Despite jump in enrollment, Aetna says it faces losses from health law marketplaces

Feb 9 2014

Cigna, in the meantime, saw its fourth-quarter profit dip as it lost members.

The Wall Street Journal: Aetna Expects To Lose Money On Health Law Marketplaces
Aetna Inc. said it expects to lose money on its business in the health-law marketplaces this year, with the demographics of enrollees skewing slightly more than expected toward people likely to rack up higher costs. The insurer, which is participating in public consumer exchanges in 16 states and the District of Columbia, the most of any carrier, said it has signed up about 135,000 paid members through the end of January (Mathews, 2/6).

The Wall Street Journal: Cigna Earnings Slip On Decline In Health-Care Margins
Cigna Corp. said its fourth-quarter profit declined 11% as the health insurer's global health-care margins slipped and it lost members from the prior quarter. ... Cigna has logged increased revenue in recent quarters, aided by growing membership and acquisitions. The company, which traditionally focused more on commercial health insurance, pushed further into the market for senior-focused plans by recently buying Medicare insurer HealthSpring Inc. and American Financial Group Inc.'s Medicare supplement and critical-illness businesses (Rubin, 2/7).