Humana (NYSE:HUM) revised its profit forecast downward today, following adjustments in its projections for individual Medicare Advantage (MA) growth for the year ending December 31, 2024.
The revised expectations now point to an addition of approximately 100,000 new members, translating to a 1.8% growth from its membership tally as of December 31, 2023, which stands at around 5.4 million. This updated projection falls short of the company’s previous goal of achieving growth “at or slightly above the industry average,” as initially stated.
In response to this announcement, Humana’s shares experienced a sharp decline, dropping over 11% intra-day today.
The company attributes this moderated growth outlook for 2024 to its strategic approach of balanced pricing, which has led to capturing a smaller portion of the overall industry growth. Although the total sales volume during the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) aligned with Humana’s expectations, a significant portion of this volume stemmed from existing members changing plans. This resulted in fewer new member sales than anticipated, as detailed in Humana’s recent filing.