Health insurers reported healthy earnings during the fourth quarter of 2021, thanks in large part to publicly funded programs Medicare and Medicaid. CHIR’s Megan Houston reviewed earnings reports for nine major insurers and reports on the key market trends in the health insurance industry.
In the second quarter of 2020 insurers made significant profits in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, insurers are struggling to balance the increased demand from deferred care and the costs associated with COVID-19 as the delta variant surges across the country. CHIR’s Megan Houston reviewed findings from the second quarter earnings reports to see what executives were telling investors about their predictions.
Insurer’s fourth quarter earnings showed a decline in profits after the surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations at the end of the year. CHIR’s Megan Houston considers how the pandemic has impacted health plans and how this fits into overall trends from the past year.
As the year comes to a close, CHIR’s Megan Houston reflects on the continued financial success of health insurance companies throughout the pandemic despite their repeated warnings of pent up demand.
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