Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

2. RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

In September 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, issued new guidance that will allow entities to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform the two-step quantitative goodwill impairment test. Previous guidance required an entity to test goodwill for impairment, on at least an annual basis, by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. If the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then the second step of the test must be performed to measure the amount of the impairment loss, if any. Under the new guidance, we would not be required to calculate the fair value of a reporting unit unless we determine, based on the qualitative assessment, that it is more likely than not that its fair value is less than its carrying amount. The new guidance includes a number of events and circumstances for an entity to consider in conducting the qualitative assessment. The new guidance is effective, for us, beginning with annual and interim impairment tests performed in 2012. Early adoption is permitted, including for our 2011 annual impairment test which will be performed in the fourth quarter of 2011. We are currently evaluating the new guidance.

In July 2011, the FASB issued new guidance regarding how health insurers should recognize and classify fees mandated by The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (which we collectively refer to as the Health Insurance Reform Legislation). The Health Insurance Reform Legislation imposes a non-deductible annual fee on health insurers for each calendar year beginning on or after January 1, 2014. The guidance requires that the liability for the fee be estimated and recorded in full once qualifying insurance coverage is provided in the applicable calendar year in which the fee is payable with a corresponding deferred cost that is amortized to expense over the calendar year that it is payable. The new guidance is effective for us when the fee is initially imposed in calendar year 2014.

In June 2011, the FASB issued new guidance requiring the presentation of other comprehensive income in a statement presented with equal prominence to the other primary financial statements. The new guidance eliminates the current option to report other comprehensive income and its components in the statement of stockholders' equity and requires one of two alternatives for the presentation of items of net income and other comprehensive income: (1) in a single continuous statement referred to as the statement of comprehensive income, or (2) in two separate, but consecutive statements. Under either alternative, each component of net income and each component of other comprehensive income, together with totals for each, as well as total comprehensive income would need to be displayed. The new guidance is effective for us, beginning with the filing of our Form 10-Q for the three months ending March 31, 2012, with retrospective application required. Early adoption is permitted. As the new guidance only affects the presentation of other comprehensive income, it will not have a material impact on our results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows.

In May 2011, the FASB issued new guidance intended to improve the comparability of fair value measurements presented and disclosed in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and those prepared in accordance with international financial reporting standards. While the new guidance is largely consistent with existing fair value measurement principles, it expands existing disclosure requirements for fair value measurements and makes other amendments which could change how existing fair value measurement guidance is applied. The new guidance will be effective for us beginning with the filing of our Form 10-Q for the three months ending March 31, 2012. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this new guidance on our results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows.

In January 2010, the FASB issued new guidance that expanded and clarified existing disclosures about fair value measurements. Under the new guidance, we are required to disclose additional information about movements of assets among the three-tier fair value hierarchy, present separately (that is, on a gross basis) information about purchases, sales, issuances, and settlements of financial instruments in the reconciliation of fair value measurements using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3), and expand disclosures regarding the determination of fair value measurements. We adopted the new disclosure provisions during the year ended December 31, 2010, except for the gross disclosures regarding purchases, sales, issuances and settlements in the roll forward of activity in Level 3 fair value measurements which we adopted with the filing of our Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2011 as provided in Note 5.

There are no other recently issued accounting standards that apply to us or that will have a material impact on our results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows.