CI 10-K diff: FY 2023-12-31 → FY 2024-12-31
Paragraph-level diff of Risk Factors (Item 1A) and Management's Discussion & Analysis (Item 7).
Item 1A · Risk Factors
+106 paragraphs −101 paragraphs ~101 changed
FY 2023-12-31 (earlier)
Item 1A. RISK FACTORSAs a large global health company operating in a complex industry, we encounter a variety of risks and uncertainties, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, results of operations, financial condition or the trading price of our securities. You should carefully consider each of the risks and uncertainties discussed below, together with other information contained in this Form 10-K, including MD&A. These risks and uncertainties are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial may also adversely affect us. The following risk factors have been organized by category for ease of use; however many of the risks may have impacts in more than one category. These categories, therefore, should be viewed as a starting point for understanding the significant risks facing us and not as a limitation on the potential impact of the matters discussed. Risk factors are not necessarily listed in order of importance.Strategic and Operational Risks
Future performance of our business will depend on our ability to execute our strategic and operational initiatives effectively.
The future performance of our business will depend in large part on our ability to effectively implement and execute our strategic and operational initiatives. Successfully executing on these initiatives depends on a number of factors, including our ability to:
• differentiate our products, services and solutions from those of our competitors;• develop and bring to market new and innovative products, solutions or programs that focus on improving patient outcomes and experiences and assist in controlling costs or in response to government regulation;
• develop and create data and analytic solutions to support and improve outcomes for our products, services and solutions, including creating and developing solutions and services through partnerships with other industry participants;
• grow and support our product portfolio, expand our addressable markets and identify and introduce the proper mix, coordination or integration of products that will be accepted by the marketplace;• evaluate drugs for efficacy, value and price to assist clients in selecting a cost-effective formulary;
• offer cost-effective home delivery pharmacy and specialty services;
• access or continue accessing key drugs and successfully penetrate key treatment categories in our specialty pharmacy business;
• attract and retain sufficient numbers of qualified employees, particularly in a competitive job market;• attract, develop and maintain collaborative relationships with a sufficient number of qualified partners;
• attract new and maintain existing customer and client relationships;
• leverage purchase volume to deliver discounts to health benefit providers;
• transition health care providers from volume-based fee-for-service arrangements to a value-based system;
• improve medical cost competitiveness in our targeted markets;
• manage our medical, pharmacy, administrative and other operating costs effectively; and
• contract with health care providers, pharmacy providers and pharmaceutical manufacturers on market competitive terms.For our strategic initiatives to succeed, we must effectively collaborate across our operations, integrate our acquired businesses, actively work to ensure consistency throughout the organization and promote a global mindset along with a focus on individual customers and clients. If we fail to do so, our business may be unable to grow as planned, or the result of expansion may be unsatisfactory. We will be unable to rapidly respond to competitive, economic and regulatory changes if we do not make important strategic and operational decisions quickly, define our appetite for risk, implement new governance, managerial and organizational processes smoothly and communicate roles and responsibilities clearly. If these initiatives fail or are not executed effectively, our consolidated financial position and results of operations could be negatively affected.
We operate in a highly competitive, evolving and rapidly changing industry and our failure to adapt could negatively impact our business.The health service industry continues to be dynamic and rapidly evolving. Any significant shifts in the structure of the industry could alter industry dynamics and adversely affect our ability to attract or retain clients and customers. Industry shifts could result (and have resulted) from, among other things:
• a large intra- or inter-industry merger or industry consolidation;
• strategic alliances;
• new or alternative business models or new government options or offerings;
• continuing consolidation among physicians, hospitals and other health care providers, as well as changes in the organizational structures chosen by physicians, hospitals and health care providers;
• new market entrants, including those not traditionally in the health service industry;
• the ability of larger employers and clients to contract directly with providers;
• technological changes and rapid shifts in the use of technology, such as telehealth and AI;30
• the impact or consequences of legislation or regulatory changes;• impacts to distribution channels, including changes to the United States Postal Service or the consolidation of shipping carriers;
• increased drug acquisition cost or unexpected changes to drug pricing trend;
• changes in the generic/biosimilar drug market or the failure of new generic/biosimilar drugs to come to market; or
• changes in utilization of health care, prescription drugs or other covered services and items, including under risk-based contracts in the health benefit management market and for those businesses that utilize risk adjustment methodology.
Our failure to anticipate or appropriately adapt to changes in the industry could negatively impact our competitive position and adversely affect our business and results of operations.Our failure to compete effectively, to differentiate our products and services from those of our competitors and maintain or increase market share, including maintaining or increasing enrollments in businesses providing health benefits, could materially adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
We operate in a highly competitive environment and an industry subject to significant market pressures brought about by customer and client needs, legislative and regulatory developments and other market factors. In particular markets, our competitors may have greater, better or more established capabilities, resources, market share, reputation or business relationships, or lower profit margin or financial return expectations. Our clients are well informed and organized and can easily move between our competitors and us. Our Express Scripts client contracts generally have three-year terms and may be subject to periodic renegotiation of pricing terms based on market factors. As described in greater detail in the description of our business in Item 1 of this Form 10-K, our key clients in the Evernorth Health Services segment include the DoD, Prime and Centene. If one or more of our large clients terminates or does not renew a contract for any reason, including as a result of being acquired, or if the provisions of a contract with a large client are modified, renewed or otherwise changed with terms less favorable to us, our results of operations could be adversely affected and we could experience a negative reaction in the investment community resulting in decreases in the trading price of our securities or other adverse effects.
Our success depends, in part, on our ability to compete effectively in our markets, set prices appropriately in highly competitive markets to keep or increase our market share, increase customers as planned, differentiate our business offerings by innovating and delivering products and services that provide enhanced value to our customers, provide quality and satisfactory levels of service and retain accounts with favorable medical cost experience or more profitable products versus retaining or increasing our customer base in accounts with unfavorable medical cost experience or less profitable products.
We must remain competitive to attract new customers, retain existing customers and further integrate additional product and service offerings. To succeed in this highly competitive marketplace, it is imperative that we maintain a strong reputation. Increasingly, our customers, clients and investors consider our efforts on a variety of matters that could impact our stakeholders, including our employees and the communities in which we operate, such as our efforts with respect to the environment and diversity, equity and inclusion. The negative reputational impact of a significant event, including a failure to execute on customer or client contracts or strategic or operational initiatives, failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, or failure to innovate and deliver products and services that demonstrate greater value to our customers, could affect our ability to grow and retain profitable arrangements, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows.We face price competition and other pressures that could compress our margins or result in premiums that are insufficient to cover the cost of services delivered to our customers.While we compete on the basis of many service and quality-related factors, we expect that price will continue to be a significant basis of competition and we may face pressure to contain premium rates. Our client contracts are subject to negotiation as clients seek to contain their costs, including by reducing benefits offered. Increasingly, our clients seek to negotiate performance guarantees that require us to pay penalties if the guaranteed performance standard is not met. Clients can easily move between our competitors and us. Our clients are well informed and typically have knowledgeable consultants that seek competing bids from our competitors before contract renewal. In addition, as brokers and benefit consultants seek to enhance their revenue streams, they look to take on services that we typically provide. Each of these events could negatively impact our financial results.
Federal and state regulatory agencies may restrict or prevent entirely our ability to implement changes in premium rates. Fiscal or other concerns related to the government-sponsored programs in which we participate, such as Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Part D plans, may cause decreasing reimbursement rates, delays in premium payments, restrictions on implementing changes in premium rates or insufficient increases in reimbursement rates. Any limitation on our ability to maintain or increase our premium or reimbursement levels, or a significant loss of customers or clients resulting from our need to increase or maintain premium or reimbursement levels, could adversely affect our business, cash flows, financial condition and results of operations.
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Premiums in the Cigna Healthcare segment are generally set for one-year periods and are priced well in advance of the date on which the contract commences or renews. Our revenue on Medicare Advantage plans, Individual and Family Plans ("IFP") and Medicare Part D plans is based on rates and bids submitted midyear in the year before the contract year. Although we base the premiums we charge and our Medicare Advantage, IFP and Medicare Part D rates and bids on our estimate of future health care costs over the contract period, actual costs may exceed what we estimate in setting premiums. Our participation in health insurance exchanges through our IFP offerings involves uncertainties associated with mix and volume of business and could adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. Our health care costs also are affected by external events that we cannot forecast or project and over which we have little or no control, including changes in laws and regulations, as well as pandemics, costly new treatments, new treatment guidelines, provider billing practices, inflation and changes in customers' health care utilization patterns, which may, among other things, impact our ability to appropriately document their health conditions. Our profitability depends, in part, on our ability to accurately predict, price for and effectively manage future health care costs. Relatively small differences between predicted and actual medical costs or utilization rates as a percentage of revenue can result in significant changes in our financial results.
Strong competition within the pharmacy benefit business has also generated greater demand for lower product and service pricing, increased revenue sharing and enhanced product and service offerings. These competitive factors have historically applied pressure on our operating margins and caused many companies, including us, to reduce the prices charged for products and services while sharing with clients a greater portion of the formulary fees and related rebates received from pharmaceutical manufacturers. Our inability to maintain positive trends, or failure to identify and implement new ways to mitigate pricing pressures, could negatively impact our ability to attract or retain clients or sell additional services, which could negatively impact our margins and have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, legislative reforms related to rebates, reporting, and other activities may adversely affect our competitive position, cash flows, financial condition and results of operations.The reserves we hold for expected medical claims are based on estimates that involve an extensive degree of judgment and are inherently variable. If actual claims exceed our estimates, our operating results could be materially adversely affected, and our ability to take timely corrective actions to contain future costs may be limited.We maintain and record medical claims reserves in our Consolidated Balance Sheets for estimated future payments. Our estimates of health care costs payable are based on a number of factors, including historical claim experience, but this estimation process requires extensive judgment. Considerable variability is inherent in such estimates, and the accuracy of the estimates is highly sensitive to changes in medical claims submission and processing patterns or procedures, changes in customer base and product mix, changes in the utilization of prescription drugs, medical or other covered items or services, changes in medical cost trends, changes in our health management practices, changes in regulations and the introduction of new benefits and products. If we are not able to accurately and promptly anticipate and detect medical cost trends, our ability to take timely corrective actions to limit future costs and reflect our current benefit cost experience in our pricing process may be limited. Additionally, we must estimate the amount of rebates payable by us under the ACA's and CMS' minimum loss ratio rules and the amounts payable by us to, and receivable by us from, the United States federal government under the ACA's remaining premium stabilization program. Because establishing reserves is an inherently uncertain process involving estimates of future losses, there can be no certainty that ultimate losses will not exceed existing reserves which may adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
If we fail to develop and maintain satisfactory relationships with health care payers, physicians, hospitals and other health service providers and with producers and consultants, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected.
We contract with or employ physicians, hospitals and other health service providers and facilities to provide health services to our customers, as well as health care payers (as a service provider to those payers). Our results of operations are substantially dependent on our ability to contract for these services at competitive prices. In any particular market, physicians, hospitals and health service providers may enter into exclusive arrangements with competitors or simply refuse to contract with us, demand higher payments or take other actions that could result in higher medical costs or less desirable products or services for our customers. In some markets, certain providers, particularly hospitals, physician/hospital organizations and multispecialty physician groups, may have significant or controlling market positions that could result in a diminished bargaining position for us. If providers refuse to contract with us, use their market position to negotiate more favorable contracts or place us at a competitive disadvantage, our ability to market products or to be profitable in those areas could be materially adversely affected. Additionally, certain regulations may impact our ability to obtain competitive prices. Establishing collaborative arrangements with physician groups, specialist groups, independent practice associations, hospitals and health care delivery systems is key to our strategic focus to transition from volume-based fee-for-service arrangements to a value-based health care system. If such collaborative arrangements do not result in the lower medical costs that we project or if we fail to attract health care providers to such arrangements, or are less successful at implementing such arrangements
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than our competitors, our attractiveness to customers may be reduced and our ability to profitably grow our business may be adversely affected.
Our ability to develop and maintain satisfactory relationships with providers may also be negatively impacted by other factors not associated with us, such as changes in Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement levels, increasing pressure on revenue and other pressures on health care providers and increasing consolidation activity among hospitals, physician groups and providers. Continuing consolidation among physicians, hospitals and other providers, the emergence of accountable care organizations, vertical integration of providers and other entities, changes in the organizational structures chosen by physicians, hospitals and providers, new market entrants, including those not traditionally in the health care industry, and the increased use of virtual care services (including telehealth) may affect the way providers interact with us and may change the competitive landscape in which we operate. In some instances, these organizations may compete directly with us, potentially affecting the way we price our products and services or causing us to incur increased costs if we change our operations to be more competitive.Out-of-network providers for non-Medicare services are not limited by any agreement with us in the amounts they bill. For Medicare Advantage, out-of-network providers can only receive the same rate that CMS pays for Medicare services. While benefit plans place limits on the amount of charges that will be considered for reimbursement and regulations seek to prescribe payment levels, establish methodologies and dispute resolution processes, providers are increasingly sophisticated and aggressive. As a result, the outcome of disputes where we do not have a provider contract may cause us to pay higher medical or other benefit costs than we projected.Additionally, certain of our products and services are sold in part through non-exclusive producers and consultants for whose services and allegiance we compete. Our sales could be materially adversely affected if we are unable to attract, retain and support such independent producers and consultants or if our sales strategy is not appropriately aligned across distribution channels.If we lose our relationship with one or more key pharmaceutical manufacturers, or if the payments made or discounts provided by pharmaceutical manufacturers decline, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We maintain relationships with numerous pharmaceutical manufacturers, which provide us with, among other things:
• discounts for drugs we purchase to be dispensed from our home delivery and specialty pharmacies;
• discounts, in the form of rebates, for drug utilization;
• fees for administering rebate programs, including invoicing, allocating and collecting rebates;
• fees for services provided to pharmaceutical manufacturers by our specialty pharmacies; and
• access to limited distribution specialty pharmaceuticals by our specialty pharmacies.Our contracts with pharmaceutical manufacturers are typically non-exclusive and terminable on relatively short notice by either party. The consolidation of pharmaceutical manufacturers, the termination or material alteration of our relationships, or our failure to renew contracts on market competitive terms could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, arrangements between payors and pharmaceutical manufacturers have been the subject of debate in federal and state legislatures and various other public and governmental forums. Adoption of new laws, rules or regulations or changes in, or new interpretations of, existing laws, rules or regulations, relating to any of these programs could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.If significant changes occur within the pharmacy provider marketplace, or if other issues arise with respect to our pharmacy networks, including the loss of or adverse change in our relationship with one or more key pharmacy providers, our business and financial results could be adversely affected.More than 67,000 pharmacies participated in one or more of our networks as of December 31, 2023. The ten largest retail pharmacy chains represent approximately 60% of the total number of stores in our largest network. In certain geographic areas of the United States, our networks may be comprised of higher concentrations of one or more large pharmacy chains. Contracts with retail pharmacies are generally non-exclusive and are terminable on relatively short notice by either party. If one or more of the larger pharmacy chains terminates its relationship with us, or is able to renegotiate terms substantially less favorable to us, our customers' access to retail pharmacies or our business could be materially adversely affected. The entry of one or more additional large pharmacy chains into the pharmacy benefit management business, the consolidation of existing pharmacy chains or increased leverage or market share by the largest pharmacy providers could increase the likelihood of negative changes in our relationship with such pharmacies. Changes in the overall composition of our pharmacy networks, or reduced pharmacy access under our networks, could have a negative impact on our claims volume or our competitiveness in the marketplace, which could cause us to fall short of certain guarantees in our contracts with clients or otherwise impair our business or results of operations.
33Changes in drug pricing or industry pricing benchmarks could materially impact our financial performance.Contracts in the prescription drug industry, including our contracts with retail pharmacy networks and our pharmacy and specialty pharmacy clients, generally use pricing metrics published by third parties as benchmarks to establish pricing for prescription drugs. If these benchmarks are no longer published by third parties, we, or our contractual partners, adopt other pricing benchmarks for establishing prices within the industry, legislation or regulation requires the use of other pricing benchmarks, or future changes in drug prices substantially deviate from our expectations, the short- or long-term impacts may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Additionally, laws such as the Inflation Reduction Act have granted CMS the ability to negotiate drug prices for certain Part D and Part B drugs, and other federal and state legislative proposals may lead to changes in drug pricing for federal health care programs.Our business depends on our ability to effectively invest in, implement improvements to and properly maintain the uninterrupted operation, availability and data integrity of our information technology and other business systems.Our business is highly dependent on maintaining effective information systems as well as the integrity and timeliness of the data we use to serve our customers and health care providers and to operate our business. If our data were found to be inaccurate or unreliable due to fraud or other error, or if we, or any of the third-party providers or subcontractors that we or they engage, were to fail to maintain information systems and data integrity effectively, we could experience operational disruptions that may impact our clients, customers and health care providers and hinder our ability to provide or establish appropriate pricing for products and services, retain and attract clients and customers, establish reserves and report financial results timely and accurately and maintain regulatory compliance, among other things.
Our information technology strategy and execution are critical to our continued success. We must continue to invest in and maintain long-term solutions that will enable us to anticipate customer needs and expectations, enhance the customer experience, act as a differentiator in the market and protect against cybersecurity risks and threats or other events that could disrupt our information technology systems such as man-made or natural disasters (including those as a result of climate change). Our success is dependent, in large part, on maintaining the effectiveness of existing technology systems and continuing to deliver and enhance technology systems that support our business processes in a cost-efficient and resource-efficient manner. Increasing regulatory and legislative changes will place additional demands on our infrastructure that could have a direct impact on resources available for other projects tied to our strategic initiatives. In addition, recent trends toward greater consumer engagement in health care require new and enhanced technologies, including more sophisticated applications for mobile devices. Connectivity among technologies is becoming increasingly important. We must also develop new systems to meet current market standards and keep pace with continuing changes in information processing technology, evolving industry and regulatory standards and customer needs. Failure to do so may present compliance challenges and impede our ability to deliver services in a competitive manner. Further, because system development projects are long-term in nature, they may be more costly than expected to complete and may not deliver the expected benefits upon completion. Our failure to effectively invest in, implement improvements to and properly maintain the uninterrupted operation, availability and data integrity of our systems could adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flow.As a large global health company, we and our vendors are subject to cyberattacks or other privacy or data security incidents. If we are unable to prevent or contain the effects of any such attacks, or fail to ensure vendors do the same, we may suffer exposure to substantial liability, reputational harm, loss of revenue or other damages.Our business depends on our clients' and customers' willingness to entrust us with their health-related and other personal information ("PI"), including Protected Health Information ("PHI") that is subject to privacy, security or data breach notification laws. Computer networks or systems may be vulnerable to intrusion, computer viruses or malware, programming errors, attacks by third parties or similar disruptive problems. We have been, and will likely continue to be, the target of computer viruses or other malicious codes, unauthorized access, cyberattacks or other computer-related penetrations. There have been, and will likely continue to be, large scale cyberattacks within the health service industry. Additionally, hardware, software or applications we develop or procure from third parties may contain defects in design, manufacturer defects or other problems that could unexpectedly compromise information technology. Human or technological error has and could in the future result in, for example, unauthorized access to, acquisition, disclosure, modification, misuse, loss, or destruction of company, customer, or other third-party data or systems; theft of sensitive, regulated, or confidential data including PI and intellectual property; the loss of access to critical data or systems through ransomware, destructive attacks or other means; and business delays, service or system disruptions or denials of service.
As we increase the amount of PI that we store and share digitally, our exposure to unauthorized uses and disclosures, and data privacy and related cybersecurity risks increases, including the risk of undetected attacks, damage, loss or unauthorized access or acquisition or misappropriation of proprietary or personal information, and the cost of attempting to protect against these risks also increases. The health care data ecosystem is complex and requires data exchange with vendors, business partners, health care professionals, the government and others. If disruptions, data disclosures, security incidents or breaches are not detected quickly, their effect could be compounded. We have dedicated significant resources to implement privacy and security technologies, processes and procedures to
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protect PI and provide employee awareness training around phishing, malware and other cyber risks; however, there are no assurances that such measures will be effective against all types of security incidents or breaches. Further, we depend on many vendors to support and assist our business, which requires such vendors to generate, store and use PI.
Cybersecurity threats are rapidly evolving and those threats and the means for obtaining access to our proprietary systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Cyberattacks can originate from a wide variety of sources including terrorists, nation states, internal actors, or third parties, such as external service providers, and the techniques used change frequently or are often not recognized until after they have been launched. For example, there continues to be an increase in new financial fraud schemes akin to ransomware attacks on large companies whereby a cybercriminal installs a type of malicious software, or malware, that prevents a user or enterprise from accessing computer files, systems or networks and demands payment of a ransom for their return. Those parties may also attempt to fraudulently induce employees, customers or other users of our systems to disclose or inadvertently provide access to systems in order to gain access to our data or that of our customers. In addition, while we have certain standards for all vendors that provide us services, our vendors, and in turn, their own service providers, may become subject to the same types of security breaches. Finally, our offices may be vulnerable to security incidents or security attacks, acts of vandalism or theft, misplaced or lost data, human error or similar events that could negatively affect our systems and our customers' and clients' data.
The costs to eliminate or address security threats and vulnerabilities before or after a cyber-incident could be significant. Our remediation efforts may not be successful and could result in interruptions, delays, or cessation of service and loss of existing or potential customers.
In addition, the unauthorized access, acquisition, use, disclosure or dissemination of personal information, proprietary information or confidential information about us, our customers or other third parties could expose our customers' and their private information to the risk of financial or medical identity theft. Unauthorized access, acquisition, use, disclosure or dissemination of confidential and proprietary information about our business and strategy could also negatively affect the achievement of our strategic initiatives. Such events could cause us to breach our contractual obligations and violate applicable laws. These events would negatively affect our ability to compete, our reputation, customer base and revenues and expose us to mandatory disclosure requirements, government investigations, litigation and other enforcement proceedings, material fines, penalties or remediation costs and compensatory, special, punitive and statutory damages, consent orders and other adverse actions, any of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.Our use of artificial intelligence and machine learning present regulatory and legal challenges that could negatively affect our business and our reputation.Our use of artificial intelligence (“AI”), including machine learning (“ML”) technologies, as well as more recent technological advances in AI/ML, pose risks to us and subject us to new and existing laws and regulations. While we are committed to responsible use of AI/ML and following applicable laws and regulations, and while we have made progress developing governance as to use of AI/ML by our organization, any failure to use AI/ML responsibly and to adhere to such laws, regulations and governance could have a material unfavorable effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Depending on how existing laws and regulations are interpreted, and as new laws are passed, we may have to make changes to our business practices to comply with such obligations. These obligations may make it harder for us to conduct our business using AI/ML, lead to regulatory fines or penalties, require us retrain our AI/ML, or prevent or limit our use of AI/ML. Our use of AI/ML technologies could also result in additional compliance costs, regulatory investigations and actions, and consumer or other lawsuits. If we are unable to use AI/ML, or if regulators restrict our ability to use AI/ML for certain purposes, it could make our business less efficient, result in competitive disadvantages, and subject us to potential unfavorable business impacts. To the extent that we rely on or use the output of AI/ML, any inaccuracies, biases or errors could have unfavorable impacts on us, our business and our results of operations or financial condition. The impact of regulatory and legal risks associated with AI/ML is largely unknown.As a global company, we face political, legal, operational, regulatory, economic and other risks that present challenges and could negatively affect our multinational operations or our long-term growth.As a global company, our business is increasingly exposed to risks inherent in foreign operations. These risks can vary substantially by market, and include political, legal, operational, regulatory, economic and other risks, including government intervention that we do not face in our U.S. operations. The global nature of our business and operations may present challenges including, but not limited to, those arising from:• geopolitical business conditions and demands;
• regulation that may discriminate against U.S. companies, favor nationalization or expropriate assets;• price controls or other pricing issues and exchange controls; restrictions that prevent us from transferring funds out of the countries in which we operate; foreign currency exchange rates and fluctuations and restrictions on converting currencies
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from foreign operations into other currencies; uncertainty with respect to the adoption of new tax laws and the interpretation of tax positions;• reliance on local employees and interpretations of labor laws in foreign jurisdictions;• managing our partner relationships in countries outside of the United States;
• providing data protection on a global basis and sufficient levels of technical support in different locations;• the global trend for companies to enact local data residency requirements;• acts of civil unrest, war and terrorism, including the ongoing conflict in the Middle East as well as other political and economic conflicts such as through imposition of economic or political sanctions;• man-made disasters, natural disasters (including those arising as a result of climate change) and pandemics in locations where we operate; and• general economic and political conditions, including conditions that may become unpredictable during a U.S. presidential election year.
These factors may increase in significance as we continue to expand globally and operating in new foreign markets may require considerable management time before operations generate any significant revenues and earnings. Any one of these challenges could negatively affect our operations or long-term growth.
International operations also require us to devote significant resources to implement controls and systems in new markets to comply with, and to ensure that our vendors and partners comply with, U.S. and foreign laws prohibiting bribery, corruption and money laundering, in addition to other regulations regarding, among other things, our products, direct-to-consumer communications, customer privacy, data protection and data residency. Violations of these laws and regulations could result in fines, criminal sanctions against us, our officers or employees, restrictions or outright prohibitions on the conduct of our business and significant reputational harm. Our success depends, in part, on our ability to anticipate these risks and manage these challenges. Our failure to comply with laws and regulations governing our conduct outside of the United States or to establish constructive relations with non-U.S. regulators could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and long-term growth. Please see "—Legal and Compliance Risks" below.
Strategic transactions involve risks and we may not realize the expected benefits because of integration or separation difficulties, underperformance relative to our expectations and other challenges.
As part of our strategy, we regularly consider and enter into strategic transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, licensing arrangements, divestitures and other relationships (collectively referred to as "strategic transactions"). There is significant competition for attractive targets and opportunities and we may be unable to identify and successfully complete strategic transactions in the future. In addition, from time to time, we evaluate alternatives for our businesses that do not meet our strategic, growth or profitability objectives, and we may divest or wind down such businesses. We may be unable to complete any such divestiture on terms favorable to us, within the expected timeframes, or at all. For example, in January 2024 we announced the HCSC transaction, which is subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions. We may be unable to satisfy the closing conditions in a timely manner to complete the HCSC transaction, or we may otherwise fail to receive the anticipated benefits from the transaction, even if it is completed. We may have continued financial exposure to divested businesses following the completion of any such transaction, including increased costs due to potential litigation, contingent liabilities and indemnification of the buyer related to, among other things, lawsuits, regulatory matters or tax liabilities.Our ability to achieve the anticipated benefits of strategic transactions, including synergies, cost savings, innovation and operational efficiencies, is subject to numerous uncertainties and risks, including our ability to successfully combine or separate business operations, resources and systems, including data security systems and internal financial control standards, in an efficient and effective manner. Integration and separation activities may result in additional and unforeseen expenses, and the anticipated benefits may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected. These activities are complex, costly and time-consuming and may divert management's attention from ongoing business concerns. Delays or issues encountered in these activities could have a material adverse effect on the revenues, expenses, operating results and financial condition of the Company. Additionally, the benefits of strategic transactions and the related timing could be impacted by various factors, including political instability, natural disasters, fluctuations in currency exchange rates, delays in obtaining regulatory approval and changes in regulations.Strategic transactions could result in increased costs, including facilities and systems consolidation or separation costs and costs to retain key employees, decreases in expected revenues, earnings or cash flows and goodwill or other intangible asset impairment charges. As of December 31, 2023, our goodwill and other intangible assets had a carrying value of approximately $75 billion, representing 49% of our total consolidated assets. The value of our goodwill may be materially and adversely impacted if the businesses we acquire do not perform in a manner consistent with our assumptions. Future evaluations requiring an impairment to goodwill and other intangible assets could materially affect our results of operations and shareholders' equity in the period in which the impairment occurs. A material decrease in shareholders' equity could negatively impact our debt ratings or potentially impact our compliance with existing debt covenants. See Note 20 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on goodwill and
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intangibles. In addition, the trading price of our securities may decline if, among other things, we are unable to achieve our estimates of earnings growth and operational cost savings, or the transaction costs are greater than expected. The trading price also may decline if we do not achieve the perceived benefits of a transaction as rapidly or to the extent anticipated by financial or industry analysts.
Additionally, joint ventures and equity investments present risks that are different from acquisitions, including risks related to: specific operations and finances of the businesses we invest in; selection of appropriate parties; differing objectives of the various parties; competition between and among parties; compliance activities (including compliance with applicable CMS requirements); growing the business in a manner acceptable to all the parties; maintaining positive relationships among the parties, clients and customers; initial and ongoing governance of joint ventures and customer and business disruption that may occur upon a joint venture termination.
Further, we may finance strategic transactions by issuing common stock for some or all of the purchase price that could dilute the ownership interests of our shareholders, or by incurring additional debt that could increase costs and impact our ability to access capital in the future.
In addition, effective internal controls are necessary to provide reliable and accurate financial reports and to mitigate the risk of fraud. The integration of businesses is likely to cause increasing complexity in our systems and internal controls and make them more difficult to manage. Any difficulties in assimilating businesses into our control system could cause us to fail to meet our financial reporting obligations. We also rely on the internal controls and financial reporting controls of joint venture entities and other entities in which we invest and their failure to maintain effectiveness or comply with applicable standards may materially and adversely affect us. Ineffective internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information that could negatively impact the trading price of our securities and our access to capital.We are dependent on the success of our relationships with third parties for various services and functions.To improve operating costs, productivity and efficiencies, we contract with third parties for the provision of specific services. Our operations may be adversely affected if a third party fails to satisfy its obligations, if the arrangement is terminated in whole or in part or if there is a contractual dispute between us and the third party. Even though contracts are intended to provide certain protections, we have limited control over the actions of third parties. For example, noncompliance with any privacy or security laws and regulations, any security breach involving one of our third-party vendors or a dispute between us and a third-party vendor related to our arrangement could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and reputation.
Outsourcing also may require us to change our existing operations, adopt new processes for managing these service providers or redistribute responsibilities to realize the potential productivity and operational efficiencies. If there are delays or difficulties in changing business processes or our third-party vendors do not perform as expected, we may not realize, or not realize on a timely basis, the anticipated economic and other benefits of these relationships. This could result in additional costs or regulatory compliance issues or create other operational or financial problems for us. Terminating or transitioning, in whole or in part, arrangements with key vendors could result in additional costs or penalties, risks of operational delays or potential errors and control issues during the termination or transition phase. We may not be able to find an alternative vendor in a timely manner or on acceptable terms. If there is an interruption in business or loss of access to data resulting from a security breach, termination or transition in services, we may not be able to meet the demands of our customers and, in turn, our business and results of operations could be adversely impacted.A significant disruption in service within our operations or among our key suppliers or other third parties could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.Our business is highly dependent upon our ability to perform, in an efficient and uninterrupted fashion, necessary business functions, such as claims processing and payment, internet support and customer call centers, data centers and corporate facilities, processing new and renewal business, maintaining appropriate shipment and storage conditions for prescriptions (such as temperature and protection from contamination) and home delivery processing. In some instances, our ability to provide services or products (including processing and dispensing prescriptions) depends on the availability of services and products provided by suppliers, providers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, vendors or shipping carriers. A disruption, or threat of disruption, in our supply chain, including as a result of future pandemics or public health emergencies, or inability to access or deliver products that meet requisite quality safety standards and patient needs in a timely and efficient manner could adversely impact our business.
Increasing natural disasters in connection with climate change could also be a direct threat to us and our third-party vendors, service providers or other stakeholders. Natural disasters, such as wildfires, hurricanes and snow and ice storms, have impacted and may continue to impact our customers and pose a risk to our employees and facilities located in the impacted region. Responses to such scenarios have and may include, among other things, making temporary policy changes, such as waiving various medical requirements, assisting with replacement medications, transferring prescriptions and expanding our help line. In addition, there is a risk that actions taken to respond to climate change could increase the cost of energy, fuel and other commodities, which would increase our operating costs.
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We are also subject to risk as a result of information technology disruptions. Any failure or disruption of our performance of, or our ability to perform, key business functions, including through unavailability or cyberattack of our information technology systems or those of third parties (including cloud service providers), could cause slower response times, decreased levels of service satisfaction and harm to our reputation. Our systems interface with and depend on third-party systems and we could experience service denials if demand for such service exceeds capacity or a third-party system fails or experiences an interruption.While we have adopted, and continue to enhance, business continuity and disaster recovery plans and strategies, there is no guarantee that such plans and strategies will be effective, which could interrupt the functionality of our information technology systems or those of third parties. Our failure to implement adequate business continuity and disaster recovery strategies could significantly reduce our ability to provide products and services to our customers and clients, which could have material adverse effects on our business and results of operations.
In managing medical practices and operating pharmacies, onsite clinics and other types of medical facilities, we may be subject to additional liability that could result in significant time and expense.In addition to contracting with physicians and other health care providers for services, we employ physicians, pharmacists, nurses and other health care providers at our home delivery and specialty pharmacies, onsite low acuity and primary care practices and infusion clinics that we manage and operate for our customers, as well as certain clinics for our employees. We also provide in-home care through health care providers that we employ, as well as through third-party contractors. As such, we may be subject to liability for certain acts, omissions, or injuries caused by our employees or agents, or occurring at one of these practices, pharmacies or clinics. The defense of any actions may require diverting personnel and other resources and incurring significant costs that could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and reputation.Legal and Compliance Risks
Our business is subject to substantial government regulation, as well as new laws or regulations or changes in existing laws or regulations that could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.Our business is regulated at the federal, state, local and international levels. The laws and rules governing our business and related interpretations are increasing in number and complexity, are subject to frequent change and can be inconsistent or in conflict with each other. Noncompliance with applicable regulations by us or our third-party vendors could have material adverse effects on our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and reputation.
We must identify, assess and respond to new trends in the legislative and regulatory environment, as well as comply with the various existing regulations applicable to our business. There are currently pending, and in the future there will likely be, legislative or regulatory proposals which seek to manage the health services industry, including managing prescription drug costs and health records, as well as regulating drug distribution. Federal and state governments have enacted and we expect federal and state governments to continue to enact and seriously consider many broad-based legislative and regulatory proposals that will or could materially impact various aspects of the health care and related benefits system. In addition, changes to government policies not specifically targeted to the health services industry, such as a change in tax laws and the corporate tax rate or government spending cuts, could have significant impacts on our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity. The trading price of our securities may react to the announcement of such proposals. As disclosed in Part II, Item 5 of this Form 10-K, we have an active share repurchase program authorized by our board of directors.
Regulators, customers, investors, employees and other stakeholders are increasingly focusing on ESG matters and related disclosures. These changing rules, regulations and stakeholder expectations have resulted in, and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and increased management time and attention spent complying with such regulations or meeting such expectations. For example, the European Union's ("EU’s") Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (“CSRD”) will require expansive disclosures on various sustainability topics such as climate change, biodiversity, workforce, supply chain, and business ethics by in-scope EU entities and certain non-EU entities with significant cross-border business in EU markets. In addition, California’s recently-enacted Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act will require annual disclosures of covered companies’ Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions. We are assessing our obligations under CSRD and other enhanced reporting requirements, and expect that compliance could require substantial effort in the future. Overall, ESG matters and related stakeholder reaction may impact our reputation and have other business impacts which could adversely affect our business.
Existing or future laws, rules, U.S. Presidential Executive Orders, regulatory interpretations or judgments could force us to change how we conduct our business, affect the products and services we offer and where we offer them, restrict revenue and enrollment growth, increase our costs, including medical, operating, health care technology and administrative costs, and require enhancements to our compliance infrastructure and internal controls environment. For example, health care reforms or the invalidation, modification, repeal or replacement of the ACA or portions thereof could result in material changes to the way we conduct our business, as well as
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the loss of subsidies related to our IFP offerings and could impact the market for our products. We are required to obtain and maintain insurance and other regulatory approvals to, among other things, market many of our products, expand into additional geographic or product markets, increase prices for certain regulated products and consummate some of our acquisitions and dispositions. Delays in obtaining or failure to obtain or maintain these approvals could reduce our revenue or increase our costs. Additionally, we must maintain licenses and registrations in the jurisdictions in which we conduct business, and the suspension, material adverse modification or termination of such license and registrations could adversely affect our operations. Such licensure subjects many of our businesses to state regulation of our operations and products, as well as risks associated with doing business in those jurisdictions. Existing or future laws and rules could also require or lead us to take other actions such as changing our business practices and could increase our liability. Further, failure to effectively implement or adjust our strategic and operational initiatives, such as by reducing operating costs, adjusting premium pricing or benefit design or transforming our business model in response to regulatory changes may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.For more information on regulations affecting our business, see "Business – Regulation" in Part I, Item 1 of this Form 10-K.There are various risks associated with participating in government-sponsored programs, such as Medicare, including dependence upon government funding, compliance with government contracts and increased regulatory oversight and enforcement.
Through our U.S. Healthcare business, we contract with CMS and various state governmental agencies to provide managed health care services including Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Part D plans. Additionally, our Evernorth Health Services business provides services to government entities and payors participating in government health care programs and our relationships with these government entities is subject to laws and regulations regarding government contracts.
Our revenues from government-funded programs, including our Medicare programs and our government clients, are dependent, in whole or in part, upon annual funding from the federal government or applicable state or local governments. Funding for these programs is dependent on many factors outside our control, including general economic conditions, continuing government efforts to contain health care costs, budgetary constraints at the federal or applicable state or local level and general political issues and priorities. These entities generally have the right to not renew or to cancel their contracts with us on short notice without cause or if funds are not available. Unanticipated changes in funding, such as the application of sequestration by the federal or state governments, retroactive rate adjustments, a delay by Congress in raising the federal debt ceiling, or the failure to provide for continued appropriations or regular ongoing scheduled payments to us, could substantially reduce our revenues or profitability or impact our liquidity.
The Medicare program has been the subject of regulatory reform initiatives. The premium rates paid to Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Part D plans are established by contract, although the rates differ depending on a combination of factors, some of which are outside our control. For example, the base premium rate paid differs depending upon a combination of various factors such as defined upper payment limits, a member's health status, age, gender, county or region, benefit mix, member eligibility category and risk scores. Additionally, a portion of each Medicare Advantage plan's reimbursement is tied to the plan's Star Rating, with those plans receiving a rating of four or more stars eligible for quality-based bonus payments. A plan's Star Rating affects its image in the market and plans that perform well are able to offer enhanced benefits, market more effectively and for longer periods of time than other plans. The Star Rating system is subject to change annually by CMS, which may make it more difficult to achieve four stars or greater. Our Medicare Advantage plans' and Medicare Part D plans' operating results, premium revenue and benefit offerings are likely to continue to be significantly determined by their Star Ratings. There can be no assurances that we will be successful in maintaining or improving our Star Ratings in future years. In addition, audits of our performance for past or future periods may result in downgrades to our Star Ratings. If we do not maintain or improve our Star Ratings or if the quality-based bonus payments are reduced or eliminated, we may experience a negative impact on our revenue and the marketability of our plans may be adversely affected. Accordingly, our plans may not be eligible for full level quality bonuses, which could adversely affect the benefits such plans can offer, reduce membership or impact our financial performance. See the "Executive Overview - Key Transactions and Business Developments" section of MD&A in Part II, Item 7 of this Form 10-K for additional information on our Star Ratings.
Additionally, if we fail to comply with CMS' contractual requirements, including data submission, enrollment and marketing, provider network adequacy, provider directory accuracy, quality measures, claims payment, continuity of care, timely and accurate processing of appeals and grievances, adverse findings under RADV audits, oversight of first tier downstream and related entities and call center performance, we may be subject to administrative actions, including enrollment sanctions or contract termination, fines or other penalties or enforcement actions that could materially impact our profitability.We face risks related to litigation, regulatory audits and investigations.We are routinely involved in numerous claims, lawsuits, regulatory audits, investigations and other legal matters arising, for the most part, in the ordinary course of business. These legal matters could include benefit claims, breach of contract actions, tort claims (including claims related to the delivery of health care services, such as medical malpractice by staff at our affiliates' facilities, or by
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health care practitioners who are employed by us, have contractual relationships with us, or serve as providers to our managed care networks, including as a result of a failure to adhere to applicable clinical, quality and/or patient safety standards), claims arising from consumer protection laws, false claims act laws, claims disputes under federal or state laws and disputes regarding reinsurance arrangements, employment and employment discrimination-related suits, antitrust claims (including as a result of changes in the enforcement of antitrust laws), employee benefit claims, wage and hour claims, tax, privacy, intellectual property and whistleblower claims, shareholder suits and other securities law claims, real estate disputes, claims related to disclosure of certain business practices and claims arising from customer audits and contract performance, including government contracts. In addition, we have incurred and likely will continue to incur liability for practices and claims related to our health care business, such as marketing misconduct, failure to timely or appropriately pay for or provide health care, provider network structure, poor outcomes for care delivered or arranged, provider disputes including disputes over compensation or contractual provisions, ERISA claims, allegations related to calculations of cost sharing and claims related to our administration of self-funded business. We are also routinely involved in legal matters arising from our health services business, including without limitation claims related to the dispensing of pharmaceutical products by our home delivery and specialty pharmacies, pharmacy benefit management services, such as formulary management services, health benefit management services and provider services. Our pharmacy services operations are subject to the clinical quality, patient safety and other risks inherent in the dispensing, packaging and distribution of drugs, including claims related to purported dispensing and other operational errors. There are currently, and may be in the future, attempts to bring class action lawsuits against the Company and other companies in our industry; individual plaintiffs also may bring multiple claims regarding the same subject matter against us and other companies in our industry.
Court decisions and legislative activity may increase our exposure for any of these types of claims. In some cases, substantial noneconomic or punitive damages may be sought. We procure insurance coverage to cover some of these potential liabilities, however we also self-insure a significant portion of our litigation risks. While we maintain some third-party insurance coverage, including excess liability insurance with third-party insurance carriers, certain liabilities or types of damages, such as punitive damages, may not be covered by insurance, insurers may dispute coverage or the amount of insurance may be insufficient to cover the entire damages awarded. Resolving disputes is often expensive and disruptive, regardless of the outcome. Additionally, it is possible that the resolution of current or future legal matters and claims could result in changes to our industry and business practices, losses material to our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity or damage to our reputation.
We are frequently the subject of regulatory market conduct and other reviews, audits and investigations by state insurance and health and welfare and pharmacy departments, attorneys general, DOJ, CMS, DOL and the HHS-OIG and comparable authorities in foreign jurisdictions. Additionally, we have in the past been, and may in the future be, subject to qui tam actions in which the government may or may not intervene. With respect to our Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D businesses, CMS and HHS-OIG perform audits to determine a health plan's compliance with federal regulations and contractual obligations, including compliance with proper coding practices and fraud and abuse enforcement practices through audits designed to detect and correct improper payments. Certain of our contracts currently have RADV audits by CMS and the HHS-OIG that are awaiting CMS finalization. These audits could result in repayments to the government. There also continues to be heightened review by federal and state regulators of business and reporting practices within the health services industry, including with respect to claims payment and related escheat practices, and increased scrutiny by other federal and state governmental agencies (such as state attorneys general) empowered to bring criminal actions in circumstances that could have previously given rise only to civil or administrative proceedings.
In addition, various government agencies have conducted investigations and audits into certain pharmacy benefit management practices. For example, the FTC is conducting an ongoing study of the pharmacy benefit manager industry and the impact of pharmacy benefit managers on the accessibility and affordability of prescription drugs. In June 2022, the FTC issued an enforcement policy statement indicating the FTC would scrutinize the impact of rebates and fees paid by pharmaceutical manufacturers to pharmacy benefit managers and other intermediaries to determine if laws such as the FTC Act, the Clayton Act, the Robinson-Patman Act and the Sherman Act may have been violated. In July 2023, the FTC voted to issue a statement cautioning against reliance on prior advocacy letters that advocated against proposals to increase regulatory oversight and transparency of pharmacy benefit managers. The FTC previously required three group purchasing organizations to provide information and records on business practices and the six largest pharmacy benefit managers to provide information and records on topics including rebate contracts and ancillary agreements, documents related to strategies, conditions and plans for formulary placement, formulary exclusion, formulary tier assignment, and prior authorization regarding rebated drug products, and annual pharmacy reimbursement data for drugs on specialty drug lists and for rebated drug products.
Many investigations and audits have resulted in companies being subject to civil penalties, including the payment of money and entry into corporate integrity agreements. For example, in September 2023, we resolved certain matters related to our Medicare Advantage Business and risk adjustment practices by entering into the Corporate Integrity Agreement (the “CIA”) with the HHS-OIG. The CIA imposes various compliance, reporting and governance obligations on us for five years and requires record reviews by an independent review organization. Our failure to meet these obligations could result in monetary penalties and our exclusion from participation in federal healthcare programs (such as Medicare and Medicaid), which could adversely impact our business, cash flows, financial condition, results of operations and reputation. Any failure, or alleged failure, to comply with various state and federal health care laws
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and regulations, including those related to the CIA or otherwise directed at preventing fraud and abuse in government funded programs, has resulted in and could in the future result in investigations or litigation, such as actions under the federal False Claims Act and similar whistleblower statutes under state laws. A successful action or claim against us could subject us to damage awards, including treble damages, fines, penalties or other enforcement actions, restrictions on our ability to market or enroll new customers, limits on expansion, restrictions or exclusions from programs or other agreements with federal or state governmental agencies, which could adversely impact our business, cash flows, financial condition, results of operations and reputation. We cannot predict what effect, if any, such government investigations and audits may ultimately have on us or on the industry in general. However, we will likely continue to experience government scrutiny and audit activity, which has and may in the future result in civil penalties.
Regulatory audits, investigations, litigation or reviews or actions by other government agencies have resulted in and could result in changes to our business practices, retroactive adjustments to certain premiums, significant fines, penalties, civil liabilities, criminal liabilities or other sanctions, including corporate integrity agreements, restrictions on our ability to participate in government programs or exclusion from such programs, market certain products or engage in business-related activities, that could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operation, financial condition and liquidity. In addition, disclosure of an adverse investigation or audit or the imposition of fines or other sanctions could negatively affect our reputation in certain markets and make it more difficult for us to sell our products and services.
A description of material pending legal actions and other legal and regulatory matters is included in Note 24 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Form 10-K. The outcome of litigation and other legal or regulatory matters is always uncertain.If we fail to comply with applicable privacy, security and data laws, regulations and standards, our business and reputation could be materially adversely affected.Most of our activities involve the receipt, use, storage or transmission of a substantial amount of individuals' PI, including PHI. We also use aggregated and/or anonymized data for research and analysis purposes, and in some cases, provide access to such anonymized data, or analytics created from such data, to pharmaceutical manufacturers and third-party data aggregators and analysts. We may also use such information to create analytic models designed to predict, and potentially improve, outcomes and patient care. The collection, dissemination, receipt, maintenance, protection, use, transmission, disclosure, privacy, confidentiality, security, availability, integrity, creation, processing, and disposal of PI are regulated at the federal, state, international and industry levels and requirements are imposed on us by contracts with clients. In some cases, such laws, rules, regulations and contractual requirements also apply to our vendors and require us to obtain written assurances of their compliance with such requirements. We are also subject to various other consumer protection laws that regulate our communications with customers, such as the FTC Act and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Certain of our businesses are also subject to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, which is designed to protect credit card account data as mandated by payment card industry entities. International laws, rules and regulations governing the use and disclosure of such information, such as the GDPR, can be more stringent than similar laws in the United States, and they vary across jurisdictions. In addition, more jurisdictions are regulating the transfer of data across borders and domestic privacy and data protection laws are generally becoming more onerous.
These laws, rules and contractual requirements are subject to change and the regulatory environment surrounding data security and privacy is increasingly demanding. Compliance with existing or new privacy, security and data laws, regulations and requirements may result in increased operating costs, and may constrain or require us to alter our business model or operations. For more information on privacy regulations to which we are subject, see "Business – Regulation" in Part I, Item 1 of this Form 10-K.
HIPAA requires covered entities and business associates to comply with the HIPAA privacy, security and breach rules. While we endeavor to provide appropriate protections through our contracts with our third-party service providers and in certain cases assess their security controls, we have limited oversight or control over their actions and practices. Several of our businesses act as business associates to their covered entity clients and, as a result, collect, receive, use, disclose, transmit and maintain PHI in order to provide services to these customers. HHS administers an audit program to assess HIPAA compliance efforts by covered entities and business associates. In addition, HHS continues to exercise its enforcement authority to bring enforcement actions resulting from complaints, compliance reviews, audits and investigations brought on by notification to HHS of a breach or other HIPAA violation. An audit resulting in findings or allegations of noncompliance or the implementation of an enforcement action could have an adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, cash flows and reputation.
Noncompliance or findings of noncompliance with applicable laws, regulations or requirements, or the occurrence of any privacy or security breach involving the misappropriation, loss or other unauthorized disclosure of PI, whether by us or by one of our third-party service providers, could materially adversely affect our business and reputation, including our results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
41Effective prevention, detection and control systems are critical to maintain regulatory compliance and prevent fraud; failure of these systems could adversely affect us.Federal and state governments have made investigating and prosecuting health care and other insurance fraud and abuse a priority. Fraud and abuse prohibitions encompass a wide range of activities including kickbacks for referral of customers, billing for unnecessary medical services, improper marketing and violations of patient privacy rights. Some of our businesses are also subject to federal and state laws and regulations that may impact our relationships with health care providers and customers, including laws on self-referrals, beneficiary inducements, false claims, fee-splitting, telemedicine, corporate practice of medicine, dispensing, packaging, fulfillment, and distribution of controlled substances, other pharmaceutical products and medical devices, medical malpractice, consumer protection, product liability, narrow networks, provider tiering programs, provider contracts, overpayments, reimbursement of out-of-network claims, and licensure. The regulations and contractual requirements applicable to us are complex and subject to change and may affect our ability to market or provide our products or services. In addition, ongoing vigorous law enforcement, a highly technical regulatory scheme and the Dodd-Frank Act and related regulations enhance regulators' enforcement powers and whistleblower incentives and protections. Our compliance efforts in this area will continue to require significant resources. Failure of our prevention, detection or control systems related to regulatory compliance or the failure of employees to comply with our internal policies, including data systems security or unethical conduct by managers and employees, could adversely affect our reputation and also expose us to litigation and other proceedings, fines and penalties.In addition, provider or customer fraud that is not prevented or detected could impact our medical costs or those of our self-insured clients. Further, during an economic downturn, we may experience increased fraudulent claims volume that may lead to additional costs due to an increase in disputed claims and litigation.
Economic Risks
Economic and market conditions affect the value of our financial instruments and the value of particular assets and liabilities, investment income and interest expense.
As an insurer, we have substantial investment assets that support insurance and contractholder deposit liabilities and surplus requirements in our regulated companies. The market values of our investments vary depending on economic and market conditions with no offsetting change in the value of a portion of our liabilities. A substantial portion of our investment assets are in fixed interest-yielding debt securities of varying maturities and commercial mortgage loans. The value of these investment assets can fluctuate significantly with changes in market conditions. In addition, an economic contraction could result in delay in payment of principal or interest by issuers, or defaults by issuers, reducing our investment income and requiring us to write down the value of our investments.Significant stock market or interest rate declines could result in unfunded pension obligations resulting in the need for additional plan funding by us and increased pension expenses.We currently have overfunded obligations in our frozen pension plans. A significant decline in the value of the plans' equity and fixed income investments or unfavorable changes in applicable laws or regulations could materially increase our expenses and change the timing and amount of required plan funding. This could reduce the cash available to us, including our subsidiaries. We are also exposed to interest rate and equity risk associated with our pension obligations. Sustained declines in interest rates could have an adverse impact on the funded status of our pension plans and our reinvestment yield on new investments. See Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on our obligations under the pension plans.A downgrade in the financial strength ratings of our insurance subsidiaries could adversely affect new sales and retention of current business, and a downgrade in our debt ratings would increase the cost of borrowed funds and could negatively affect our ability to access capital.Financial strength, claims paying ability and debt ratings by recognized rating organizations are each important factors in establishing the competitive position of insurance and health benefits companies. Ratings information by nationally recognized rating agencies is broadly disseminated and generally used throughout the industry. We believe that the claims paying ability and financial strength ratings of our principal insurance subsidiaries are important factors in marketing our products to certain customers. Our debt ratings impact both the cost and availability of future borrowings and, accordingly, our cost of capital. Each of the rating agencies reviews ratings periodically and there can be no assurance that current ratings will be maintained in the future. A downgrade of any of these ratings in the future could make it more difficult to either market our products successfully or raise capital to support business growth.We maintain significant indebtedness in the ordinary course of business and may incur further indebtedness in the future. Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition, our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry and could divert our cash flow from operations for debt service costs, leaving us with less cash flow from operations available to fund growth, stock repurchases, dividends and other corporate purposes.42
The total indebtedness of The Cigna Group was approximately $30.9 billion as of December 31, 2023. Carrying indebtedness:
• requires us to dedicate a portion of our cash flow from operations to debt payments, thereby reducing the availability of cash flow to fund our operations and growth strategy, including investments, acquisitions and capital expenditures, make stock repurchases, pay dividends and for general corporate purposes;
• increases our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions, which may require us to dedicate an even greater percentage of our cash flow from operations to the payment of principal and interest on our debt and limit our access to capital markets such that additional capital may not be available or may be available only on unfavorable terms;• exposes us to increases in interest rates to the extent increased interest expense is not offset by increased income from our investment assets; and
• limits our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in or challenges relating to our business and industry.The covenants in our debt instruments may have the effect, among other things, of restricting our financial and operating flexibility to respond to significant changes in business and economic conditions. We may incur or assume significantly more debt in the future which may subject us to additional restrictive covenants and increase the risks described above. If our cash flow and capital resources are insufficient to service our debt obligations, we may be forced to seek additional dividends from our subsidiaries, sell assets, seek additional equity or debt capital or restructure our debt.Unfavorable developments in economic conditions may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.Many factors, including geopolitical issues, future economic downturns, man-made disasters, natural disasters (including those as a result of climate change) and pandemics, availability and cost of credit and other capital and consumer spending can negatively impact the U.S. and global economies. Our results of operations could be materially adversely affected by the impact of unfavorable economic conditions on our clients and customers (both employers and individuals), health care providers, pharmacy manufacturers, pharmacy providers and third-party vendors. For example:• Employers may take action to reduce their operating costs by modifying, delaying or canceling plans to purchase our products or making changes in the mix of products purchased that are unfavorable to us.
• Higher unemployment rates, employee attrition (including challenges filling open positions in light of a competitive job market) and workforce reductions could result in lower enrollment in our employer-based plans (including an increase in the number of employees who opt out of employer-based plans) or our individual plans.• Because of unfavorable economic conditions or the ACA, employers may stop offering health care coverage to employees or elect to offer this coverage on a voluntary, employee-funded basis as a means to reduce their operating costs.• If clients are not successful in generating sufficient funds or are precluded from securing financing, they may not be able to pay, or may delay payment of, accounts receivable that are owed to us.
• Our clients or potential clients may force us to compete more vigorously on factors such as price and service to retain or obtain their business.
• Our clients may be acquired, consolidated, or otherwise fail to successfully maintain or grow their business or workforce, which could reduce the number of customers we serve or otherwise result in lower than anticipated utilization of our services.
• A prolonged unfavorable economic environment could adversely impact the financial position of hospitals and other health care providers, potentially increasing our medical costs.
• Our third-party vendors could significantly and quickly increase their prices or reduce their output to reduce their operating costs. Our business depends on our ability to perform necessary business functions in an efficient and uninterrupted fashion.
• Other insurers' financial condition may be weakened, increasing the risk that we will receive significant assessments for obligations of insolvent insurers pursuant to guaranty associations, indemnity funds or other similar laws and regulations.Certain of the foregoing events have occurred and may continue to occur, and the occurrence of these events may, individually or in the aggregate, lead to a decrease in our customer base, revenues or margins or an increase in our operating costs.In addition, during and following a prolonged unfavorable economic environment, federal and state budgets could be materially adversely affected, resulting in reduced or delayed reimbursements or payments in government programs such as Medicare and Social Security or under contracts with government entities. These budgetary pressures also could cause the government to impose new or a higher level of taxes or assessments on us, such as premium taxes on insurance companies and HMOs and surcharges or fees on select fee-for-service and capitated medical claims. Although we could attempt to mitigate or cover our exposure from such increased costs through, among other things, increases in premiums, there can be no assurance that we will be able to mitigate or cover all of such costs, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.43We are subject to the credit risk of our reinsurers.
We enter into reinsurance arrangements with other insurance companies, primarily in connection with acquisition or divestiture transactions when the underwriting company is not being acquired or sold. Under all reinsurance arrangements, reinsurers assume insured losses, subject to certain limitations or exceptions that may include a loss limit. These arrangements also subject us to various obligations, representations and warranties with the reinsurers. Reinsurance does not relieve us of liability as the originating insurer. We remain liable to the underlying policyholders if a reinsurer defaults on obligations under the reinsurance arrangement. Although we regularly evaluate the financial condition of reinsurers to minimize exposure to significant losses from reinsurer insolvencies, reinsurers may become financially unsound. If a reinsurer fails to meet its obligations under the reinsurance contract or if the liabilities exceed any applicable loss limit, we will be forced to cover the claims on the reinsured policies.The collectability of amounts due from reinsurers is subject to uncertainty arising from a number of factors, including whether the insured losses meet the qualifying conditions of the reinsurance contract, whether reinsurers or their affiliates have the financial capacity and willingness to make payments under the terms of the reinsurance contract and the magnitude and type of collateral supporting our reinsurance recoverable, such as holding sufficient qualifying assets in trusts or letters of credit issued. Although a portion of our reinsurance exposures are secured, the inability to collect a material recovery from a reinsurer could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
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FY 2024-12-31 (later)
Item 1A. RISK FACTORSAs a large global health company operating in a complex industry, we encounter a variety of risks and uncertainties, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, results of operations, financial condition or the trading price of our securities. You should carefully consider each of the risks and uncertainties discussed below, together with other information contained in this Form 10-K, including the MD&A. These risks and uncertainties are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial may also adversely affect us. The following risk factors have been organized by category for ease of use; however, many of the risks may have impacts in more than one category. These categories, therefore, should be viewed as a starting point for understanding the significant risks facing us and not as a limitation on the potential impact of the matters discussed. Risk factors are not necessarily listed in order of importance.Strategic and Operational Risks
Future performance of our business will depend on our ability to execute our strategic and operational initiatives effectively.
The future performance of our business will depend in large part on our ability to effectively implement and execute our strategic and operational initiatives. Successfully executing on these initiatives depends on a number of factors, including our ability to:
• differentiate our products, services and solutions from those of our competitors;• develop and bring to market new and innovative products, solutions or programs that focus on improving patient outcomes and experiences, assist in controlling costs, respond to government regulation or respond to challenges within the health care system;
• develop and create responsible data and analytic solutions to support and improve outcomes for our products, services and solutions, including creating and developing solutions and services through partnerships with other industry participants;
• grow and support our product portfolio, expand our addressable markets, and identify and introduce the proper mix, coordination or integration of products that the marketplace will accept;• evaluate drugs for efficacy, value and price to assist clients in selecting a cost-effective formulary;
• offer cost-effective home delivery pharmacy and specialty services;
• access or continue accessing key drugs and successfully penetrate key treatment categories in our specialty pharmacy business;
• attract and retain sufficient numbers of qualified employees, particularly in a competitive job market;19• attract, develop and maintain collaborative relationships with a sufficient number of qualified partners;
• attract new and maintain existing customer and client relationships;
• leverage purchase volume to deliver discounts to health benefit providers;
• transition health care providers from volume-based fee-for-service arrangements to a value-based system;
• improve medical cost competitiveness in our targeted markets;
• manage our medical, pharmacy, administrative and other operating costs effectively; and
• contract with health care providers, pharmacy providers and pharmaceutical manufacturers on market competitive terms.If our strategic initiatives fail, our business may be unable to grow as planned and we will be unable to rapidly respond to competitive, economic and regulatory changes if we do not make important strategic and operational decisions quickly; define our appetite for risk, implement new governance, managerial and organizational processes smoothly; and communicate roles and responsibilities clearly. If these initiatives fail or are not executed effectively, our consolidated financial position and results of operations could be negatively affected.
We operate in a highly competitive, evolving and rapidly changing industry, and our failure to adapt could negatively impact our business.The health service industry continues to be dynamic and rapidly evolving. Any significant shifts in the structure of the industry could alter industry dynamics and adversely affect our ability to attract or retain clients and customers. Industry shifts could result (and have resulted) from, among other things:
• a large intra- or inter-industry merger or industry consolidation;
• strategic alliances;
• new or alternative business models or new government options or offerings;
• continuing consolidation among physicians, hospitals and other health care providers, as well as changes in the organizational structures chosen by physicians, hospitals and health care providers;
• new market entrants, including those not traditionally in the health service industry;
• the ability of larger employers and clients to contract directly with providers;
• technological changes and rapid shifts in the use of technology, such as telehealth and AI;• the impact or consequences of legislation, executive actions or regulatory changes;• impacts to distribution channels, including changes to the United States Postal Service or the consolidation of shipping carriers;
• increased drug acquisition cost or unexpected changes to drug pricing trend;
• changes in the generic/biosimilar drug market or the failure of new generic/biosimilar drugs to come to market; or
• changes in utilization of health care, prescription drugs or other covered services and items, including under risk-based contracts in the health benefit management market and for those businesses that utilize risk adjustment methodology.
Our failure to anticipate or appropriately adapt to changes in the industry could negatively impact our competitive position and adversely affect our business and results of operations.Our failure to compete effectively, to differentiate our products and services from those of our competitors, and to maintain or increase market share, including maintaining or increasing enrollments in businesses providing health benefits, could materially adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
We operate in a highly competitive environment and an industry subject to significant market pressures brought about by customer and client needs, legislative and regulatory developments, and other market factors. In particular markets, our competitors may have greater, better or more established capabilities, resources, market share, reputation or business relationships, or lower profit margin or financial return expectations. Our clients are well-informed and organized and can easily move between our competitors and us. Our Express Scripts client contracts generally have three-year terms and may be subject to periodic renegotiation of pricing terms based on market factors. As described in greater detail in the description of our business in Item 1 of this Form 10-K, our key clients in the Evernorth Health Services segment include the DoD, Prime and Centene. If one or more of our large clients terminates or does not renew a contract for any reason, or if the provisions of a contract with a large client are modified with terms less favorable to us, our results of operations could be adversely affected and we could experience a negative reaction in the investment community.
Our success depends, in part, on our ability to compete effectively in our markets, set prices appropriately in highly competitive markets to keep or increase our market share, increase customers, differentiate our business offerings, provide quality and satisfactory levels of service, and retain accounts with favorable medical cost experience or more profitable products.
We must remain competitive to attract new customers, retain existing customers and further integrate additional product and service offerings. To succeed in this highly competitive marketplace, it is imperative that we maintain a strong reputation. Increasingly, our
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customers, clients and investors consider our efforts on a variety of matters that could impact our stakeholders, including our employees and the communities in which we operate. Our reputation may be negatively impacted by a failure to meet customer expectations for consistent, transparent, high-quality and accessible care or by other significant events, including a failure to execute on customer or client contracts or strategic or operational initiatives, failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, or failure to innovate and deliver cost-effective products and services that demonstrate greater value to our customers. Any of these outcomes could affect our ability to grow and retain our customer base and other profitable arrangements, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows.We face price competition and other pressures that could compress our margins or result in premiums that are insufficient to cover the cost of services delivered to our customers.While we compete on the basis of many service- and quality-related factors, we expect that price will continue to be a significant basis of competition and we may face pressure to contain premium rates or administrative fees. Our client contracts are subject to negotiation as clients seek to contain their costs, including by reducing benefits offered. Increasingly, our clients seek to negotiate performance guarantees that require us to pay penalties if the guaranteed performance standard is not met. Clients can easily move between our competitors and us. Our clients are well-informed and typically have knowledgeable consultants who seek competing bids from our competitors before contract renewal. In addition, as brokers and benefit consultants seek to enhance their revenue streams, they look to take on services that we typically provide. Each of these events could negatively impact our financial results.
Federal and state regulatory agencies may restrict or prevent entirely our ability to implement changes in premium rates or collect certain administrative fees. Fiscal or other concerns related to the government-sponsored programs in which we participate may cause decreasing reimbursement rates, delays in premium payments, restrictions on implementing changes in premium rates or insufficient increases in reimbursement rates. Any limitation on our ability to maintain or increase our premium or reimbursement levels, or a significant loss of customers or clients resulting from our need to increase or maintain premium, administrative fees or reimbursement levels, could adversely affect our business, cash flows, financial condition and results of operations.
Premiums in the Cigna Healthcare segment are generally set for one-year periods and are priced well in advance of the date on which the contract commences or renews. Our revenue on Medicare Advantage plans, IFPs and Medicare Part D plans has been based on rates and bids submitted midyear in the year before the contract year, and in January 2024, the Company entered into the HCSC transaction to sell the Medicare Advantage and Part D plans. Although we have based the premiums we charge and our Medicare Advantage, IFP and Medicare Part D rates and bids on our estimate of future health care costs over the contract period, actual costs may exceed what we estimate in setting premiums. Our participation in health insurance exchanges through our IFP offerings involves uncertainties associated with mix and volume of business and could adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows. Our health care costs are also affected by external events that we cannot forecast or project and over which we have little or no control, including changes in laws and regulations, as well as pandemics, costly new treatments, new treatment guidelines, provider billing practices, inflation and changes in customers' health care utilization patterns, which may, among other things, impact our ability to appropriately document their health conditions. Our profitability depends, in part, on our ability to accurately predict, price for and effectively manage future health care costs. Relatively small differences between predicted and actual medical costs or utilization rates as a percentage of revenue can result in significant changes in our financial results.
Strong competition within the pharmacy benefit business has also generated greater demand for lower product and service pricing, increased revenue sharing, and enhanced product and service offerings. These competitive factors have historically applied pressure on our operating margins and caused many companies, including us, to reduce the prices charged for products and services while sharing with clients a greater portion of the formulary fees and related rebates received from pharmaceutical manufacturers. Our inability to maintain positive trends, or failure to identify and implement new ways to mitigate pricing pressures, could negatively impact our ability to attract or retain clients or sell additional services, which could negatively impact our margins and have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, legislative reforms and regulatory or executive actions related to rebates, reporting, owned pharmacies and other activities may adversely affect our competitive position, cash flows, financial condition and results of operations.The reserves we hold for expected medical claims are based on estimates that involve an extensive degree of judgment and are inherently variable. If actual claims exceed our estimates, our operating results could be materially adversely affected, and our ability to take timely corrective actions to contain future costs may be limited.We maintain and record medical claims reserves in our Consolidated Balance Sheets for estimated future payments. Our estimates of health care costs payable are based on a number of factors, including historical claim experience, but this estimation process requires extensive judgment. Considerable variability is inherent in such estimates, and the accuracy of the estimates is highly sensitive to changes in medical claims submission and processing patterns or procedures; changes in customer base and product mix; changes in the utilization of prescription drugs, medical or other covered items or services; changes in medical cost trends; changes in our health management practices; changes in regulations; and the introduction of new benefits and products. If we are not able to accurately and
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promptly anticipate and detect medical cost trends, our ability to take timely corrective actions to limit future costs and reflect our current benefit cost experience in our pricing process may be limited. Additionally, we must estimate the amount of rebates payable by us under the ACA's and CMS' minimum loss ratio rules and the amounts payable by us to, and receivable by us from, the federal government under the ACA's remaining premium stabilization program. Because establishing reserves is an inherently uncertain process involving estimates of future losses, there can be no certainty that ultimate losses will not exceed existing reserves, which may adversely affect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
If we fail to develop and maintain satisfactory relationships with health care payors, physicians, hospitals and other health service providers and with producers and consultants, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected.
We contract with or employ physicians, hospitals and other health service providers and facilities to provide health services to our customers, as well as health care payors (as a service provider to those payors). Our results of operations are substantially dependent on our ability to contract for these services at competitive prices. In any particular market, physicians, hospitals and health service providers may enter into exclusive arrangements with competitors or simply refuse to contract with us, demand higher payments or take other actions that could result in higher medical costs or less desirable products or services for our customers. In some markets, certain providers, particularly hospitals, physician/hospital organizations and multispecialty physician groups, may have significant or controlling market positions that could result in a diminished bargaining position for us. If providers refuse to contract with us, use their market position to negotiate more favorable contracts or place us at a competitive disadvantage, our ability to market products or to be profitable in those areas could be materially adversely affected. Additionally, certain regulations may impact our ability to obtain competitive prices. Establishing collaborative arrangements with physician groups, specialist groups, independent practice associations, hospitals and health care delivery systems is key to our strategic focus to transition from volume-based fee-for-service arrangements to a value-based health care system. If such collaborative arrangements do not result in the lower medical costs that we project, if we fail to attract health care providers to such arrangements or if we are less successful at implementing such arrangements than our competitors, our attractiveness to customers may be reduced and our ability to profitably grow our business may be adversely affected.
Our ability to develop and maintain satisfactory relationships with providers may also be negatively impacted by other factors not associated with us, such as changes in Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement levels or programmatic changes, increasing pressure on revenue and other pressures on health care providers, and increasing consolidation activity among hospitals, physician groups and providers. Continuing consolidation among physicians, hospitals and other providers; the growth of accountable care organizations; vertical integration of providers and other entities; changes in the organizational structures chosen by physicians, hospitals and providers; new market entrants, including those not traditionally in the health care industry; and the use of new modes of health delivery, including virtual care services, may affect the way providers interact with us and may change the competitive landscape in which we operate. In some instances, these organizations may compete directly with us, potentially affecting the way we price our products and services or causing us to incur increased costs if we change our operations to be more competitive.Out-of-network providers for non-Medicare services are not limited by any agreement with us in the amounts they bill. For Medicare Advantage, out-of-network providers can only receive the same rate that CMS pays for Medicare services. While benefit plans place limits on the amount of charges that will be considered for reimbursement and regulations seek to prescribe payment levels, establish methodologies and dispute resolution processes, providers are increasingly sophisticated and aggressive. As a result, the outcome of disputes where we do not have a provider contract may cause us to pay higher medical or other benefit costs than we projected.Additionally, certain of our products and services are sold in part through nonexclusive producers and consultants for whose services and allegiance we compete. Our sales could be materially adversely affected if we are unable to attract, retain and support such independent producers and consultants or if our sales strategy is not appropriately aligned across distribution channels.If we lose our relationship with one or more key pharmaceutical manufacturers, or if the payments made or discounts provided by pharmaceutical manufacturers decline, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We maintain relationships with numerous pharmaceutical manufacturers, which provide us with, among other things:
• discounts for drugs we purchase to be dispensed from our home delivery and specialty pharmacies;
• discounts, in the form of rebates, for drug utilization;
• fees for administering rebate programs, including invoicing, allocating and collecting rebates;
• fees for services provided to pharmaceutical manufacturers by our specialty pharmacies; and
• access to limited distribution specialty pharmaceuticals by our specialty pharmacies.Our contracts with pharmaceutical manufacturers are typically nonexclusive and terminable on relatively short notice by either party. The consolidation of pharmaceutical manufacturers, the termination or material alteration of our relationships, or our failure to renew contracts on market competitive terms could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, arrangements between payors and pharmaceutical manufacturers have been the subject of debate in various public and governmental
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forums. Adoption of new laws, rules or regulations or changes in, or new interpretations of, existing laws, rules or regulations relating to any of these programs could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.If significant changes occur within the pharmacy provider marketplace, or if other issues arise with respect to our pharmacy networks, including the loss of or adverse change in our relationship with one or more key pharmacy providers, our business and financial results could be adversely affected.More than 67,000 pharmacies participated in one or more of our networks as of December 31, 2024. The ten largest retail pharmacy chains represent approximately 60% of the total number of stores in our largest network. In certain geographic areas of the United States, our networks may be comprised of higher concentrations of one or more large pharmacy chains. Contracts with retail pharmacies are generally nonexclusive and are terminable on relatively short notice by either party. If one or more of the larger pharmacy chains terminates its relationship with us, or is able to renegotiate terms substantially less favorable to us, our customers' access to retail pharmacies or our business could be materially adversely affected. The entry of one or more additional large pharmacy chains into the pharmacy benefit management business, the consolidation of existing pharmacy chains, or increased leverage or market share by the largest pharmacy providers could increase the likelihood of negative changes in our relationship with such pharmacies. Changes in the overall composition of our pharmacy networks, including changes due to legislative, regulatory or executive action, or reduced pharmacy access under our networks, could have a negative impact on our claims volume or our competitiveness in the marketplace, which could cause us to fall short of certain guarantees in our contracts with clients or otherwise impair our business or results of operations.Changes in drug pricing or industry pricing benchmarks could materially impact our financial performance.Contracts in the prescription drug industry, including our contracts with retail pharmacy networks and our pharmacy and specialty pharmacy clients, generally use pricing metrics published by third parties as benchmarks to establish pricing for prescription drugs. If these benchmarks are no longer published by third parties, we, or our contractual partners, adopt other pricing benchmarks for establishing prices within the industry, legislation or regulation requires the use of other pricing benchmarks, or future changes in drug prices substantially deviate from our expectations, the short- or long-term impacts may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Additionally, laws such as the Inflation Reduction Act have granted CMS the ability to negotiate drug prices for high-cost Part D and Part B drugs, and other federal and state legislative proposals and executive actions can lead to residual effects as drug companies adjust pricing strategies for broader marketplaces, impacting which medications are prioritized.Our business depends on our ability to effectively invest in, implement improvements to and properly maintain the uninterrupted operation, availability and data integrity of our information technology and other business systems.Our business is highly dependent on maintaining effective information systems as well as the integrity and timeliness of the data we use to serve our customers and health care providers and to operate our business. If our data were found to be inaccurate or unreliable due to fraud or other error, or if we, or any of the third-party providers or subcontractors that we or they engage, were to fail to maintain information systems and data integrity effectively, we could experience operational disruptions that may impact our clients, customers and health care providers and hinder our ability to provide or establish appropriate pricing for products and services, retain and attract clients and customers, establish reserves and report financial results accurately and in a timely manner and maintain regulatory compliance, among other things.
Our information technology strategy and execution are critical to our continued success. We must continue to invest in and maintain long-term solutions that will enable us to anticipate customer needs and expectations, enhance the customer experience, act as a differentiator in the market, and protect against cybersecurity risks and threats or other events that could disrupt our information technology systems. Our success is dependent, in large part, on maintaining the effectiveness of existing technology systems and continuing to deliver and enhance technology systems that support our business processes in a cost- and resource-efficient manner. Increasing regulatory and legislative changes will place additional demands on our infrastructure that could have a direct impact on resources available for other strategic initiatives. In addition, recent trends toward greater consumer engagement in health care require new and enhanced technologies, including applications for mobile devices. Connectivity among technologies is becoming increasingly important. We must also develop new systems to meet current market standards and keep pace with continuing changes in information processing technology, evolving industry and regulatory standards, and customer needs. Failure to do so may present compliance challenges and impede our ability to deliver services in a competitive manner. Further, because system development projects are long-term in nature, they may be more costly than expected to complete and may not deliver the expected benefits upon completion. Our failure to effectively invest in, implement improvements to and properly maintain the uninterrupted operation, availability and data integrity of our systems could adversely affect our results of operations, financial position, cash flow and internal controls over financial reporting.
23As a large global health company, we and our vendors are subject to cyberattacks or other privacy or data security incidents. If we are unable to prevent or contain the effects of any such attacks, or fail to ensure vendors do the same, we may suffer exposure to substantial liability, reputational harm, loss of revenue or other damages.Our business depends on our clients' and customers' willingness to entrust us with their health-related and other PII, including PHI, that is subject to privacy, security or data breach notification laws. Computer networks or systems may be vulnerable to intrusion, computer viruses or malware, programming errors, attacks by third parties or similar disruptive problems. We have been, and will likely continue to be, the target of computer viruses or other malicious codes, unauthorized access, cyberattacks or other computer-related penetrations. There have been, and will continue to be, large-scale cyberattacks within the health service industry. For example, Change Healthcare, a health technology company owned by UnitedHealth Group and a service provider for certain of our pharmacy benefit management services, was the victim of a ransomware attack in February 2024, which resulted in limited disruption of certain of our services and necessitated security validations for certain systems before we reconnected with Change Healthcare to resume such services. Additionally, hardware, software or applications we develop or procure from third parties may contain defects in design, manufacturer defects or other problems that could unexpectedly compromise information technology. Human or technological error has and could in the future result in, for example, unauthorized access to and acquisition, disclosure, modification, misuse, loss or destruction of company, customer, or other third-party data or systems; theft of sensitive, regulated or confidential data, including PII and intellectual property; the loss of access to critical data or systems through ransomware, destructive attacks or other means; and business delays, service or system disruptions, or denials of service.
As we increase the amount of PII that we store and share digitally, our exposure to unauthorized uses and disclosures and data privacy and related cybersecurity risks increases, including the risk of undetected attacks, damage, loss, or unauthorized access or acquisition or misappropriation of proprietary or personal information. The cost of attempting to protect against these risks also increases. The health care data ecosystem is complex and requires data exchange with vendors, business partners, health care professionals, the government and others. If disruptions, data disclosures, security incidents or breaches are not detected quickly, their effect could be compounded. We have dedicated significant resources to implement privacy and security technologies, processes and procedures to protect PII and provide employee awareness training around phishing, malware and other cyber risks; however, there are no assurances that such measures will be effective against all types of security incidents.
Cybersecurity threats are rapidly evolving, and those threats and the means for obtaining access to our proprietary systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Cyberattacks can originate from a wide variety of sources, including terrorists, nation states, internal actors or third parties, such as external service providers, and the techniques used change frequently or are often not recognized until after they have been launched. For example, there continues to be an increase in new financial fraud schemes akin to ransomware attacks on large companies whereby a cybercriminal installs a type of malicious software, or malware, that prevents a user or enterprise from accessing computer files, systems or networks and demands payment of a ransom for their return. Those parties may also attempt to fraudulently induce employees, customers or other users of our systems to disclose or inadvertently provide access to systems in order to gain access to our data or that of our customers. In addition, while we have certain standards for all vendors that provide us services, our vendors, and in turn, their own service providers, may become subject to the same types of security breaches. Finally, our offices may be vulnerable to security incidents or security attacks, acts of vandalism or theft, misplaced or lost data, human error or similar events that could negatively affect our systems and our customers' and clients' data.
The costs to eliminate or address security threats and vulnerabilities before or after a cyber-incident could be significant. Our remediation efforts may not be successful and could result in interruptions, delays, or cessation of service and loss of customers.
In addition, the unauthorized access to and the acquisition, use, disclosure or dissemination of information about us, our customers or other third parties could expose our customers and their private information to the risk of financial or medical identity theft. Unauthorized access to and the acquisition, use, disclosure or dissemination of information about our business and strategy could also negatively affect the achievement of our strategic initiatives. Such events could cause us to breach our contractual obligations and violate applicable laws. These events would negatively affect our ability to compete, our reputation, our customer base and our revenues and expose us to mandatory disclosure requirements, government investigations, litigation, and other enforcement proceedings, material fines, penalties, or remediation costs and compensatory, special, punitive and statutory damages, consent orders, and other adverse actions, any of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.Our use of artificial intelligence and machine learning present regulatory and legal challenges that could negatively affect our business and our reputation.Our use of AI, including ML technologies, as well as more recent technological advances in AI/ML, poses risks to us and subjects us to new and existing laws and regulations. While we are committed to responsible use of AI/ML and following applicable laws and regulations, and while we have made progress developing governance as to use of AI/ML by our organization, any failure to use AI/ML responsibly and to adhere to such laws, regulations and governance could have a material unfavorable effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Depending on how existing laws and regulations are interpreted, and as new laws go into
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effect, we may have to make changes to our business practices to comply with such obligations. These obligations may make it harder for us to conduct our business using AI/ML, lead to regulatory fines or penalties, require us to retrain our AI/ML, require us to comply with outside standards, or prevent or limit our use of AI/ML. Our use of AI/ML technologies has resulted in and could continue to result in additional compliance costs, regulatory investigations and actions, and lawsuits. For example, we are currently subject to litigation claiming that we improperly used AI in the claims evaluation process. If we are unable to use AI/ML, or if regulators restrict our ability to use AI/ML for certain purposes, it could make our business less efficient, result in competitive disadvantages, and subject us to potential unfavorable business impacts. To the extent that we rely on or use the output of AI/ML, any inaccuracies, biases or errors could have unfavorable impacts on us, our business, and our results of operations or financial condition. The impact of regulatory and legal risks associated with AI/ML is largely unknown.As a global company, we face political, legal, operational, regulatory, economic and other risks that present challenges and could negatively affect our multinational operations or our long-term growth.As a global company, our business is increasingly exposed to risks inherent in foreign operations. These risks can vary substantially by market and include political, legal, operational, regulatory, economic and other risks, including government intervention that we do not face in our U.S. operations. The global nature of our business and operations may present challenges including, but not limited to, those arising from:• geopolitical business conditions and demands;
• regulation that may discriminate against U.S. companies, favor nationalization or expropriate assets;• price controls or other pricing issues and exchange controls, including tariffs;
• restrictions that prevent us from transferring funds out of the countries in which we operate;
• foreign currency exchange rates and fluctuations and restrictions on converting currencies from foreign operations into other currencies;
• uncertainty with respect to the adoption of new tax laws and the interpretation of tax positions, such as the European Union's ("EU’s") recent adoption of the Pillar Two directive;• reliance on local employees and interpretations of labor laws in foreign jurisdictions;• the management of our partner relationships in countries outside of the United States;
• the provision of data protection on a global basis and sufficient levels of technical support in different locations;• the global trend for companies to enact local data residency requirements;• acts of civil unrest, war and terrorism, including the ongoing conflict in the Middle East as well as other political and economic conflicts, such as through imposition of economic or political sanctions;• man-made disasters, natural disasters (including those arising as a result of climate change) and pandemics in locations where we operate; and• general economic and political conditions.
These factors may increase in significance as we continue to expand globally, and operating in new foreign markets may require considerable management time before operations generate any significant revenues and earnings. Any one of these challenges could negatively affect our operations or long-term growth.
International operations also require us to devote significant resources to implement controls and systems in new markets to comply with, and to ensure that our vendors and partners comply with, U.S. and foreign laws prohibiting bribery, corruption and money laundering, in addition to other regulations regarding, among other things, our products, direct-to-consumer communications, customer privacy, data protection and data residency. Violations of these laws and regulations could result in fines; criminal sanctions against us, our officers or employees, restrictions or outright prohibitions on the conduct of our business; and significant reputational harm. Our success depends, in part, on our ability to anticipate these risks and manage these challenges. Our failure to comply with laws and regulations governing our conduct outside of the United States or to establish constructive relations with non-U.S. regulators could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and long-term growth. Please see "—Legal and Compliance Risks" below.
Strategic transactions involve risks and we may not realize the expected benefits because of integration or separation difficulties, underperformance relative to our expectations and other challenges, which could lead to an impairment charge.
As part of our strategy, we regularly consider and enter into strategic transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, licensing arrangements, divestitures and other relationships (collectively referred to as "strategic transactions"). There is significant competition for attractive targets and opportunities, and we may be unable to identify and successfully complete strategic transactions in the future. In addition, from time to time, we evaluate alternatives for our businesses that do not meet our strategic, growth or profitability objectives, and we may divest or wind down such businesses. We may be unable to complete any such divestiture on terms favorable to us within the expected time frames, or at all. For example, in January 2024, we entered into the HCSC transaction, which is subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions. We may be unable to satisfy the closing conditions in a timely
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manner to complete the HCSC transaction, or we may otherwise fail to receive the anticipated benefits from the transaction, even if it is completed. We may fail to receive the anticipated benefits from the transaction. We may have continued financial exposure to divested businesses, including the businesses subject to the HCSC transaction, following the completion of any such transaction, including increased costs due to potential litigation, contingent liabilities and indemnification of the buyer related to, among other things, lawsuits, regulatory matters or tax liabilities.Our ability to achieve the anticipated benefits of strategic transactions, including synergies, cost savings, innovation and operational efficiencies, is subject to numerous uncertainties and risks, including our ability to successfully combine or separate business operations, resources and systems, including data security systems and internal financial control standards, in an efficient and effective manner. Integration and separation activities may result in additional and unforeseen expenses, and the anticipated benefits may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected. These activities are complex, costly and time-consuming and may divert management's attention from ongoing business concerns. Delays or issues encountered in these activities could have a material adverse effect on the revenues, expenses, operating results and financial condition of the Company. Additionally, the benefits of strategic transactions and the related timing could be impacted by various factors, including political instability, natural disasters, fluctuations in currency exchange rates, delays in obtaining regulatory approval and changes in regulations.Strategic transactions could result in increased costs, including facilities and systems consolidation or separation costs and costs to retain key employees, decreases in expected revenues, earnings or cash flows, and goodwill or other intangible asset impairment charges. As of December 31, 2024, our goodwill and other intangible assets had a carrying value of approximately $73.8 billion, representing 47% of our total consolidated assets. The value of our goodwill may be materially and adversely impacted if the businesses we acquire do not perform in a manner consistent with our assumptions. Future evaluations requiring an impairment to goodwill and other intangible assets could materially affect our results of operations and shareholders' equity in the period in which the impairment occurs. A material decrease in shareholders' equity could negatively impact our debt ratings or potentially impact our compliance with existing debt covenants. See Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on goodwill and intangibles. In addition, the trading price of our securities may decline if, among other things, we are unable to achieve our estimates of earnings growth and operational cost savings or the transaction costs are greater than expected. The trading price also may decline if we do not achieve the perceived benefits of a transaction as rapidly or to the extent anticipated by financial or industry analysts.
Additionally, joint ventures and equity investments present risks that are different from acquisitions, including risks related to specific operations and finances of the businesses we invest in; selection of appropriate parties; differing objectives of the various parties; competition between and among parties; compliance activities (including compliance with applicable CMS requirements); growing of the business in a manner acceptable to all the parties; the maintenance of positive relationships among the parties, clients and customers; and initial and ongoing governance of joint ventures and customer and business disruption that may occur upon a joint venture termination. For example, in the year ended December 31, 2024, we determined our investment in VillageMD was fully impaired and recorded a $2.7 billion loss in Net investment losses in our Consolidated Statements of Income.
Further, we may finance strategic transactions by issuing common stock for some or all of the purchase price that could dilute the ownership interests of our shareholders or by incurring additional debt that could increase costs and impact our ability to access capital in the future.
In addition, effective internal controls are necessary to provide reliable and accurate financial reports and to mitigate the risk of fraud. The integration of businesses is likely to cause increasing complexity in our systems and internal controls and make them more difficult to manage. Any difficulties in assimilating businesses into our control system could cause us to fail to meet our financial reporting obligations. We also rely on the internal controls and financial reporting controls of joint venture entities and other entities in which we invest, and their failure to maintain effectiveness or comply with applicable standards may materially and adversely affect us. Ineffective internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could negatively impact the trading price of our securities and our access to capital.We are dependent on the success of our relationships with third parties for various services and functions.To improve operating costs, productivity and efficiencies, we contract with third parties for the provision of specific services. Our operations may be adversely affected if a third party fails to satisfy its obligations, if the arrangement is terminated in whole or in part, or if there is a contractual dispute between us and the third party. Even though contracts are intended to provide certain protections, we have limited control over the actions of third parties. For example, noncompliance with any privacy or security laws and regulations, any security breach involving one of our third-party vendors, or a dispute between us and a third-party vendor related to our arrangement could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and reputation.
Outsourcing also may require us to change our existing operations, adopt new processes for managing these service providers, or redistribute responsibilities to realize the potential productivity and operational efficiencies. If there are delays or difficulties in changing business processes or our third-party vendors do not perform as expected, we may not realize, or not realize on a timely
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basis, the anticipated economic and other benefits of these relationships. This could result in additional costs or regulatory compliance issues or create other operational or financial problems for us. Terminating or transitioning, in whole or in part, arrangements with key vendors could result in additional costs or penalties, risks of operational delays, or potential errors and control issues during the termination or transition phase. We may not be able to find an alternative vendor in a timely manner or on acceptable terms. If there is an interruption in business or loss of access to data resulting from a security breach, termination or transition in services, we may not be able to meet the demands of our customers and, in turn, our business and results of operations could be adversely impacted.A significant disruption in service within our operations or among our key suppliers or other third parties could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.Our business is highly dependent upon our ability to perform, in an efficient and uninterrupted fashion, necessary business functions, such as claims processing and payment, internet support and customer call centers, data centers and corporate facilities, the processing of new and renewal business, the maintenance of appropriate shipment and storage conditions for prescriptions (such as temperature and protection from contamination) and home delivery processing. In some instances, our ability to provide services or products (including processing and dispensing prescriptions) depends on the availability of services and products provided by suppliers, providers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, vendors or shipping carriers. A disruption, or threat of disruption, in our supply chain or inability to access or deliver products that meet requisite quality safety standards and patient needs in a timely and efficient manner could adversely impact our business.
Increasing natural disasters in connection with climate change could also be a direct threat to us and our third-party vendors, service providers or other stakeholders. Natural disasters have impacted and may continue to impact our customers and pose a risk to our employees and facilities located in the impacted region. Responses to such scenarios have included and may include, among other things, making temporary policy changes, such as waiving various medical requirements, assisting with replacement medications, transferring prescriptions and expanding our help line. In addition, there is a risk that actions taken to respond to climate change could increase the cost of energy, fuel and other commodities, which would increase our operating costs.
We are also subject to risk as a result of information technology disruptions. Any failure or disruption of our performance of, or our ability to perform, key business functions, including through unavailability or cyberattack of our information technology systems or those of third parties (including cloud service providers), could cause slower response times, decreased levels of service satisfaction and harm to our reputation. Our systems interface with and depend on third-party systems, and we could experience service denials if demand for such service exceeds capacity or a third-party system fails or experiences an interruption. For further information related to risks as a result of information technology disruptions, please refer to "—As a large global health company, we and our vendors are subject to cyberattacks or other privacy or data security incidents. If we are unable to prevent or contain the effects of any such attacks, or fail to ensure vendors do the same, we may suffer exposure to substantial liability, reputational harm, loss of revenue or other damages."While we have adopted, and continue to enhance, business continuity and disaster recovery plans and strategies, there is no guarantee that such plans and strategies will be effective, which could interrupt the functionality of our information technology systems or those of third parties. Our failure to implement adequate business continuity and disaster recovery strategies could significantly reduce our ability to provide products and services to our customers and clients, which could have material adverse effects on our business and results of operations.
In managing medical practices and operating pharmacies, onsite clinics and other types of medical facilities, we may be subject to additional liability that could result in significant time and expense.In addition to contracting with physicians and other health care providers for services, we employ physicians, pharmacists, nurses and other health care providers at our home delivery and specialty pharmacies, onsite low-acuity and primary care practices and infusion clinics that we manage and operate for our customers, as well as certain clinics for our employees. We also provide in-home care through health care providers that we employ, as well as through third-party contractors. As such, we may be subject to liability for certain acts, omissions or injuries caused by our employees or agents, or that occur at one of these practices, pharmacies or clinics. The defense of any actions may require diverting personnel and other resources and incurring significant costs that could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and reputation.Legal and Compliance Risks
Our business is subject to substantial government regulation, as well as new laws or regulations or changes in existing laws or regulations that could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.Our business is regulated at the federal, state, local and international levels. The laws and rules governing our business and related interpretations are increasing in number and complexity, are subject to frequent change, and can be inconsistent or in conflict with
27
each other. Noncompliance with applicable regulations by us or our third-party vendors could have material adverse effects on our business, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and reputation.
We must identify, assess and respond to new trends in the legislative and regulatory environment, as well as comply with the various existing regulations applicable to our business and respond to policymakers and enforcement agencies accordingly. There are currently pending, and in the future there will likely be, legislative or regulatory proposals or executive actions which seek to manage or significantly change the health services industry, including managing prescription drug costs and health records as well as regulating drug distribution. These and other legislative ideas and executive actions could adversely affect our business. Federal and state governments have enacted, and we expect federal and state governments to continue to enact and seriously consider, many broad-based legislative and regulatory proposals that will or could materially impact various aspects of the health care and related benefits system. In addition, changes to government policies not specifically targeted to the health services industry, such as a change in tax laws and the corporate tax rate, government spending or program cuts or changes, imposition of tariffs across an industry sector such as pharmaceuticals could have significant impacts on our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity. There can be no assurance that our effective tax rate or tax payments will not be adversely affected by legislation resulting from these initiatives both within the United States and other foreign jurisdictions in which we operate. In addition, tax laws and regulations are extremely complex and subject to varying interpretations. While we believe that our historical tax positions are consistent with applicable laws, regulations and existing precedent, there can be no assurance that our tax positions will not be challenged by relevant tax authorities or that we would be successful in any such challenge. The trading price of our securities may react to the announcement of such proposals. As disclosed in Part II, Item 5 of this Form 10-K, we have an active share repurchase program authorized by our Board of Directors (the "Board").
Regulators, customers, investors, employees and other stakeholders have focused on environmental, social and governance matters and related disclosures. These changing rules, regulations and stakeholder expectations have previously resulted in increased general and administrative expenses and increased management time and attention spent complying with such regulations or meeting such expectations. For example, the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive ("CSRD") will require expansive disclosures on various sustainability topics such as climate change, biodiversity, workforce, supply chain and business ethics by in-scope EU entities and certain non-EU entities with significant cross-border business in EU markets. In addition, California's enacted Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act will require annual disclosures of covered companies' Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions. We are assessing our obligations under CSRD and other enhanced reporting requirements based on policymaker direction and expect that compliance could require substantial efforts in the future. Overall, sustainability matters and related stakeholder reaction may impact our reputation and have other business impacts which could adversely affect our business.
Existing or future laws, rules, actions by governmental or regulatory authorities, or judgments could force us to change how we conduct our business, affect the products and services we offer and where we offer them, restrict revenue and enrollment growth, increase our costs, including medical, operating, health care technology and administrative costs, and require enhancements to our compliance infrastructure and internal controls environment. Some proposals or criticisms may be bipartisan or gain momentum, and we expect that governmental and regulatory authorities will continue to seek changes to business practices and the health care industry as a whole. For example, health care reforms or the invalidation, modification, repeal or replacement of the ACA or portions thereof could result in material changes to the way we conduct our business, as well as the loss of subsidies related to our IFP offerings, and could impact the market for our products. We are required to obtain and maintain insurance and other regulatory approvals to, among other things, market many of our products, expand into additional geographic or product markets, increase prices for certain regulated products, and consummate some of our acquisitions and dispositions. Delays in obtaining or failure to obtain or maintain these approvals could reduce our revenue or increase our costs. Additionally, we must maintain licenses and registrations in the jurisdictions in which we conduct business, and the suspension, material adverse modification or termination of such licenses and registrations could adversely affect our operations. Such licensure subjects many of our businesses to state regulation of our operations and products, as well as risks associated with doing business in those jurisdictions. Existing or future laws and rules could also require or lead us to take other actions, such as changing our business practices, and could increase our liability. Further, failure to effectively implement or adjust our strategic and operational initiatives, such as by reducing operating costs, adjusting premium pricing or benefit design, or transforming our business model in response to laws, regulatory changes or executive actions may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.For more information on regulations affecting our business, see "Business – Regulation" in Part I, Item 1 of this Form 10-K.There are various risks associated with participating in government-sponsored programs and providing services to payors who participate in government-sponsored programs, including dependence upon government funding, compliance with government contracts and increased regulatory oversight and enforcement.
Through our U.S. Healthcare business, we contract with CMS and various state governmental agencies. Additionally, our Evernorth Health Services business provides services to government entities and payors participating in government health care programs, and our relationships with these government entities are subject to laws and regulations regarding government contracts.
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Our revenues from government-funded programs, including our Medicare programs and our government clients, are dependent, in whole or in part, upon annual funding from the federal government or applicable state or local governments. Funding for these programs is dependent on many factors outside our control, including general economic conditions, continuing government efforts to contain health care costs, budgetary constraints at the federal or applicable state or local level, and general political issues and priorities. These entities generally have the right to not renew or to cancel their contracts with us on short notice without cause or if funds are not available. Unanticipated changes in funding, such as the application of sequestration by the federal or state governments, retroactive rate adjustments, a delay by Congress in raising the federal debt ceiling, or the failure to provide for continued appropriations or regular ongoing scheduled payments to us, could substantially reduce our revenues or profitability or impact our liquidity.
The Medicare program has been the subject of regulatory reform initiatives. The premium rates paid to Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Part D plans are established by contract, although the rates differ depending on a combination of factors, some of which are outside our control. For example, the base premium rate paid differs depending upon a combination of various factors, such as defined upper payment limits, a member's health status, age, gender, county or region, benefit mix, member eligibility category, and risk scores. Additionally, a portion of each Medicare Advantage plan's reimbursement is tied to the plan's Star Rating, with those plans receiving a rating of four or more stars eligible for quality-based bonus payments. A plan's Star Rating affects its image in the market, and plans that perform well are able to offer enhanced benefits and market more effectively and for longer periods of time than other plans. The Star Rating system is subject to change annually by CMS, which may make it more difficult to achieve four stars or greater. Our Medicare Advantage plans' and Medicare Part D plans' operating results, premium revenue and benefit offerings are likely to continue to be significantly determined by their Star Ratings. There can be no assurances that we will be successful in maintaining or improving our Star Ratings in future years. In addition, audits of our performance for past or future periods may result in downgrades to our Star Ratings. If we do not maintain or improve our Star Ratings, or if the quality-based bonus payments are reduced or eliminated, we may experience a negative impact on our revenue and the marketability of our plans may be adversely affected. Accordingly, our plans may not be eligible for full-level quality bonuses, which could adversely affect the benefits such plans can offer, reduce membership or impact our financial performance.
Additionally, if we fail to comply with CMS' regulatory or contractual requirements, including data submission, enrollment and marketing, provider network adequacy, provider directory accuracy, quality measures, claims payment, continuity of care, timely and accurate processing of appeals and grievances, adverse findings under RADV audits, oversight of first-tier downstream and related entities, and call center performance, we may be subject to administrative actions, including enrollment sanctions or contract termination, fines or other penalties or enforcement actions that could materially impact our profitability.We face risks related to litigation, regulatory audits and investigations.We are routinely involved in numerous claims, lawsuits, regulatory audits, investigations and other legal matters arising, for the most part, in the ordinary course of business. These legal matters could include civil claims (including tort and breach of contract claims) as well as claims arising from alleged violations of certain laws (such as consumer protection or false claims act laws). In addition, we have incurred and likely will continue to incur liability for practices and claims related to our health care business, such as marketing misconduct, failure to timely or appropriately pay for or provide health care, provider network structure, poor outcomes for care delivered or arranged, provider disputes including disputes over compensation or contractual provisions, ERISA claims, allegations related to calculations of cost-sharing, and claims related to our administration of self-funded business. We are also routinely involved in legal matters arising from our health services business, including without limitation claims related to the dispensing of pharmaceutical products by our home delivery and specialty pharmacies, pharmacy benefit management services, such as formulary management services, health benefit management services and provider services. Our pharmacy services operations are subject to the clinical quality, patient safety and other risks inherent in the dispensing, packaging and distribution of drugs, including claims related to purported dispensing and other operational errors. There are currently, and may be in the future, attempts to bring class action lawsuits against the Company and other companies in our industry; individual plaintiffs also may bring multiple claims regarding the same subject matter against us and other companies in our industry.
Court decisions and legislative and regulatory activity may increase our exposure to any of these types of claims. In some cases, substantial noneconomic or punitive damages may be sought. We procure insurance coverage to cover some of these potential liabilities, and we also self-insure a significant portion of our litigation risks. While we maintain some third-party insurance coverage, including excess liability insurance with third-party insurance carriers, certain liabilities or types of damages, such as punitive damages, may not be covered by insurance, insurers may dispute coverage, or the amount of insurance may be insufficient to cover the entire damages awarded. Resolving disputes is often expensive and disruptive, regardless of the outcome. Additionally, it is possible that the resolution of current or future legal matters and claims could result in changes to our industry and business practices, losses material to our results of operations, financial condition, and liquidity or damage to our reputation.
We are frequently the subject of regulatory market conduct and other reviews, audits and investigations by state insurance and health and welfare and pharmacy departments, attorneys general, DOJ, FTC, CMS, DOL and the HHS-OIG and comparable authorities in
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foreign jurisdictions. Additionally, we have, in the past, been, and may in the future be, subject to qui tam actions in which the government may or may not intervene. With respect to our Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D businesses, which are subject to the HCSC transaction, CMS and HHS-OIG perform audits to determine a health plan's compliance with federal regulations and contractual obligations, including compliance with proper coding practices and fraud and abuse enforcement practices through audits designed to detect and correct improper payments. Certain of our contracts currently have RADV audits by CMS and the HHS-OIG that are awaiting CMS finalization. These audits could result in repayments to the government. There also continues to be heightened review by federal and state regulators of business and reporting practices within the health services industry, including with respect to claims payment and related escheat practices, and increased scrutiny by other federal and state governmental agencies (such as state attorneys general) empowered to bring criminal actions in circumstances that could have previously given rise only to civil or administrative proceedings.
In addition, various government agencies have conducted investigations, inquiries and audits into certain pharmacy benefit management practices, which in certain instances has resulted in litigation or other adverse outcomes. For example, the FTC recently released staff reports on PBMs and the accessibility and affordability of prescription drugs. In September 2024, the FTC filed a complaint against Express Scripts and two other PBMs for allegedly engaging in anticompetitive and unfair rebate practices related to insulin drug pricing. Although we strongly disagree with the claims made by the FTC and intend to respond to them vigorously, there can be no assurance that the outcome of these matters will be resolved to our satisfactions.
Many investigations and audits have resulted in companies being subject to civil penalties, including the payment of money and entry into corporate integrity agreements. For example, in September 2023, we resolved certain matters related to our Medicare Advantage Business and risk adjustment practices by entering into the CIA with the HHS-OIG. The CIA imposes various compliance, reporting and governance obligations on us for five years and requires record reviews by an independent review organization. Our failure to meet these obligations could result in monetary penalties and our exclusion from participation in federal health care programs (such as Medicare and Medicaid), which could adversely impact our business, cash flows, financial condition, results of operations and reputation. Any failure, or alleged failure, to comply with various state and federal health care laws and regulations, including those related to the CIA or otherwise directed at preventing fraud and abuse in government-funded programs, has resulted in and could in the future result in investigations or litigation, such as actions under the federal False Claims Act and similar whistleblower statutes under state laws. A successful action or claim against us could subject us to damage awards, including treble damages, fines, penalties or other enforcement actions, restrictions on our ability to market or enroll new customers, limits on expansion, restrictions or exclusions from programs or other agreements with federal or state governmental agencies, which could adversely impact our business, cash flows, financial condition, results of operations and reputation. We cannot predict what effect, if any, such government investigations and audits may ultimately have on us or on the industry in general. However, we will likely continue to experience government scrutiny and audit activity, which has and may in the future result in civil penalties.
Regulatory audits, investigations, litigation, or reviews or actions by other government agencies have resulted in and could result in changes to our business practices, retroactive adjustments to certain premiums, significant fines, penalties, civil liabilities, criminal liabilities or other sanctions, including corporate integrity agreements, restrictions on our ability to participate in government programs or exclusion from such programs, and our ability to market certain products or engage in business-related activities, that could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operation, financial condition and liquidity. In addition, disclosure of an adverse investigation or audit or the imposition of fines or other sanctions could negatively affect our reputation in certain markets and make it more difficult for us to sell our products and services.
A description of material pending legal actions and other legal and regulatory matters is included in Note 21 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Form 10-K. The outcome of litigation and other legal or regulatory matters is always uncertain.If we fail to comply with applicable privacy, security and data laws, regulations and standards, our business and reputation could be materially adversely affected.Most of our activities involve the receipt, use, storage or transmission of a substantial amount of individuals' PII, including PHI. We also use aggregated and/or anonymized data for research and analysis purposes and, in some cases, provide access to such anonymized data, or analytics created from such data, to pharmaceutical manufacturers and third-party data aggregators and analysts. We may also use such information to create analytic models designed to predict, and potentially improve, outcomes and patient care. The collection, dissemination, receipt, maintenance, protection, use, transmission, disclosure, privacy, confidentiality, security, availability, integrity, creation, processing and disposal of PII are regulated at the federal, state, international and industry levels, and requirements are imposed on us by contracts with clients. In some cases, such laws, rules, regulations and contractual requirements also apply to our vendors and require us to obtain written assurances of their compliance with such requirements. We are also subject to various other consumer protection laws that regulate our communications with customers, such as the FTC Act and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Certain of our businesses are also subject to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard ("PCI DSS"), which is designed to protect credit card account data as mandated by payment card industry entities. International laws, rules and regulations governing the use and disclosure of such information, such as the GDPR, can be more stringent than similar laws in the United States,
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and they vary across jurisdictions. In addition, more jurisdictions are regulating the transfer of data across borders, and domestic privacy and data protection laws are generally becoming more onerous.
These laws, rules and contractual requirements are subject to change and the regulatory environment surrounding data security and privacy is increasingly demanding. Compliance with existing or new privacy, security and data laws, regulations and requirements may result in increased operating costs and may constrain or require us to alter our business model or operations. For more information on privacy regulations to which we are subject, see "Business – Regulation" in Part I, Item 1 of this Form 10-K.
HIPAA requires covered entities and business associates to comply with the HIPAA privacy, security and breach rules. While we endeavor to provide appropriate protections through our contracts with our third-party service providers and in certain cases assess their security controls, we have limited oversight or control over their actions and practices. Several of our businesses act as business associates to their covered entity clients and, as a result, collect, receive, use, disclose, transmit and maintain PHI in order to provide services to these customers. HHS administers an audit program to assess HIPAA compliance efforts by covered entities and business associates. In addition, HHS continues to exercise its enforcement authority to bring enforcement actions resulting from complaints, compliance reviews, audits and investigations brought on by notification to HHS of a breach or other HIPAA violation. An audit resulting in findings or allegations of noncompliance or the implementation of an enforcement action could have an adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, cash flows and reputation. For example, in December 2024, we received a request for a voluntary audit from HHS's Office for Civil Rights ("OCR") to review our compliance with HIPAA security rules. We are in the process of preparing our initial response to OCR's request. As participation in this audit is voluntary, the information provided will not result in any HIPAA enforcement action or civil monetary penalty; however, any serious compliance issues could open up subsequent compliance reviews that could include a range of remedies from OCR.
Noncompliance or findings of noncompliance with applicable laws, regulations or requirements, or the occurrence of any privacy or security breach involving the misappropriation, loss or other unauthorized disclosure of PII, whether by us or by one of our third-party service providers, could materially adversely affect our business and reputation, including our results of operations, financial position and cash flows.Effective prevention, detection and control systems are critical to maintain regulatory compliance and prevent fraud; failure of these systems could adversely affect us.Federal and state governments have made investigating and prosecuting health care and other insurance fraud and abuse a priority. Fraud and abuse prohibitions encompass a wide range of activities including kickbacks for referral of customers, billing for unnecessary medical services, improper marketing and violations of patient privacy rights. Some of our businesses are also subject to federal and state laws and regulations that may impact our relationships with health care providers and customers, including laws on self-referrals, beneficiary inducements, false claims, fee-splitting, telemedicine, corporate practice of medicine, dispensing, packaging, fulfillment and distribution of controlled substances, other pharmaceutical products and medical devices, medical malpractice, consumer protection, product liability, narrow networks, provider tiering programs, provider contracts, overpayments, reimbursement of out-of-network claims and licensure. The regulations and contractual requirements applicable to us are complex and subject to change and may affect our ability to market or provide our products or services. In addition, ongoing vigorous law enforcement, a highly technical regulatory scheme, and the Dodd-Frank Act and related regulations enhance regulators' enforcement powers and whistleblower incentives and protections. Our compliance efforts in this area will continue to require significant resources. Failure of our prevention, detection or control systems related to regulatory compliance, or the failure of employees to comply with our internal policies, including data systems security or unethical conduct by managers and employees, could adversely affect our reputation and also expose us to litigation and other proceedings, fines and penalties.In addition, provider or customer fraud that is not prevented or detected could impact our medical costs or those of our self-insured clients. Further, during an economic downturn, we may experience increased fraudulent claims volume that may lead to additional costs due to an increase in disputed claims and litigation.
Economic Risks
Economic and market conditions affect the value of our financial instruments and the value of particular assets and liabilities, investment income and interest expense.
