Humana is anticipating its medical loss ratio will be at the top end of its full-year projected range of 86.3 percent to 87.3 percent, according to a June 16 SEC filing.
The company said the expectation is primarily driven by "higher than anticipated non-inpatient utilization trends, predominantly in the categories of emergency room, outpatient surgeries and dental services, as well as inpatient trends that have been stronger than anticipated in recent weeks, diverging from historical seasonality patterns."
Humana's filing comes two days after Tim Noel, CEO of Medicare and retirement at UnitedHealthcare, said the company is seeing rising utilization as more older adults seek out services they delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic.