GUARANTEES AND CONTINGENCIES

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

GUARANTEES AND CONTINGENCIES

GUARANTEES AND CONTINGENCIES

Government Contracts

Our Medicare products, which accounted for approximately 73% of our total premiums and services revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2014, primarily consisted of products covered under the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan contracts with the federal government. These contracts are renewed generally for a calendar year term unless CMS notifies us of its decision not to renew by May 1 of the calendar year in which the contract would end, or we notify CMS of our decision not to renew by the first Monday in June of the calendar year in which the contract would end. All material contracts between Humana and CMS relating to our Medicare products have been renewed for 2015, and all of our product offerings filed with CMS for 2015 have been approved.

CMS uses a risk-adjustment model which apportions premiums paid to Medicare Advantage plans according to health severity of covered members. The risk-adjustment model pays more for enrollees with predictably higher costs. Under this model, rates paid to Medicare Advantage plans are based on actuarially determined bids, which include a process whereby our prospective payments are based on a comparison of our beneficiaries’ risk scores, derived from medical diagnoses, to those enrolled in the government’s original Medicare program. Under the risk-adjustment methodology, all Medicare Advantage plans must collect and submit the necessary diagnosis code information from hospital inpatient, hospital outpatient, and physician providers to CMS within prescribed deadlines. The CMS risk-adjustment model uses the diagnosis data to calculate the risk-adjusted premium payment to Medicare Advantage plans, which CMS adjusts for coding pattern differences between the health plans and the government fee-for-service program. We generally rely on providers, including certain providers in our network who are our employees, to code their claim submissions with appropriate diagnoses, which we send to CMS as the basis for our payment received from CMS under the actuarial risk-adjustment model. We also rely on these providers to document appropriately all medical data, including the diagnosis data submitted with claims. In addition, we conduct medical record reviews as part of our data and payment accuracy compliance efforts, to more accurately reflect diagnosis conditions under the risk adjustment model. These compliance efforts include the internal contract level audits described in more detail below.

CMS is continuing to perform audits of various companies’ selected Medicare Advantage contracts related to this risk adjustment diagnosis data. We refer to these audits as Risk-Adjustment Data Validation Audits, or RADV audits. RADV audits review medical records in an attempt to validate provider medical record documentation and coding practices which influence the calculation of premium payments to Medicare Advantage plans.

In 2012, CMS released a “Notice of Final Payment Error Calculation Methodology for Part C Medicare Advantage Risk Adjustment Data Validation (RADV) Contract-Level Audits.” The payment error calculation methodology provides that, in calculating the economic impact of audit results for a Medicare Advantage contract, if any, the results of the audit sample will be extrapolated to the entire Medicare Advantage contract based upon a comparison to “benchmark” audit data in the government fee-for-service program. This comparison to the government program benchmark audit is necessary to determine the economic impact, if any, of audit results because the government program data set, including any attendant errors that are present in that data set, provides the basis for Medicare Advantage plans’ risk adjustment to payment rates. CMS already makes other adjustments to payment rates based on a comparison of coding pattern differences between Medicare Advantage plans and the government fee-for-service program data (such as for frequency of coding for certain diagnoses in Medicare Advantage plan data versus the government program data set).

The final methodology, including the first application of extrapolated audit results to determine audit settlements, is expected to be applied to the current round of RADV contract level audits being conducted on 2011 premium payments. Selected Medicare Advantage contracts will be notified of an audit at some point after the close of the final reconciliation for the payment year being audited. The final reconciliation occurs in August of the calendar year following the payment year. On November 5, 2013, we were notified that certain of our Medicare Advantage contracts have been selected for audit for contract year 2011.

Estimated audit settlements are recorded as a reduction of premiums revenue in our consolidated statements of income, based upon available information. We perform internal contract level audits based on the RADV audit methodology prescribed by CMS. Included in these internal contract level audits is an audit of our Private Fee-For-Service business which we used to represent a proxy of the benchmark audit data in the government fee-for-service program which has not yet been released. We based our accrual of estimated audit settlements for contract years 2011 (the first year that application of extrapolated audit results is applicable) through 2014 on the results of these internal contract level audits and update our estimates as each audit is completed. Estimates derived from these results were not material to our results of operations, financial position, or cash flows. However, as indicated, we are awaiting additional guidance from CMS regarding the benchmark audit data in the government fee-for-service program. Accordingly, we cannot determine whether such RADV audits will have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, or cash flows.

In addition, CMS' recent comments in formalized guidance regarding “overpayments” to Medicare Advantage plans appear to be inconsistent with the Agency’s prior RADV audit guidance. These statements, contained in the preamble to CMS’ final rule release regarding Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug benefit program regulations for Contract Year 2015, appear to equate each Medicare Advantage risk adjustment data error with an “overpayment” without reconciliation to the principles underlying the FFS Adjuster referenced above. We will continue to work with CMS to ensure that Medicare Advantage plans are paid accurately and that payment model principles are in accordance with the requirements of the Social Security Act, which, if not implemented correctly could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, or cash flows.

At September 30, 2014, our military services business, which accounted for approximately 1% of our total premiums and services revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2014, primarily consisted of the TRICARE South Region contract. The current 5-year South Region contract, which expires March 31, 2017, is subject to annual renewals on April 1 of each year during its term at the government’s option. On March 14, 2014, the Defense Health Agency, or DHA, exercised its option to extend the TRICARE South Region contract through March 31, 2015.

The loss of any of the contracts above or significant changes in these programs as a result of legislative or regulatory action, including reductions in premium payments to us, regulatory restrictions on profitability, including by comparison of our Medicare Advantage profitability to our non-Medicare Advantage business profitability and a requirement that they remain within certain ranges of each other, or increases in member benefits without corresponding increases in premium payments to us, may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

Our state-based Medicaid business accounted for approximately 2% of our total premiums and services revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2014. In addition to our state-based Medicaid contracts in Florida and Kentucky, we have contracts in Illinois and Virginia for stand-alone dual eligible demonstration programs serving individuals dually eligible for both the federal Medicare program and the applicable state-based Medicaid program. We began serving members in Illinois in the first quarter of 2014 and in Virginia in the second quarter of 2014. In addition, we began serving members in Long-Term Care Support Services (LTSS) regions in Florida at various effective dates ranging from the second half of 2013 through the first quarter of 2014.

On June 26, 2013, the Puerto Rico Health Insurance Administration notified us of its election not to renew our three-year Medicaid contracts for the East, Southeast, and Southwest regions which ended June 30, 2013. Contractual transition provisions required the continuation of insurance coverage for beneficiaries through September 30, 2013 and also required an additional period of time thereafter to process residual claims.

Legal Proceedings and Certain Regulatory Matters

Florida Matters

On December 16, 2010, an individual filed a qui tam suit captioned United States of America ex rel. Marc Osheroff v. Humana et al. in the Southern District of Florida, against us, several of our health plan subsidiaries, and certain other companies that operate medical centers in Miami-Dade County, Florida. After the U.S. government declined to intervene, the Court ordered the complaint unsealed, and the individual plaintiff amended his complaint and served the Company on December 8, 2011. The amended complaint alleges certain civil violations by our CAC Medical Centers in Florida, including offering various amenities such as transportation and meals, to Medicare and dual eligible individuals in our community center settings. The amended complaint also alleges civil violations by our Medicare Advantage health plans in Florida, arising from the alleged activities of our CAC Medical Centers and the codefendants in the complaint. The amended complaint seeks damages and penalties on behalf of the United States under the Anti-Inducement and Anti-Kickback Statutes and the False Claims Act. On September 28, 2012, the Court dismissed, with prejudice, all causes of action that were asserted in the suit. On November 19, 2013, the individual plaintiff appealed the dismissal of the complaint, and we are awaiting the decision of the Court on the appeal.

On January 6, 2012, the Civil Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida advised us that it is seeking documents and information from us and several of our affiliates relating to several matters including the coding of medical claims by one or more South Florida medical providers, and loans to physician practices. On May 1, 2014, the U.S. government filed a Notice of Non-Intervention in connection with a civil qui tam suit related to one of these matters captioned United States of America ex rel. Olivia Graves v. Plaza Medical Centers, et al., and the Court ordered the complaint unsealed. Subsequently, the individual plaintiff amended the complaint and served the Company, opting to continue to pursue the action. On October 7, 2014 the Court dismissed the complaint and granted leave to amend. The individual plaintiff filed a second amended complaint on October 23, 2014. We continue to cooperate with and respond to information requests from the U.S. Attorney’s office. These matters could result in additional qui tam litigation.