As an insurer, we have substantial investment assets that support insurance and contractholder deposit liabilities and surplus requirements in our regulated companies. The market values of our investments vary depending on economic and market conditions with no offsetting change in the value of a portion of our liabilities. A substantial portion of our investment assets are in fixed interest-yielding debt securities of varying maturities and commercial mortgage loans. The value of these investment assets can fluctuate significantly with changes in market conditions. In addition, an economic contraction could result in delay in payment of principal or interest by issuers, or defaults by issuers, reducing our investment income and requiring us to write down the value of our investments.31Significant stock market or interest rate declines could result in unfunded pension obligations resulting in the need for additional plan funding by us and increased pension expenses.We currently have overfunded obligations in our frozen pension plan. A significant decline in the value of the plan's equity and fixed income investments or unfavorable changes in applicable laws or regulations could materially increase our expenses and change the timing and amount of required plan funding. This could reduce the cash available to us, including our subsidiaries. We are also exposed to interest rate and equity risk associated with our pension obligations. Sustained declines in interest rates could have an adverse impact on the funded status of our pension plans and our reinvestment yield on new investments. See Note 16 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on our obligations under the pension plans.A downgrade in the financial strength ratings of our insurance subsidiaries could adversely affect new sales and retention of current business, and a downgrade in our debt ratings would increase the cost of borrowed funds and could negatively affect our ability to access capital.Financial strength, claims paying ability and debt ratings by recognized rating organizations are each important factors in establishing the competitive position of insurance and health benefits companies. Ratings information by nationally recognized rating agencies is broadly disseminated and generally used throughout the industry. We believe that the claims paying ability and financial strength ratings of our principal insurance subsidiaries are important factors in marketing our products to certain customers. Our debt ratings impact both the cost and availability of future borrowings and, accordingly, our cost of capital. Each of the rating agencies reviews ratings periodically, and there can be no assurance that current ratings will be maintained in the future. A downgrade of any of these ratings in the future could make it more difficult to either market our products successfully or raise capital to support business growth.We maintain significant indebtedness in the ordinary course of business and may incur further indebtedness in the future. Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition, our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry and could divert our cash flow from operations for debt service costs, leaving us with less cash flow from operations available to fund growth, stock repurchases, dividends and other corporate purposes.The total indebtedness of The Cigna Group was approximately $32.0 billion as of December 31, 2024. Carrying indebtedness:
• requires us to dedicate a portion of our cash flow from operations to debt payments, thereby reducing the availability of cash flow to fund our operations and growth strategy;
• increases our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions, which may require us to dedicate an even greater percentage of our cash to the payment of principal and interest on our debt and limit our access to capital markets;• exposes us to increases in interest rates to the extent increased interest expense is not offset by increased income from our investment assets; and
• limits our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in or challenges relating to our business and industry.The covenants in our debt instruments may have the effect of restricting our financial and operating flexibility to respond to significant changes in business and economic conditions, among other things. We may incur or assume significantly more debt in the future, which may subject us to additional restrictive covenants and increase the risks described above. If our cash flow and capital resources are insufficient to service our debt obligations, we may be forced to seek additional dividends from our subsidiaries, sell assets, seek additional equity or debt capital, or restructure our debt.Unfavorable developments in economic conditions may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.Many factors, including geopolitical issues, future economic downturns, man-made disasters, natural disasters (including those as a result of climate change) and pandemics, availability and cost of credit, and other capital and consumer spending, can negatively impact the U.S. and global economies. Our results of operations could be materially adversely affected by the impact of unfavorable economic conditions on our clients and customers (both employers and individuals), health care providers, pharmacy manufacturers, pharmacy providers and third-party vendors. For example:• Employers may take action to reduce their operating costs by modifying, delaying or canceling plans to purchase our products or making changes in the mix of products purchased that are unfavorable to us.
• Higher unemployment rates, employee attrition (including challenges filling open positions in light of a competitive job market) and workforce reductions could result in lower enrollment in our employer-based plans (including an increase in the number of employees who opt out of employer-based plans) or our individual plans.• Significant disruption or volatility in the capital and credit markets could affect our ability to access those markets for additional borrowings or increase costs.
• Because of unfavorable economic conditions or legislation and regulation affecting employer-sponsored coverage, employers may stop offering health care coverage to employees or elect to offer this coverage on a voluntary, employee-funded basis as a means to reduce their operating costs.
32• If clients are not successful in generating sufficient funds or are precluded from securing financing, they may not be able to pay, or may delay payment of, accounts receivable that are owed to us.
• Our clients or potential clients may force us to compete more vigorously on factors such as price and service to retain or obtain their business.
• Our clients may be acquired, consolidated, or otherwise fail to successfully maintain or grow their business or workforce, which could reduce the number of customers we serve or otherwise result in lower than anticipated utilization of our services.
• A prolonged unfavorable economic environment could adversely impact the financial position of hospitals and other health care providers, potentially increasing our medical costs.
• Our third-party vendors could significantly and quickly increase their prices or reduce their output to reduce their operating costs. Our business depends on our ability to perform necessary business functions in an efficient and uninterrupted fashion.
• Other insurers' financial condition may be weakened, increasing the risk that we will receive significant assessments for obligations of insolvent insurers pursuant to guaranty associations, indemnity funds or other similar laws and regulations.The occurrence of these events have led, and may lead, to a decrease in our customer base, revenues or margins or an increase in our operating costs.In addition, during and following a prolonged unfavorable economic environment, federal and state budgets could be materially adversely affected, resulting in reduced or delayed reimbursements or payments in government programs such as Medicare and Social Security or under contracts with government entities. These budgetary pressures also could cause the government to impose new or a higher level of taxes or assessments on us, such as premium taxes on insurance companies and HMOs and surcharges or fees on select fee-for-service and capitated medical claims. Although we could attempt to mitigate or cover our exposure from such increased costs through, among other things, increases in premiums, there can be no assurance that we will be able to mitigate or cover all of such costs, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.We are subject to the credit risk of our reinsurers.
We enter into reinsurance arrangements with other insurance companies, primarily in connection with acquisition or divestiture transactions when the underwriting company is not being acquired or sold. Under all reinsurance arrangements, reinsurers assume insured losses, subject to certain limitations or exceptions that may include a loss limit. These arrangements also subject us to various obligations, representations and warranties with the reinsurers. Reinsurance does not relieve us of liability as the originating insurer. We remain liable to the underlying policyholders if a reinsurer defaults on obligations under the reinsurance arrangement. Although we regularly evaluate the financial condition of reinsurers to minimize exposure to significant losses from reinsurer insolvencies, reinsurers may become financially unsound. If a reinsurer fails to meet its obligations under the reinsurance contract or if the liabilities exceed any applicable loss limit, we will be forced to cover the claims on the reinsured policies.The collectability of amounts due from reinsurers is subject to uncertainty arising from a number of factors, including whether the insured losses meet the qualifying conditions of the reinsurance contract, whether reinsurers or their affiliates have the financial capacity and willingness to make payments under the terms of the reinsurance contract, and the magnitude and type of collateral supporting our reinsurance recoverable, such as holding sufficient qualifying assets in trusts or letters of credit issued. Although a portion of our reinsurance exposures are secured, the inability to collect a material recovery from a reinsurer could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
Item 7 · Management's Discussion & Analysis
+296 paragraphs −444 paragraphs ~296 changed
FY 2023-12-31 (earlier)
Item 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONSPAGE
Executive Overview
52
Liquidity and Capital Resources
56
Critical Accounting Estimates
61
Segment Reporting
65
Evernorth Health Services
65
Cigna Healthcare
67
Other Operations
68
Corporate
69
Investment Assets
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Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations ("MD&A") is intended to provide information to assist you in better understanding and evaluating The Cigna Group's financial condition as of December 31, 2023 compared with December 31, 2022 and our results of operations for 2023 compared with 2022 and 2021 and is intended to help you understand the ongoing trends in our business. We adopted amended accounting guidance for long-duration insurance contracts effective January 1, 2023. This MD&A has been retrospectively adjusted to conform to the new basis of accounting. The impact of this amended guidance is immaterial. Additionally, during the fourth quarter of 2023, our U.S. Commercial and U.S. Government operating segments were merged to form the U.S. Healthcare operating segment within the Cigna Healthcare reportable segment. For comparisons of our results of operations for 2022 compared with 2021, please refer to the previously filed MD&A included in Part II, Item 7 of our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022. We encourage you to read this MD&A in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K ("Form 10-K") and the "Risk Factors" contained in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K.
Unless otherwise indicated, financial information in this MD&A is presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). See Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Form 10-K for additional information regarding the Company's significant accounting policies and additional information regarding the adoption of amended accounting guidance for long-duration insurance contracts effective January 1, 2023. In some of our financial tables in this MD&A, we present either percentage changes or "N/M" when those changes are so large as to become not meaningful. Changes in percentages are expressed in basis points ("bps").In this MD&A, our consolidated measures "adjusted income from operations," earnings per share on that same basis and "adjusted revenues" are not determined in accordance with GAAP and should not be viewed as substitutes for the most directly comparable GAAP measures of "shareholders' net income," "earnings per share" and "total revenues." We also use pre-tax adjusted income (loss) from operations and adjusted revenues to measure the results of our segments.The Company uses "pre-tax adjusted income (loss) from operations" and "adjusted revenues" as its principal financial measures of segment operating performance because management believes these metrics best reflect the underlying results of business operations and permit analysis of trends in underlying revenue, expenses and profitability. We define adjusted income from operations as shareholders' net income (or income before income taxes less pre-tax income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests for the segment metric) excluding net realized investment results, amortization of acquired intangible assets, and special items. The Cigna Group's share of certain realized investment results of its joint ventures reported in the Cigna Healthcare segment using the equity method of accounting are also excluded. Special items are matters that management believes are not representative of the underlying results of operations due to their nature or size. Adjusted income (loss) from operations is measured on an after-tax basis for consolidated results and on a pre-tax basis for segment results. Consolidated adjusted income (loss) from operations is not determined in accordance with GAAP and should not be viewed as a substitute for the most directly comparable GAAP measure, shareholders' net income. See the below Financial Highlights section for a reconciliation of consolidated adjusted income from operations to shareholders' net income.
The Company defines adjusted revenues as total revenues excluding the following adjustments: special items and The Cigna Group's share of certain realized investment results of its joint ventures reported in the Cigna Healthcare segment using the equity method of accounting. Special items are matters that management believes are not representative of the underlying results of operations due to their nature or size. We exclude these items from this measure because management believes they are not indicative of past or future underlying performance of the business. Adjusted revenues is not determined in accordance with GAAP and should not be viewed as a substitute for the most directly comparable GAAP measure, total revenues. See the below Financial Highlights section for a reconciliation of consolidated adjusted revenues to total revenues.
51EXECUTIVE OVERVIEWThe Cigna Group, together with its subsidiaries (either individually or collectively referred to as the "Company," "we," "us" or "our") is a global health company with a mission of helping those we serve improve their health and vitality. Our subsidiaries offer a differentiated set of pharmacy, medical, behavioral, dental and related products and services. For further information on our business and strategy, see Part 1, Item 1, "Business" of this Form 10-K.Financial HighlightsSee Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a description of our segments. Effective January 1, 2023, we adopted amended accounting guidance for long-duration insurance contracts. Prior period financial highlights and results of operations have been retrospectively adjusted to conform to this new basis of accounting. The impact of this amended guidance is immaterial. See Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
Summarized below are certain key measures of our performance by segment:
Financial highlights by segment
For the Years Ended December 31, Increase (Decrease) Increase (Decrease)
(Dollars in millions, except per share amounts) 2023 2022 2021 2023 vs. 2022 2022 vs. 2021
Revenues
Adjusted revenues by segment
Evernorth Health Services $ 153,499 $ 140,335 $ 131,912 9 % 6 %
Cigna Healthcare 51,205 45,037 44,643 14 1
Other Operations 596 2,263 3,989 (74) (43)
Corporate, net of eliminations (9,978) (6,991) (6,475) (43) (8)
Adjusted revenues 195,322 180,644 174,069 8 4
Net realized investment results from certain equity method investments (57) (126) — 55 N/M
Total revenues $ 195,265 $ 180,518 $ 174,069 8 % 4 %
Shareholders' net income $ 5,164 $ 6,704 $ 5,370 (23) % 25 %
Adjusted income from operations $ 7,448 $ 7,313 $ 6,982 2 % 5 %
Earnings per share (diluted)
Shareholders' net income $ 17.39 $ 21.41 $ 15.75 (19) % 36 %
Adjusted income from operations $ 25.09 $ 23.36 $ 20.48 7 % 14 %
Pre-tax adjusted income (loss) from operations by segment
Evernorth Health Services $ 6,442 $ 6,127 $ 5,818 5 % 5 %
Cigna Healthcare 4,478 4,099 3,601 9 14
Other Operations 96 509 903 (81) (44)
Corporate, net of eliminations (1,698) (1,466) (1,339) (16) (9)
Consolidated pre-tax adjusted income from operations 9,318 9,269 8,983 1 3
Income attributable to noncontrolling interests 146 84 58 74 45
Net realized investment (losses) gains (1)
(135) (613) 198 78 N/M
Amortization of acquired intangible assets (1,819) (1,876) (1,998) 3 6
Special items (1,997) 1,533 (451) N/M N/M
Income before income taxes $ 5,513 $ 8,397 $ 6,790 (34) % 24 %
(1) Includes the Company's share of certain realized investment results of its joint ventures reported in the Cigna Healthcare segment using the equity method of accounting.
For further analysis and explanation of each segment's results, see the "Segment Reporting" section of this MD&A.
52Consolidated Results of Operations (GAAP basis)For the Years Ended December 31, Increase (Decrease) Increase (Decrease)
(Dollars in millions) 2023 2022 2021 2023 vs. 2022 2022 vs. 2021
Pharmacy revenues $ 137,243 $ 128,566 $ 121,413 $ 8,677 7 % $ 7,153 6 %
Premiums 44,237 39,916 41,154 4,321 11 (1,238) (3)
Fees and other revenues 12,619 10,881 9,953 1,738 16 928 9
Net investment income 1,166 1,155 1,549 11 1 (394) (25)
Total revenues 195,265 180,518 174,069 14,747 8 6,449 4
Pharmacy and other service costs 133,801 124,834 117,553 8,967 7 7,281 6
Medical costs and other benefit expenses 36,287 32,184 33,565 4,103 13 (1,381) (4)
Selling, general and administrative expenses 14,822 13,174 13,012 1,648 13 162 1
Amortization of acquired intangible assets 1,819 1,876 1,998 (57) (3) (122) (6)
Total benefits and expenses 186,729 172,068 166,128 14,661 9 5,940 4
Income from operations 8,536 8,450 7,941 86 1 509 6
Interest expense and other (1,446) (1,228) (1,208) (218) (18) (20) (2)
Debt extinguishment costs — — (141) — N/M 141 N/M
(Loss) gain on sale of businesses
(1,499) 1,662 — (3,161) N/M 1,662 N/M
Net realized investment (losses) gains
(78) (487) 198 409 84 (685) N/M
Income before income taxes 5,513 8,397 6,790 (2,884) (34) 1,607 24
Total income taxes 141 1,615 1,370 (1,474) (91) 245 18
Net income 5,372 6,782 5,420 (1,410) (21) 1,362 25
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 208 78 50 130 167 28 56
Shareholders' net income $ 5,164 $ 6,704 $ 5,370 $ (1,540) (23) % $ 1,334 25 %
Consolidated effective tax rate 2.6 % 19.2 % 20.2 % (1,660) bps (100) bps
Medical customers (in thousands) 19,780 18,004 17,081 1,776 10 % 923 5 %Reconciliation of Shareholders' Net Income (GAAP) to Adjusted Income from Operations
For the Years Ended December 31,2023 2022 2021(In millions) Pre-tax After-tax Pre-tax After-tax Pre-tax After-taxShareholders' net income $ 5,164 $ 6,704 $ 5,370Adjustments to reconcile to adjusted income from operationsNet realized investment losses (gains) (1)
$ 135 114 $ 613 496 $ (198) (161)
Amortization of acquired intangible assets 1,819 1,413 1,876 1,345 1,998 1,494Special itemsLoss (gain) on sale of businesses 1,499 1,429 (1,662) (1,332) — —
Charge for organizational efficiency plan 252 193 22 17 168 119
Charges (benefits) associated with litigation matters 201 171 (28) (20) (27) (21)
Integration and transaction-related costs 45 35 135 103 169 71
Deferred tax (benefits), net — (1,071) — — — —
Debt extinguishment costs — — — — 141 110
Total special items $ 1,997 757 $ (1,533) (1,232) $ 451 279
Adjusted income from operations $ 7,448 $ 7,313 $ 6,982
(1) Includes the Company's share of certain realized investment results of its joint ventures reported in the Cigna Healthcare segment using the equity method of accounting.
53Reconciliation of Shareholders' Net Income (GAAP) to Adjusted Income from Operations
For the Years Ended December 31,2023 2022 2021
(Diluted Earnings Per Share) Pre-tax After-tax Pre-tax After-tax Pre-tax After-tax
Shareholders' net income $ 17.39 $ 21.41 $ 15.75Adjustments to reconcile to adjusted income from operationsNet realized investment losses (gains) (1)
$ 0.45 0.38 $ 1.96 1.59 $ (0.58) (0.47)
Amortization of acquired intangible assets 6.13 4.77 5.99 4.30 5.86 4.38Special itemsLoss (gain) on sale of businesses 5.05 4.81 (5.31) (4.26) — —
Charge for organizational efficiency plan 0.85 0.65 0.07 0.05 0.49 0.35
Charges (benefits) associated with litigation matters 0.68 0.58 (0.09) (0.06) (0.08) (0.06)
Integration and transaction-related costs 0.15 0.12 0.43 0.33 0.50 0.21
Deferred tax (benefits), net — (3.61) — — — —
Debt extinguishment costs — — — — 0.41 0.32
Total special items $ 6.73 2.55 $ (4.90) (3.94) $ 1.32 0.82
Adjusted income from operations $ 25.09 $ 23.36 $ 20.48
(1) Includes the Company's share of certain realized investment results of its joint ventures reported in the Cigna Healthcare segment using the equity method of accounting.
Commentary: 2023 versus 2022
The commentary presented below, and in the segment discussions that follow, compare results for the year ended December 31, 2023 with results for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Shareholders' net income decreased 23%, reflecting the estimated loss associated with the sale of our Medicare Advantage, Medicare Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plans, Medicare and Other Supplemental Benefits and CareAllies businesses (the "HCSC transaction"), the absence of the gain on the sale of our life, accident and supplemental health benefits business in six countries sold on July 1, 2022 (the "Chubb transaction"), partially offset by foreign deferred tax benefits recorded in the fourth quarter of 2023 as described further under "effective tax rate" below.
Adjusted income from operations increased 2%, primarily driven by higher earnings in our Cigna Healthcare and Evernorth Health Services segments, largely offset by the absence of earnings reported in the first half of 2022 from the businesses divested in the Chubb transaction and increased interest expense and pension costs.
Medical customers increased 10%, reflecting growth in fee-based customers as well as in Individual and Family Plans and Medicare Advantage customers. See Part I, Item 1 of this Form 10-K for definitions of Cigna Healthcare's market segments.
Pharmacy revenues increased 7%, reflecting inflation on branded drugs as well as growth in specialty. See the "Segment Reporting - Evernorth Health Services Segment" section of this MD&A for further discussion.
Premiums increased 11% reflecting insured customer growth and higher premium rates in Cigna Healthcare due to anticipated underlying medical cost trend. See the "Segment Reporting - Cigna Healthcare Segment" section of this MD&A for further discussion. These favorable effects were partially offset by a decline in premiums due to the Chubb transaction.
Fees and other revenues increased 16%, primarily reflecting client growth from our continued affordability services within Evernorth Health Services.
Net investment income increased 1%, primarily due to growth in average assets, largely offset by the unfavorable impact of the Chubb transaction. See the "Investment Assets" section of this MD&A for further discussion.
Pharmacy and other service costs increased 7%, reflecting inflation on branded drugs as well as growth in specialty.
Medical costs and other benefit expenses increased 13%, primarily reflecting insured customer growth and medical cost trend in Cigna Healthcare, partially offset by the impact of the Chubb transaction.
