Humana Expands Medicaid Footprint With Virginia's Cardinal Care Win

Virginia’s Medicaid program, Cardinal Care, has chosen Humana Inc. HUM as one of five insurers to administer services through its new Humana Healthy Horizons plan. All Virginia Cardinal Care members are now eligible to choose this as a new Medicaid plan option.Cardinal Care offers health coverage to low-income individuals, children, seniors, people with disabilities and pregnant women. Rather than paying healthcare providers directly, the program partners with private insurance companies known as Managed Care Organizations, which manage medical services, prescriptions and overall care coordination for members.Humana Healthy Horizons is poised to deliver comprehensive care to individuals and families across the state, focusing not only on physical and mental health but also on the social factors that often hinder better overall well-being. With existing service to Medicare Advantage and TRICARE members in the state, the expansion into Cardinal Care allows Humana to extend its human-centred approach to Medicaid recipients, aiming to offer innovative solutions, address complex needs, and improve both health outcomes and quality of life.This move opens a valuable opportunity for Humana’s growth. By managing care for enrolled members, the company can increase memberships and receive regular payments from the state, offering a steady and scalable source of revenue. Through Humana Healthy Horizons, the company already serves 1.5 million Medicaid members in the country. Expanding into Virginia’s Medicaid broadens Humana’s reach beyond Medicare and TRICARE.HUM’s YTD Price PerformanceIn the year-to-date period, Humana’s shares have lost 3.9% compared with a 24% decline across the broader industry. Due to rising healthcare costs, increased service utilization, and operational inefficiencies, Humana continues to face pressure on its profitability and long-term margins. Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchHumana’s Zacks Rank & Key PicksHUM currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).Some better-ranked stocks in the medical space areCentene Corporation CNC,Cigna Group CI and Molina Healthcare Inc. MOH,each carrying a Zacks Rank #2(Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Centene’s current-year earnings is pegged at $7.28 per share, implying 1.5% year-over-year growth. CNC’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the last three of four quarters, the average surprise being 25.5%. The consensus estimate for Centene’s current-year revenues is pegged at $179.5 billion, implying 10.1% year-over-year growth.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Cigna’s current-year earnings is pegged at $29.68 per share, implying 8.6% year-over-year growth. Cigna’s earnings surpassed estimates in three of the last four quarters. It has witnessed eight upward revisions in the last 60 days against no movement in the opposite direction. The consensus estimate for Cigna’s current-year revenues is pegged at $258.2 billion, implying 4.5% year-over-year growth.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Molina’s current-year earnings is pegged at $28.44 per share, implying 7.9% year-over-year growth. MOH’s earnings surpassed estimates in three of the last four quarters. The estimate remained stable in the last 60 days. The consensus estimate for Molina’s current-year revenues is pegged at $44.1 billion, implying 8.4% year-over-year growth.5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in the coming year. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +112%, +171%, +209% and +232%.Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free reportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks