BlueCard® host customers represent enrollees of Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield plans not owned by Anthem who receive healthcare services in our BCBSA licensed markets. BlueCard® membership consists of estimated host members using the national BlueCard® program. Host members are generally members who reside in or travel to a state in which an Anthem subsidiary is the Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield licensee and who are covered under an employer-sponsored health plan issued by a non-Anthem controlled BCBSA licensee (i.e., the “home plan”). We perform certain administrative functions for BlueCard® members, for which we receive administrative fees from the BlueCard® members’ home plans. Other administrative functions, including maintenance of enrollment information and customer service, are performed by the home plan. Host members are computed using, among other things, the
Medicaid membership represents eligible members who receive healthcare benefits through publicly funded healthcare programs, including Medicaid, ACA-related Medicaid expansion programs, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, programs for seniors and people with disabilities, Children’s Health Insurance Programs, and specialty programs such as those focused on long-term services and support, HIV/AIDS, foster care, behavioral health and/or substance abuse disorders, and intellectual disabilities or developmental disabilities, among others. Total Medicaid program business accounted for 17.7%, 16.8% and 16.1% of our medical members at December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
While there are many factors that are used as a part of the estimation of our medical claims payable liability, the two key assumptions having the most significant impact on our incurred but not paid claims liability as of December 31, 2019 were the completion and trend factors. As discussed above, these two key assumptions can be influenced by utilization levels, unit costs, mix of business, benefit plan designs, provider reimbursement levels, processing system conversions and changes, claim inventory levels, claim processing patterns, claim submission patterns and operational changes resulting from business combinations.
The ratio of current year medical claims paid as a percent of current year net medical claims incurred was 89.3% for 2019, 90.2% for 2018 and 89.4% for 2017. This ratio serves as an indicator of claims processing speed whereby claims were processed slightly slower during 2019 than in 2018 and close to the same speed as in 2017.
We review fixed maturity investment securities to determine if declines in fair value below cost are other-than-temporary. This review is subjective and requires a high degree of judgment. We conduct this review on a quarterly basis, using both qualitative and quantitative factors, to determine whether a decline in value is other-than-temporary. Such factors considered include the extent to which a security’s market value has been less than its cost, the reasons for the decline in value (i.e., credit event compared to liquidity, general credit spread widening, currency exchange rate or interest rate factors), financial condition and near term prospects of the issuer, including the credit ratings and changes in the credit ratings of the issuer, recommendations of investment advisors, and forecasts of economic, market or industry trends.
We obtain quoted market prices for each security from the pricing services, which are derived through recently reported trades for identical or similar securities, making adjustments through the reporting date based upon available market observable information. For securities not actively traded, the pricing services may use quoted market prices of comparable instruments or discounted cash flow analyses, incorporating inputs that are currently observable in the markets for similar securities. Inputs that are often used in these valuation methodologies include, but are not limited to, broker quotes, benchmark yields, credit spreads, default rates and prepayment speeds. As we are responsible for the determination of fair value, we perform analysis on the prices received from the pricing services to determine whether the prices are reasonable estimates of fair value. Our analysis includes procedures such as a review of month-to-month price fluctuations and price comparisons to secondary pricing services. There were no adjustments to quoted market prices obtained from the pricing services during the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.
To test the Company’s liability for incurred but not paid claims, our audit procedures included, among others, testing the completeness and accuracy of the underlying claims and membership data recorded in the source claims processing and disbursement systems to the data used by management in developing completion and trend factor assumptions and comparing a sample of incurred and paid claims to source documentation. With the support of actuarial specialists, we analyzed the Company’s completion and trend factor assumptions based on historical claim experience and emerging cost trends, and independently calculated a range of reasonable reserve estimates for comparison to management’s best estimate of the liability for incurred but not paid claims. Additionally, we performed a review of the prior period liabilities for incurred but not paid claims to subsequent claims development.
Auditing management’s revenue recognition for PBM services to unaffiliated PBM customers required a high degree of auditor judgment due to the subjectivity in determining whether IngenioRx is the principal in the performance of PBM services. These judgments have a significant impact on the presentation and disclosure of product revenue for services performed by IngenioRx to unaffiliated PBM customers.
FASB guidance allows for qualitative assessments of whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount for purposes of a goodwill impairment analysis and whether it is more likely than not that an indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired for purposes of an indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment analysis. Quantitative analysis must be performed if qualitative analyses are not conclusive. Entities also have the option to bypass the assessment of qualitative factors and proceed directly to performing quantitative analyses. Our impairment tests require us to make assumptions and judgments regarding the estimated fair value of our reporting units, including goodwill and other intangible assets with indefinite lives. Estimated fair values developed based on our assumptions and judgments might be significantly different if other reasonable assumptions and estimates were to be used.
In August 2017, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities, or ASU 2017-12. This update amends the hedge accounting recognition and presentation requirements in ASC Topic 815 with the objective of improving the financial reporting of hedging relationships to better portray the economic results of an entity’s risk management activities in its financial statements. The update also makes certain targeted improvements to simplify the application of the hedge accounting guidance and provides several transition elections. We adopted ASU 2017-12 on October 1, 2017. The adoption of ASU 2017-12 did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
In August 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, or ASU 2016-15. This update addresses the presentation and classification on the statement of cash flows for eight specific items, with the objective of reducing existing diversity in practice in how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified. We adopted ASU 2016-15 on January 1, 2018. The adoption of ASU 2016-15 did not have a material impact on our consolidated statements of cash flows, results of operations or consolidated financial position.
A reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of plan assets measured at fair value using Level III inputs for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 is as follows:
The favorable development recognized in 2018 and 2017 resulted from trend and completion factors developing more favorably than originally expected.
On July 16, 2018, we repaid, at maturity, the $650 outstanding balance of our 2.300% senior unsecured notes. On January 15, 2018, we repaid, at maturity, the $625 outstanding balance of our 1.875% senior unsecured notes.
On December 14, 2017, we redeemed the $255 remaining outstanding principal balance of our 7.000% Notes due 2019, plus applicable premium for early redemption and accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date, for cash totaling $275. We recognized a loss on extinguishment of debt of $14 for the repurchase of these Notes.
During the year ended December 31, 2019, we granted approximately 0.2 restricted stock units that are contingent upon us achieving earning targets over the three year period of 2019 to 2021. These grants have been included in the activity shown above, but will be subject to adjustment at the end of 2021, based on results in the three year period.
equity required for the DMHC regulated entities was approximately $610 and $570 as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.