claims payment amounts; therefore, we may experience smaller differences between our original estimate of medical benefits payable and the actual claim amounts paid.
In developing our estimates, we apply different estimation methods depending on the month for which incurred claims are being estimated. For the more recent months, which constitute the majority of the amount of the medical benefits payable, we estimate claims incurred by applying observed trend factors to the fixed fee PMPM costs for prior months, which costs have been estimated using completion factors, in order to estimate the PMPM costs for the most recent months. We validate our estimates of the most recent PMPM costs by comparing the most recent months’ utilization levels to the utilization levels in prior months and actuarial techniques that incorporate a historical analysis of claim payments, including trends in cost of care provided and timeliness of submission and processing of claims.
Many aspects of the managed care business are not predictable. These aspects include the incidences of illness or disease state (such as congestive heart failure cases, cases of upper respiratory illness, the length and severity of the flu season, diabetes, the number of full-term versus premature births and the number of neonatal intensive care babies). Therefore, we must continually monitor our historical experience in determining our trend assumptions to reflect the ever-changing mix, needs and size of our membership. Among the factors considered by management are changes in the level of benefits provided to members, seasonal variations in utilization, identified industry trends and changes in provider reimbursement arrangements, including changes in the percentage of reimbursements made on a capitation as opposed to a fee-for-service basis. These considerations are reflected in the trends in our medical benefits expense. Other external factors such as government-mandated benefits or other regulatory changes, catastrophes and epidemics may impact medical cost trends. Other internal factors such as system conversions and claims processing interruptions may impact our ability to accurately predict estimates of historical completion factors or medical cost trends. Medical cost trends potentially are more volatile than other segments of the economy. Management uses considerable judgment in determining medical benefits expense trends and other actuarial model inputs. We believe that the amount of medical benefits payable as of December 31, 2011 is adequate to cover our ultimate liability for unpaid claims as of that date; however, actual payments may differ from established estimates. If the completion factors we used in estimating our IBNR for the year ended December 31, 2011 were decreased by 1%, our net income would decrease by approximately $59.6 million. If the completion factors were increased by 1%, our net income would increase by approximately $58.2 million.
Changes in medical benefits payable estimates are primarily the result of obtaining more complete claims information and medical expense trend data over time. Volatility in members’ needs for medical services, provider claims submissions and our payment processes result in identifiable patterns emerging several months after the causes of deviations from assumed trends occur. Since our estimates are based upon PMPM claims experience, changes cannot typically be explained by any single factor, but are the result of a number of interrelated variables, all of which influence the resulting medical cost trend. Differences between actual experience and estimates used to establish the liability, which we refer to as prior period developments, are recorded in the period when such differences become known, and have the effect of increasing or decreasing the reported medical benefits expense and resulting MBR in such periods. Such differences can have a material impact on results of operations in the periods in which they are recognized.
After determining an estimate of the base reserve, actuarial standards of practice require that a margin for uncertainty be considered in determining the estimate for unpaid claim liabilities. If a margin is included, the claim liabilities should be adequate under moderately adverse conditions. Therefore, we make an additional estimate in the process of establishing the IBNR, which also uses standard actuarial techniques, to account for adverse conditions that may cause actual claims to be higher than estimated compared to the base reserve, for which the model is not intended to account. We refer to this additional liability as the provision for moderately adverse conditions. The provision for moderately adverse conditions is a component of our overall determination of the adequacy of our IBNR reserve and the provision for moderately adverse conditions is intended to capture the potential adverse development from factors such as our entry into new geographical markets, our provision of services to new populations such as the aged, blind and disabled, the variations in utilization of benefits and increasing medical cost, changes in provider reimbursement arrangements, variations in claims processing speed and patterns, claims payment, the severity of claims, and outbreaks of disease such as the flu. Because of the complexity of our business, the number of states in which we operate, and the need to account for different health care benefit packages among those states, we make an overall assessment of IBNR after considering the base actuarial model reserves and the provision for moderately adverse conditions. We consistently apply our IBNR estimation methodology from period to period. We review our overall estimates of IBNR on a monthly basis. As additional information becomes known to us, we adjust our assumptions accordingly to change our estimate of IBNR. Therefore, if moderately adverse conditions do not occur, evidenced by more complete claims information in the following period, then our prior period estimates will be revised downward, resulting in favorable development. However, when a portion of the development related to the prior year incurred claims is offset by an increase determined to address moderately adverse conditions for the current year incurred claims, we do not consider that development amount as having any impact on net income during the period. If moderately adverse conditions occur and are more than we estimated, then our prior period estimates will be revised upward, resulting in unfavorable development, which would decrease current period net income.
The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balance of medical benefits payable:
Medical benefits payable recorded at December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 developed favorably by approximately $252.1 million, $116.3 million and $121.0 million in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. A portion of the prior period development was attributable to the release of the provision for moderately adverse conditions, which is included as part of the assumptions. The release of the provision for moderately adverse conditions was substantially offset by the provision for moderately adverse conditions established for claims incurred in the current year. Accordingly, the change in the amount of the incurred claims related to prior years in the Medical benefits payable does not directly correspond to an increase in net income recognized during the period.
In addition to the release of the provision for moderately adverse conditions, medical benefits expense for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 was impacted by approximately $191.2 million and $56.2 million, respectively, of net favorable development related to prior years. The net favorable prior year reserve development during 2011 resulted primarily from 2010 medical cost trend emerging favorably in our Medicaid segment due to lower than projected utilization. The net favorable prior year reserve development in 2010 was primarily associated with the exit of the PFFS product on December 31, 2009. The factors impacting the changes in the determination of medical benefits payable discussed above were not discernible in advance. The impact became clearer over time as claim payments were processed and more complete claims information was obtained.
We obtained goodwill and other intangible assets as a result of the acquisitions of our subsidiaries. These assets are allocated to reporting segments for impairment testing purposes. Goodwill represents the excess of the cost over the fair market value of net assets acquired. Goodwill attributable to our Medicare reporting segment was determined to be fully impaired in 2008 and was completely written off. Accordingly, all of the remaining goodwill is attributable to our Medicaid reporting segment. Other intangible assets include provider networks, trademarks, state contracts, licenses and permits. Our other intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives ranging from approximately one to 26 years.
We evaluated the intangible assets associated with our PFFS business, which primarily consisted of state licenses for the insurance companies that underwrote that line of business. As we continue to use these company licenses for other lines of business and the licenses have a market value, we determined that these assets were not impaired.
As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, we had short-term investments of $198.6 million and $108.8 million, respectively. The short-term investments consist of highly liquid securities with maturities between three and 12 months as well as longer term bonds with floating interest rates that are considered available for sale. We held restricted investments of $60.7 million and $107.6 million, at December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively, which consist principally of cash, cash equivalents and other short-term investments required by various state statutes or regulations. These restricted assets are classified as long-term regardless of the contractual maturity date due to the nature of the states’ requirements. Because of the short-term nature of short-term and restricted investments, we would not expect the value of these investments to decline significantly as a result of a sudden change in market interest rates. At December 31, 2011 and 2010, we held investments classified as long-term in the amount of $83.0 million and $62.9 million, respectively. The investments classified as long term are subject to interest rate risk and will decrease in value if market rates increase. Assuming a hypothetical and immediate 1% increase in market interest rates at December 31, 2011, the fair value of our long-term fixed income investments would decrease by approximately $0.8 million. Similarly, a 1% decrease in market interest rates at December 31, 2011 would result in an increase of the fair value of our investments by less than $0.8 million.