Other Lawsuits and Regulatory Matters

Our current and past business practices are subject to review or other investigations by various state insurance and health care regulatory authorities and other state and federal regulatory authorities. These authorities regularly scrutinize the business practices of health insurance and benefits companies. These reviews focus on numerous facets of our business, including claims payment practices, provider contracting, risk adjustment, competitive practices, commission payments, privacy issues, utilization management practices, pharmacy benefits, access to care, and sales practices, among others. Some of these reviews have historically resulted in fines imposed on us and some have required changes to some of our practices. We continue to be subject to these reviews, which could result in additional fines or other sanctions being imposed on us or additional changes in some of our practices.

We also are involved in various other lawsuits that arise, for the most part, in the ordinary course of our business operations, certain of which may be styled as class-action lawsuits. Among other matters, this litigation may include employment matters, claims of medical malpractice, bad faith, nonacceptance or termination of providers, anticompetitive practices, improper rate setting, provider contract rate disputes, failure to disclose network discounts and various other provider arrangements, general contractual matters, intellectual property matters, and challenges to subrogation practices. For example, a number of hospitals and other providers have asserted that, under their network provider contracts, we are not entitled to reduce Medicare Advantage payments to these providers in connection with changes in Medicare payment systems and in accordance with the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended (commonly referred to as “sequestration”). Those challenges have led and could lead to arbitration demands or other litigation. Also, under state guaranty assessment laws, we may be assessed (up to prescribed limits) for certain obligations to the policyholders and claimants of insolvent insurance companies that write the same line or lines of business as we do.

As a government contractor, we may also be subject to qui tam litigation brought by individuals who seek to sue on behalf of the government, alleging that the government contractor submitted false claims to the government including, among other allegations, those resulting from coding and review practices under the Medicare risk adjustment model. Qui tam litigation is filed under seal to allow the government an opportunity to investigate and to decide if it wishes to intervene and assume control of the litigation. If the government does not intervene, the lawsuit is unsealed, and the individual may continue to prosecute the action on his or her own, on behalf of the government. We also are subject to other allegations of non-performance of contractual obligations to providers, members, and others, including failure to properly pay claims, improper policy terminations, challenges to our implementation of the Medicare Part D prescription drug program and other litigation.

A limited number of the claims asserted against us are subject to insurance coverage. Personal injury claims, claims for extracontractual damages, care delivery malpractice, and claims arising from medical benefit denials are covered by insurance from our wholly owned captive insurance subsidiary and excess carriers, except to the extent that claimants seek punitive damages, which may not be covered by insurance in certain states in which insurance coverage for punitive damages is not permitted. In addition, insurance coverage for all or certain forms of liability has become increasingly costly and may become unavailable or prohibitively expensive in the future.

We record accruals for the contingencies discussed above to the extent that we conclude it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. No estimate of the possible loss or range of loss in excess of amounts accrued, if any, can be made at this time regarding the matters specifically described above because of the inherently unpredictable nature of legal proceedings, which also may be exacerbated by various factors, including: (i) the damages sought in the proceedings are unsubstantiated or indeterminate; (ii) discovery is not complete; (iii) the proceeding is in its early stages; (iv) the matters present legal uncertainties; (v) there are significant facts in dispute; (vi) there are a large number of parties (including where it is uncertain how liability, if any, will be shared among multiple defendants); or (vii) there is a wide range of potential outcomes.

The outcome of any current or future litigation or governmental or internal investigations, including the matters described above, cannot be accurately predicted, nor can we predict any resulting penalties, fines or other sanctions that may be imposed at the discretion of federal or state regulatory authorities. Nevertheless, it is reasonably possible that any such outcome of litigation, penalties, fines or other sanctions could be substantial, and the outcome of these matters may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows, and may also affect our reputation.