Company: HUM
Filing Date: 2025-02-20
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000049071-25-000007
Chunk: 22

Company: HUMANA INC
Filing Date: 2025-02-20
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 8
Chunk 22
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 therefore requires us to examine historical trend patterns as the primary method of evaluation. Changes in claim processes, including recoveries of overpayments, receipt cycle times, claim inventory levels, outsourcing, system conversions, and processing disruptions due to weather or other events affect views regarding the reasonable choice of completion factors. Claim payments to providers for services rendered are often net of overpayment recoveries for claims paid previously, as contractually allowed. Claim overpayment recoveries can result from many different factors, including retroactive enrollment activity, audits of provider billings, and/or payment errors. Changes in patterns of claim overpayment recoveries can be unpredictable and result in completion factor volatility, as they often impact older dates of service. The receipt cycle time measures the average length of time between when a medical claim was initially incurred and when the claim form was received. Increases in electronic claim submissions from providers decrease the receipt cycle time. If claims are submitted or processed on a faster (slower) pace than prior periods, the actual claim may be more (less) complete than originally estimated using our completion factors, which may result in reserves that are higher (lower) than required.Medical cost trends potentially are more volatile than other segments of the economy. The drivers of medical cost trends include increases in the utilization of hospital facilities, physician services, new higher priced technologies and medical procedures, and new prescription drugs and therapies, as well as the inflationary effect on the cost per unit of each of these expense components. Other external factors such as government-mandated benefits or other regulatory changes, the tort liability system, increases in medical services capacity, direct to consumer advertising for prescription drugs and medical services, an aging population, lifestyle changes including diet and smoking, catastrophes, public health emergencies, epidemics and pandemics (such as COVID-19) also may impact medical cost trends. Internal factors such as system conversions, claims processing cycle times, changes in medical management practices and changes in provider contracts also may impact our ability to accurately predict estimates of historical completion factors or medical cost trends. All of these factors are considered in estimating IBNR and in estimating the per member per month claims trend for purposes of determining the reserve for the most recent two months. Additionally, we continually prepare and review follow-up studies to assess the reasonableness of the estimates generated by our process and methods over time. The results of these studies are also considered in determining the reserve for the most recent two months. Each of these factors requires significant judgment by management.We reassess the profitability of our contracts for providing insurance