Humana Prices $1.25 Billion Debt Offering

Rhea-AI Summary

Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) announced a public offering of $1.25 billion in senior notes, comprised of $500 million due 2026 and $750 million due 2053. Pricing was set at 99.984% and 96.431% of the principal amount respectively. The offering is expected to close on March 13, 2023. Net proceeds, estimated at $1.211 billion, will repay a $500 million Delayed Draw Term Loan and cover general corporate purposes. The company is also vulnerable to various financial risks and regulatory changes, impacting profitability and operations, particularly due to its heavy government contract reliance.

Positive

• Pricing of senior notes at favorable rates (5.700% and 5.500%).
• Use of proceeds will reduce outstanding borrowings, improving financial health.

Negative

• Exposure to significant regulatory risks affecting profitability.
• Potential challenges in implementing operational and strategic initiatives.
• Dependence on government contracts may impact business stability.

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Humana Inc. (the “company”) (NYSE: HUM) announced today that it has priced a public offering of $1.25 billion in aggregate principal amount of senior notes. These senior notes are comprised of $500 million of the company’s 5.700 percent senior notes, due 2026, at 99.984 percent of the principal amount and $750 million of the company’s 5.500 percent senior notes, due 2053, at 96.431 percent of the principal amount (collectively, the “Senior Notes Offerings”). The Senior Notes Offerings are expected to close on March 13, 2023, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

The company expects net proceeds from the Senior Notes Offerings will be approximately $1.211 billion after deducting underwriters’ discounts and estimated offering expenses. The company intends to use the net proceeds from the Senior Notes Offerings to repay outstanding amounts under its $500 million Delayed Draw Term Loan. Net proceeds from the Senior Notes Offerings in excess of the amount required to repay outstanding borrowings under its Delayed Draw Term Loan at the time the Senior Notes Offerings are completed will be used for general corporate purposes, which may include the repayment of borrowings under its commercial paper program. As of December 31, 2022, the outstanding balance under the company’s Delayed Draw Term Loan was $500 million and the interest rate in effect on that outstanding balance was LIBOR plus 125 basis points.

Barclays Capital Inc., Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc. and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC are acting as active joint book-running managers for the Senior Notes Offerings.

The Senior Notes Offerings are being made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement (including a base prospectus) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The Senior Notes Offerings may be made only by means of a prospectus and related prospectus supplement, copies of which may be obtained by calling Barclays Capital Inc. toll-free at 1-888-603-5847, Citigroup Global Markets Inc. toll-free at 1-800-831-9146, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC at 1-866-718-1649, U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc. toll-free at (877) 558-2607 or Wells Fargo Securities, LLC toll-free at 1-800-645-3751. An electronic copy of the registration statement and prospectus supplement, together with the base prospectus, is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities described herein, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

Cautionary Statement

This news release includes forward-looking statements regarding Humana within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in investor presentations, press releases, SEC filings, and in oral statements made by or with the approval of one of Humana’s executive officers, the words or phrases like “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “likely will result,” “estimates,” “projects” or variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including, among other things, information set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of the company’s SEC filings, a summary of which includes but is not limited to the following:

• If Humana does not design and price its products properly and competitively, if the premiums Humana receives are insufficient to cover the cost of healthcare services delivered to its members, if the company is unable to implement clinical initiatives to provide a better healthcare experience for its members, lower costs and appropriately document the risk profile of its members, or if its estimates of benefits expense are inadequate, Humana’s profitability could be materially adversely affected. Humana estimates the costs of its benefit expense payments, and designs and prices its products accordingly, using actuarial methods and assumptions based upon, among other relevant factors, claim payment patterns, medical cost inflation, and historical developments such as claim inventory levels and claim receipt patterns. The company continually reviews estimates of future payments relating to benefit expenses for services incurred in the current and prior periods and makes necessary adjustments to its reserves, including premium deficiency reserves, where appropriate. These estimates involve extensive judgment, and have considerable inherent variability because they are extremely sensitive to changes in claim payment patterns and medical cost trends. Accordingly, Humana's reserves may be insufficient.
• If Humana fails to effectively implement its operational and strategic initiatives, including its Medicare initiatives, which are of particular importance given the concentration of the company's revenues in these products, state-based contract strategy, the growth of its CenterWell business, and its integrated care delivery model, the company’s business may be materially adversely affected. In addition, there can be no assurances that the company will be successful in maintaining or improving its Star ratings in future years.
• If Humana fails to properly maintain the integrity of its data, to strategically maintain existing or implement new information systems, to protect Humana’s proprietary rights to its systems, or to defend against cyber-security attacks or prevent other privacy or data security incidents that result in security breaches that disrupt the company's operations or in the unintentional dissemination of sensitive personal information or proprietary or confidential information, the company’s business may be materially adversely affected.
• Humana is involved in various legal actions, or disputes that could lead to legal actions (such as, among other things, provider contract disputes and qui tam litigation brought by individuals on behalf of the government), governmental and internal investigations, and routine internal review of business processes any of which, if resolved unfavorably to the company, could result in substantial monetary damages or changes in its business practices. Increased litigation and negative publicity could also increase the company’s cost of doing business.
• As a government contractor, Humana is exposed to risks that may materially adversely affect its business or its willingness or ability to participate in government healthcare programs including, among other things, loss of material government contracts; governmental audits and investigations; potential inadequacy of government determined payment rates; potential restrictions on profitability, including by comparison of profitability of the company’s Medicare Advantage business to non-Medicare Advantage business; or other changes in the governmental programs in which Humana participates. Changes to the risk-adjustment model utilized by CMS to adjust premiums paid to Medicare Advantage plans or retrospective recovery by CMS of previously paid premiums as a result of the final rule related to the risk adjustment data validation audit methodology published by CMS on January 30, 2023 (Final RADV Rule), which Humana believes fails to address adequately the statutory requirement of actuarial equivalence due to its failure to include a “Fee For Service Adjuster (FFS Adjuster)”, could have a material adverse effect on the company's operating results, financial position and cash flows.
• Humana's business activities are subject to substantial government regulation. New laws or regulations, or legislative, judicial, or regulatory changes in existing laws or regulations or their manner of application could increase the company's cost of doing business and have a material adverse effect on Humana’s results of operations (including restricting revenue, enrollment and premium growth in certain products and market segments, restricting the company’s ability to expand into new markets, increasing the company’s medical and operating costs by, among other things, requiring a minimum benefit ratio on insured products, lowering the company’s Medicare payment rates and increasing the company’s expenses associated with a non-deductible health insurance industry fee and other assessments); the company’s financial position (including the company’s ability to maintain the value of its goodwill); and the company’s cash flows.
• Humana’s failure to manage acquisitions, divestitures and other significant transactions successfully may have a material adverse effect on the company’s results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.
• If Humana fails to develop and maintain satisfactory relationships with the providers of care to its members, the company’s business may be adversely affected.
• Humana faces significant competition in attracting and retaining talented employees. Further, managing succession for, and retention of, key executives is critical to the company’s success, and its failure to do so could adversely affect the company’s businesses, operating results and/or future performance.
• Humana’s pharmacy business is highly competitive and subjects it to regulations and supply chain risks in addition to those the company faces with its core health benefits businesses.
• Changes in the prescription drug industry pricing benchmarks may adversely affect Humana’s financial performance.
• Humana’s ability to obtain funds from certain of its licensed subsidiaries is restricted by state insurance regulations.
• Downgrades in Humana’s debt ratings, should they occur, may adversely affect its business, results of operations, and financial condition.
• The securities and credit markets may experience volatility and disruption, which may adversely affect Humana’s business.
• The spread of, and response to, the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, underscores certain risks Humana faces, including those discussed above, and the ongoing, heightened uncertainty created by the pandemic precludes any prediction as to the ultimate adverse impact to Humana of COVID-19.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the premiums the company charges may prove to be insufficient to cover the cost of health care services delivered to its members, each of which could be impacted by many factors, including the impacts that Humana has experienced, and may continue to experience, to its revenues due to limitations on its ability to implement clinical initiatives to manage health care costs and chronic conditions of its members, and appropriately document their risk profiles, as a result of the company’s members being unable or unwilling to see their providers due to actions taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19; increased costs that may result from higher utilization rates of medical facilities and services and other increases in associated hospital and pharmaceutical costs; and shifts in the company’s premium and medical claims cost trends to reflect the demographic impact of higher mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, Humana is offering, and has been mandated by legislative and regulatory action (including the Families First Act and CARES Act) to provide, certain expanded benefit coverage to its members, such as waiving, or reimbursing, certain costs for COVID-19 testing, vaccinations and treatment. These measures taken by Humana, or governmental action, to respond to the ongoing impact of COVID-19 (including further expansion or modification of the services delivered to its members, the adoption or modification of regulatory requirements associated with those services and the costs and challenges associated with ensuring timely compliance with such requirements), and the potential for widespread testing, treatments and the distribution and administration of COVID-19 vaccines, could adversely impact the company’s profitability.

The spread and impact of COVID-19 and additional variants, or actions taken to mitigate this spread, could have material and adverse effects on Humana’s ability to operate effectively, including as a result of the complete or partial closure of facilities or labor shortages. Disruptions in public and private infrastructure, including communications, availability of in-person sales and marketing channels, financial services and supply chains, could materially and adversely disrupt the company’s normal business operations. A significant subset of the company's and the company's third party providers' employee population are in a remote work environment in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, which may exacerbate certain risks to Humana’s business, including an increased demand for information technology resources, increased risk of phishing and other cybersecurity attacks, and increased risk of unauthorized dissemination of sensitive personal, proprietary, or confidential information. The continued COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted global economic activity, including the businesses of some of Humana’s commercial customers, and caused significant volatility and negative pressure in the financial markets. In addition to disrupting Humana’s operations, these developments may adversely affect the timing of commercial customer premium collections and corresponding claim payments, the value of the company’s investment portfolio, or future liquidity needs.

The ongoing, heightened uncertainty created by the pandemic precludes any prediction as to the ultimate adverse impact to Humana of COVID-19. Humana is continuing to monitor the spread of COVID-19, changes to the company’s benefit coverages, and the ongoing costs and business impacts of dealing with COVID-19, including the potential costs and impacts associated with lifting or reimposing restrictions on movement and economic activity, the timing and degree in resumption of demand for deferred healthcare services, the pace of administration of COVID-19 vaccines and the effectiveness of those vaccines, and related risks. The magnitude and duration of the pandemic remain uncertain, and its impact on Humana’s business, results of operations, financial position, and cash flows could be material.

In making forward-looking statements, Humana is not undertaking to address or update them in future filings or communications regarding its business or results. In light of these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed herein may or may not occur. There also may be other risks that the company is unable to predict at this time. Any of these risks and uncertainties may cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements.

Humana advises investors to read the following documents as filed by the company with the SEC for further discussion both of the risks it faces and its historical performance:

• Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022; and
• Form 8-Ks filed during 2023.

About Humana

Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is committed to helping our millions of medical and specialty members achieve their best health. Our successful history in care delivery and health plan administration is helping us create a new kind of integrated care with the power to improve health and well-being and lower costs. Our efforts are leading to a better quality of life for people with Medicare, families, individuals, military service personnel, and communities at large.

To accomplish that, we support physicians and other health care professionals as they work to deliver the right care in the right place for their patients, our members. Our range of clinical capabilities, resources and tools – such as in-home care, behavioral health, pharmacy services, data analytics and wellness solutions – combine to produce a simplified experience that makes health care easier to navigate and more effective.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230227005984/en/

Lisa Stoner

Investor Relations

Humana Inc.

502-580-2652

e-mail: lstamper@humana.com

Mark Taylor

Corporate Communications

Humana Inc.

317-753-0345

e-mail: mtaylor108@humana.com

Source: Humana Inc.

FAQ

What was the total amount of Humana's senior notes offering?

Humana announced a public offering of a total of $1.25 billion in senior notes.

What will the proceeds from Humana's senior notes offering be used for?

Proceeds will be used to repay a $500 million Delayed Draw Term Loan and for general corporate purposes.

When is the expected closing date for Humana's senior notes offering?

The expected closing date is March 13, 2023.

What are the interest rates associated with Humana's senior notes?

The senior notes have interest rates of 5.700% due in 2026 and 5.500% due in 2053.

How much net proceeds is Humana expected to receive from the offering?

Humana expects to receive approximately $1.211 billion in net proceeds from the offering.