Mark Farrah Associates Reports Second Quarter 2018 Health Insurance Segment Profitability

MCMURRAY, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Mark Farrah Associates (MFA), www.markfarrah.com, released an analysis brief providing insights into mid-year profitability for commercial and government lines of health insurance business. MFA compared second quarter, year-over-year profitability for the Individual, Employer-Group, Medicare and managed Medicaid segments. Financial insights were gleaned from aggregated 2Q17 and 2Q18 National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) statutory financial data from MFA’s Health Coverage Portal™. MFA’s assessment of mid-year 2018 profitability indicated all four health care segments signified improved profitability for health insurers over 2017.

At the end of second quarter 2018, the average medical expense ratio for the Individual segment was 70.8%, as compared to 77.2% the previous year. Growth in premiums pushed the average medical expense ratio for the Employer-Group segment down to 80.9% for 2Q18 from 81.8% in 2Q17. For Medicare Advantage, premium growth outpaced increases in medical expenses pushing the medical expense ratio down to 85.3% from 86.1% in 2Q17. Lastly, the 2.9% increase in premiums per member per month pushed the medical expense ratio for Managed Medicaid down to 88.6% from 91.0% in 2Q17.

Market analysts throughout the industry rely on enrollment data and segment performance metrics to gain better insights into health plan market share and competitive positioning. Mark Farrah Associates maintains financial data as well as enrollment and market share for the health insurance industry in its subscription-based Health Coverage Portal™. MFA will continue to monitor health plan performance and competitive shifts across all healthcare segments. To read the full text of "Mid-Year 2018 Health Insurance Segment Profitability Insights", visit the Analysis Briefs library on Mark Farrah Associates' website.

About Mark Farrah Associates (MFA)

MFA is a leading data aggregator and publisher providing health plan market data and analysis tools for the healthcare industry. Committed to simplifying analysis of health insurance business, our products include Medicare Business Online™, Medicare Benefits Analyzer™, Health Coverage Portal™, County Health Coverage™, and Health Plans USA™.

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