Major PBMs reported strong results for the first quarter of 2020 as members rushed to fill prescriptions in March ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, financial analysts warn the pandemic could have unpredictable effects on PBMs' finances for the rest of 2020 and moving into 2021, AIS Health reported.

The 2021 PBM selling season could be disrupted in still-unknown ways, analysts said, and members are cutting back on routine physician visits and elective procedures, resulting in lower script volume overall.

According to our recent payer coverage analysis for pain narcotic opioid treatments, combined with news from key healthcare influencers, market access is shifting in this drug landscape.

To help make sense of this new research, MMIT's team of experts analyzes the data and summarizes the key findings for you. The following are brief highlights. To read the full piece, including payer coverage, drug competition and prescriber trends, click here.

As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to reverberate throughout the U.S. economy, it's become clear that there will be a major enrollment shift away from employer-sponsored plans and into Medicaid and the individual market, AIS Health reported.

In fact, one recent analysis suggested that there could be "unprecedented growth" in the individual health insurance market. "The impact of COVID-19-related job losses will likely more than double the current enrollment in Individual & Marketplace plans, with the potential for the Individual market to triple in size to over 35 million in a sustained and severe economic contraction," stated the analysis from A2 Strategy Group.

Since acquiring Aetna, CVS Health Corp. has touted its HealthHUB stores — which include expanded clinics, labs for health screening and space for wellness pursuits — as the linchpin of its plan to stand out among other large, diversified firms that include a health insurer. Yet as one analyst pointed out during CVS’s first-quarter 2020 earnings call on May 6, that strategy could face new challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic when many people are reluctant to venture outside their homes.

CVS executives said that while the company is indeed seeing less foot traffic at its brick-and-mortar locations, it is still leveraging the power of having a vast retail footprint by offering testing for the new coronavirus, AIS Health reported.

According to our recent payer coverage analysis for anemia treatments due to chronic kidney disease, combined with news from key healthcare influencers, market access is shifting in this drug landscape.

To help make sense of this new research, MMIT's team of experts analyzes the data and summarizes the key findings for you. The following are brief highlights. To read the full piece, including payer coverage, drug competition and prescriber trends, click here.

Anthem, Inc., and Cigna Corp. both reported slightly better-than-expected medical loss ratios (MLRs) as part of their first-quarter 2020 earnings, in part due to delays in elective procedures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Both insurers also reaffirmed their overall earnings-per-share (EPS) guidance for 2020, AIS Health reported.

But the insurers warned that MLRs may tick up later this year. In addition, they predicted that the impact of COVID-19 may lead to significant shifts in enrollment, as workers who are laid off shift to Medicaid or to the Affordable Care Act exchanges.

Humana Inc. and Centene Corp. are both maintaining their 2020 earnings outlook despite the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic contraction at the end of the first quarter, AIS Health reported.

Humana's revenues increased to $18.9 billion, and it reported $5.40 in adjusted earnings per share (EPS), beating the Wall Street consensus of $4.66 adjusted EPS. Centene's first quarter revenues increased 41% year-over-year to $26 billion, and it reported an adjusted EPS of $0.86. Centene fell short of the consensus with $0.99 adjusted EPS. Both insurers affirmed their projections for the end of the year, with Humana forecasting adjusted EPS of $18.25 to $18.75 and Centene $4.56 to $4.76.

According to our recent payer coverage analysis for ophthalmic anti-inflammatory treatments, combined with news from key healthcare influencers, market access is shifting in this drug landscape.

To help make sense of this new research, MMIT's team of experts analyzes the data and summarizes the key findings for you. The following are brief highlights. To read the full piece, including payer coverage, drug competition and prescriber trends, click here.