Selling, general and administrative expenses increased 13%, primarily driven by volume-related expenses in Cigna Healthcare due to business growth, as well as increased investments to support the onboarding of new clients and continued advancement of our digital
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capabilities and care solutions in Evernorth Health Services. Increased expenses were also driven by costs reported in 2023 for an organizational efficiency plan and litigation settlements. These increases were partially offset by the impact of the Chubb transaction.
Interest expense and other increased 18%, primarily reflecting higher interest rates on our indebtedness and increased pension costs. See the "Segment Reporting - Corporate" section of this MD&A for further discussion.
(Loss) / gain on sale of businesses. The loss reported in 2023 primarily reflects asset write-downs and estimated costs related to the HCSC transaction. In 2022, the reported gain reflects the impact of the Chubb transaction, which closed on July 1, 2022.
Realized investment results were substantially improved, primarily due to lower mark-to-market losses on investments. See Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion.
The effective tax rate decreased substantially driven by foreign deferred tax benefits. Also contributing to the decrease were favorable results relative to the Company's foreign operations and the release of uncertain tax positions resulting from favorable audit developments. These favorable effects were partially offset by the impact of the valuation allowance recorded resulting from the HCSC transaction. See Note 23 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
Recent Events
Economic Conditions
We continue to monitor global economic conditions, including inflation, labor market dynamics and recent geopolitical events. We continue to proactively address impacts to our pricing with third parties (including vendors, health care providers and drug providers), our investment portfolio and our workforce. We are also monitoring the potential impact on client and customer health care needs.
Our results of operations or cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2023 were not materially impacted by inflation, labor market dynamics, or recent geopolitical events. For further information regarding risks we encounter in our business due to economic conditions, see "Risk Factors" contained in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K.
Conflict in the Middle East
The Cigna Group serves a limited number of customers and clients in the impacted regions in the Middle East. We have not experienced significant impacts to date on our investment portfolio, financial position or results of operations. For a more complete discussion of the risks we encounter in our business, see "Risk Factors" contained in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K.Key Transactions and Business Developments
Sale of Medicare Advantage and Related BusinessesIn January 2024, the Company entered into a definitive agreement to sell the Medicare Advantage, Medicare Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plans, Medicare and Other Supplemental Benefits and CareAllies businesses within the U.S. Healthcare operating segment to Health Care Service Corporation ("HCSC") for $3.3 billion cash, subject to applicable regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. See Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.
Organizational Efficiency Plan
During the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company approved a strategic realignment to drive greater operating effectiveness and efficiency. This plan positions us to be more efficient and focused to deliver differentiated value and services to our clients and customers. The Company recognized a charge in Selling, general and administrative expenses of $252 million, pre-tax ($193 million, after-tax). We expect substantially all of the accrued liability to be paid by the end of 2024. We expect to realize annualized after-tax savings of approximately $280 million. A significant portion of the savings is expected to be recognized in 2024. See Note 17 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.
CarepathRx Health System Solutions
In July 2023, Evernorth Health, Inc. acquired a minority interest in CarepathRx Health Systems Solutions ("CHSS"). CHSS provides integrated hospital pharmacy solutions to support patients across their complete health care journey. By pairing Evernorth Health Services' diverse specialty and care expertise with CHSS' robust pharmacy and infusion management capabilities, technology solutions and health system relationships, we can further improve, expand and accelerate pharmacy care delivery for the growing
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number of patients with chronic and complex care needs. See Note 5 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of this investment.
VillageMD
In 2023, the Company became a minority owner in VillageMD by investing $2.7 billion in VillageMD preferred equity. VillageMD (majority-owned by Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.) provides health care services for individuals and communities across the United States, with primary, multi-specialty and urgent care providers serving patients in traditional clinic settings, in patients' homes and online appointments. VillageMD and its subsidiaries operate in 26 markets and are responsible for millions of patients. See Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of this investment.
Centene Corporation
Effective January 1, 2024, Evernorth Health Services and Centene Corporation ("Centene") have a multi-year agreement to manage pharmacy benefit services and make prescription medications more accessible and affordable for Centene's approximately 20 million customers. In addition to greater savings on prescription drugs, Centene customers will also have access to Express Scripts' extensive national network of retail pharmacies.
Medicare Star Quality Ratings ("Star Ratings")
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS") uses a Star Rating system to measure how well Medicare Advantage ("MA") plans perform. Categories of measurement include quality of care and customer service. Star Ratings range from one to five stars. CMS recognizes plans with Star Ratings of four stars or greater with quality bonus payments and the ability to offer enhanced benefits. On October 13, 2023, CMS announced Medicare Star Ratings for bonus payments to be received in 2025. We estimate 67% of our MA customers to be in four star or greater plans for bonus payments to be received in 2024 and 2025 (based upon the current customer mix associated with the announced Star Ratings). See Part I, Item I, "Business - Regulation" section of this Form 10-K for further discussion of Star Ratings.
Medicare Advantage Rates
On March 31, 2023, CMS released the final Calendar Year 2024 Medicare Advantage Program and Part D Payment Policies (the "2024 Final Notice"). On January 31, 2024, CMS released the Calendar Year 2025 Advance Notice for Medicare Advantage and Part D Prescription Drug Programs (the "Advance Notice"). CMS will accept comments on the Advance Notice through March 1, 2024, before publishing the final rate announcement by April 1, 2024. The Advance Notice is subject to the required notice and comment period, and we cannot predict when or to what extent CMS will adopt the proposals in the Advance Notice. We are in the process of analyzing the potential implications of the Advance Notice.LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCESFinancial Summary
For the Years Ended December 31,
(In millions) 2023 2022 2021
Short-term investments $ 206 $ 139 $ 428
Cash and cash equivalents $ 7,822 $ 5,924 $ 5,081
Short-term debt $ 2,775 $ 2,993 $ 2,545
Long-term debt $ 28,155 $ 28,100 $ 31,125
Shareholders' equity $ 46,223 $ 44,675 $ 46,958Liquidity
We maintain liquidity at two levels: the subsidiary level and the parent company level.Cash requirements at the subsidiary level generally consist of:
• pharmacy, medical costs and other benefit payments;
• expense requirements, primarily for employee compensation and benefits, information technology and facilities costs;
• income taxes; and
• debt service.
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Our subsidiaries normally meet their liquidity requirements by:
• maintaining appropriate levels of cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments;
• using cash flows from operating activities;
• matching investment durations to those estimated for the related insurance and contractholder liabilities;
• selling investments; and
• borrowing from affiliates, subject to applicable regulatory limits.
Cash requirements at the parent company level generally consist of:
• debt service;
• payment of declared dividends to shareholders;
• lending to subsidiaries as needed; and
• pension plan funding.
The parent company normally meets its liquidity requirements by:
• maintaining appropriate levels of cash and various types of marketable investments;
• collecting dividends from its subsidiaries;
• using proceeds from issuing debt and common stock; and
• borrowing from its subsidiaries, subject to applicable regulatory limits.
Dividends from our insurance, Health Maintenance Organization ("HMO") and certain foreign subsidiaries are subject to regulatory restrictions. See Note 22 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Form 10-K for additional information regarding these restrictions. Most of the Evernorth Health Services segment operations are not subject to regulatory restrictions regarding dividends and therefore provide significant financial flexibility to The Cigna Group.
With respect to our investment portfolio, we support the liquidity needs of our businesses by managing the duration of assets to be consistent with the duration of liabilities. We manage the portfolio to both optimize returns in the current economic environment and meet our liquidity needs.
Cash flows were as follows:For the Years Ended December 31,(In millions) 2023 2022 2021
Net cash provided by operating activities $ 11,813 $ 8,656 $ 7,191
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities:
Cash proceeds from sales of businesses, net of cash sold 13 4,835 (61)
Acquisitions (447) — (1,833)
Net investment purchases (2,835) (272) (660)
Purchases of property and equipment, net (1,573) (1,295) (1,154)
Other, net (332) (170) 97
Net investing activities (5,174) 3,098 (3,611)
Net cash (used in) financing activities:
Debt (repayments) issuances (278) (2,559) 521
Stock repurchase (2,284) (7,607) (7,742)
Dividend payments (1,450) (1,384) (1,341)
Other, net (282) 310 350
Net financing activities (4,294) (11,240) (8,212)
Foreign currency effect on cash 16 (86) (65)
Change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 2,361 $ 428 $ (4,697)
The following discussion explains variances in the various categories of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared with the same period in 2022. For comparisons of liquidity and capital resources for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared with the year ended December 31, 2021, please refer to the previously filed MD&A included in Part II, Item 7 of our 2022 Form 10-K.
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Operating activities
Cash flows from operating activities consist principally of cash receipts and disbursements for pharmacy revenues and costs, premiums, fees, investment income, taxes, benefit costs and other expenses.
Operating cash flows increased for the year ended December 31, 2023 due to higher insurance related liabilities, acceleration of cash proceeds from the accounts receivable factoring facility, lower income tax payments and higher CMS Part D annual settlement.
Investing activities
The Company invested $2.7 billion in VillageMD in 2023. This, combined with the absence of the net $4.9 billion proceeds received from the Chubb transaction in 2022, resulted in an increase in cash used in investing activities.
Financing activities
The Company had lower share repurchases and lower net debt outflows in 2023. These factors resulted in a decrease in cash used in financing activities in 2023.Capital ResourcesOur capital resources consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents and investments maintained at regulated subsidiaries required to underwrite insurance risks, cash flows from operating activities, our commercial paper program, credit agreements and the issuance of long-term debt and equity securities. Our businesses generate significant cash flow from operations, some of which is subject to regulatory restrictions relative to the amount and timing of dividend payments to the parent company. Dividends received from U.S. regulated subsidiaries were $1.2 billion for the year ended December 31, 2023 and $1.9 billion for the year ended December 31, 2022. This decrease was due in part to lower statutory earnings in 2022 and additional capital held at subsidiaries to support business growth, which is in line with our capital planning. Non-regulated subsidiaries also generate significant cash flow from operating activities, which is typically available immediately to the parent company for general corporate purposes.
We prioritize our use of capital resources to:
• invest in capital expenditures, primarily related to technology to support innovative solutions for our clients and customers, provide the capital necessary to maintain or improve the financial strength ratings of subsidiaries and to repay debt and fund pension obligations if necessary;
• pay dividends to shareholders;
• consider acquisitions and investments that are strategically and economically advantageous; and
• return capital to shareholders through share repurchases.Funds AvailableCommercial Paper Program . The Cigna Group maintains a commercial paper program and may issue short-term, unsecured commercial paper notes privately placed on a discount basis through certain broker-dealers at any time not to exceed an aggregate amount of $5.0 billion. The net proceeds of issuances have been and are expected to be used for general corporate purposes. The commercial paper program had approximately $1.2 billion outstanding at December 31, 2023.
Revolving Credit Agreements. Our revolving credit agreements provide us with the ability to borrow amounts for general corporate purposes, including for the purpose of providing liquidity support if necessary under our commercial paper program discussed above.
As of December 31, 2023, The Cigna Group's revolving credit agreements include: a $4.0 billion five-year revolving credit and letter of credit agreement that expires in April 2028; and a $1.0 billion 364-day revolving credit agreement that expires in April 2024.
As of December 31, 2023, we had $5.0 billion of undrawn committed capacity under our revolving credit agreements (these amounts are available for general corporate purposes, including providing liquidity support for our commercial paper program), $3.8 billion of remaining capacity under our commercial paper program and $8.0 billion in cash and short-term investments, approximately $0.8 billion of which was held by the parent company or certain non-regulated subsidiaries.
See Note 8 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on our credit agreements and commercial paper program.
Our debt-to-capitalization ratio was 40.1% at December 31, 2023 and 41.0% at December 31, 2022.
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We actively monitor our debt obligations and engage in issuance or redemption activities as needed in accordance with our capital management strategy.
Subsidiary Borrowings. In addition to the sources of liquidity discussed above, the parent company can borrow an additional $2.2 billion from its subsidiaries without further approvals as of December 31, 2023.Use of Capital ResourcesLong-term debt. In July 2023, we repaid $2.9 billion of senior notes at maturity.
Capital expenditures . Capital expenditures for property, equipment and computer software were $1.6 billion in 2023 compared to $1.3 billion in the year ended December 31, 2022. This increase reflects our continued strategic investment in technology for future growth. We expect to deploy approximately $1.5 billion in capital expenditures in 2024. Anticipated capital expenditures will be funded primarily from operating cash flow.
Dividends . The Cigna Group declared and paid quarterly cash dividends of $1.23 per share of its common stock during 2023, compared to quarterly cash dividends of $1.12 per share during 2022. See Note 9 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on our dividend payments. On February 2, 2024, the Board of Directors declared the first quarter cash dividend of $1.40 per share of The Cigna Group common stock to be paid on March 21, 2024 to shareholders of record on March 6, 2024. The Cigna Group currently intends to pay regular quarterly dividends, with future declarations subject to approval by its Board of Directors and the Board's determination that the declaration of dividends remains in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. The decision of whether to pay future dividends and the amount of any such dividends will be based on the Company's financial position, results of operations, cash flows, capital requirements, the requirements of applicable law and any other factors the Board may deem relevant.
Share repurchases . We maintain a share repurchase program authorized by our Board of Directors, under which we may repurchase shares of our common stock from time to time. The timing and actual number of shares repurchased will depend on a variety of factors including price, general business and market conditions and alternate uses of capital. The share repurchase program may be effected through open market purchases in compliance with Rule 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), including through Rule 10b5-1 trading plans or privately negotiated transactions. The program may be suspended or discontinued at any time.
We repurchased 7.8 million shares for approximately $2.3 billion during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to 27.4 million shares for approximately $7.6 billion during the year ended December 31, 2022. In December 2023, the Board increased repurchase authority by an additional $10.0 billion. We expect to repurchase $5.0 billion of common stock in the first half of 2024. A portion of this repurchase was executed in February 2024 via an Accelerated Share Repurchase ("ASR") as described below.
In February 2024, as part of our existing share repurchase program, we entered into separate ASR agreements ("2024 ASR agreements") with Deutsche Bank AG and Bank of America, N.A. (collectively, the "2024 Counterparties") to repurchase $3.2 billion of common stock in aggregate. We remitted $3.2 billion to the 2024 Counterparties and received an initial delivery of approximately 7.6 million shares of our common stock on February 15, 2024 representing $2.6 billion of the total remitted. We expect final settlement under the 2024 ASR agreements to occur in the second quarter of 2024. See Note 9 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on our 2024 ASR agreements.
Including the impact of the 2024 ASR agreements, from January 1, 2024 through February 28, 2024, we repurchased 10.1 million shares for approximately $4.0 billion. Share repurchase authority was $7.3 billion as of February 28, 2024.
Strategic investments. In 2023, we became a minority owner in VillageMD by investing $2.7 billion in VillageMD preferred equity. See Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of this investment. In July 2023, Evernorth Health, Inc. acquired a minority interest in CHSS. See Note 5 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of this investment.
Pension plans. Our pension plans were overfunded by $204 million and $238 million as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively, and reported in Other assets in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. In 2023, we made immaterial contributions to the qualified pension plans as required under the Pension Protection Act of 2006 and we expect the required contributions for 2024 to be immaterial. See Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
59Other Sources of Funds and Uses of Capital ResourcesDivestiture. In January 2024, we entered into a definitive agreement to sell the Medicare Advantage, Medicare Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plans, Medicare and Other Supplemental Benefits and CareAllies businesses within the U.S. Healthcare operating segment to HCSC, subject to applicable regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025 and provide approximately $3.7B in transaction proceeds, which consists primarily of cash proceeds. Following the completion of the sale, we anticipate use of the proceeds in alignment with our capital deployment priorities, with the majority allocated to share repurchases.
Debt Issuance and Debt Tender Offers. On February 5, 2024, we issued $4.5 billion of new senior notes. The proceeds from this debt were used to pay the consideration for the cash tender offers as described below. We intend to use the remaining net proceeds to fund the repayment of our senior notes maturing in March 2024 and for general corporate purposes, which may include repayment of indebtedness and repurchases of shares of our common stock.
Concurrent with the debt issuance, we commenced tender offers to purchase for cash up to $2.25 billion in aggregate principal amount of outstanding notes, which included any and all of the $1.0 billion senior notes due June 2024. Following the early tender results, we increased the tender offers to up to $2.55 billion aggregate principal amount. On February 22, 2024, we purchased $1.8 billion principal amount of notes at early settlement of the tender offers. The tender offers will expire on March 5, 2024.Risks to Liquidity and Capital ResourcesRisks to our liquidity and capital resources outlook include cash projections that may not be realized and the demand for funds could exceed available cash if our ongoing businesses experience unexpected shortfalls in earnings or we experience material adverse effects from one or more risks or uncertainties described more fully in the "Risk Factors" section of this Form 10-K. Though we believe we have adequate sources of liquidity, significant disruption or volatility in the capital and credit markets could affect our ability to access those markets for additional borrowings or increase costs.Guarantees and Contractual ObligationsWe are contingently liable for various contractual obligations and financial and other guarantees entered into in the ordinary course of business. See Note 24 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for discussion of various guarantees.
The Company adopted amended accounting guidance for long-duration insurance contracts effective January 1, 2023, which impacted the amounts presented in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Within our Consolidated Financial Statements, see Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a summary of this accounting change and Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a summary of the insurance liabilities in our Consolidated Balance Sheets as well as future expected cash flow information. With the adoption of amended accounting guidance for long-duration insurance contracts and enhanced disclosure within Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, we will no longer present additional information regarding insurance liabilities within this section.
On balance sheet :
• Long-term debt
◦ Total scheduled payments on long-term debt are $44.8 billion, which include scheduled interest payments and maturities of long-term debt. This excludes any impact from our February 2024 debt issuance and debt tender offers transactions as described above.
◦ We expect $2.8 billion of long-term debt payments (including scheduled interest payments) to be paid within the next twelve months beginning January 1, 2024.
◦ Finance leases are included in Long-term debt and primarily represent obligations for information technology network storage, servers and equipment. See Note 21 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding finance leases.
◦ See Note 8 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding principal maturities of long-term debt.
• Other non-current liabilities
◦ These include approximately $335 million of estimated payments (of which we expect $52 million to be paid in the next twelve months beginning January 1, 2024) for other postretirement and postemployment benefit obligations, reinsurance liabilities, supplemental and deferred compensation plans and interest rate and foreign currency swap contracts.
◦ In connection with our equity method investment in CarepathRx Health Systems Solutions ("CHSS"), we guaranteed CHSS's credit facilities. See Note 5 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.
◦ See Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on pension obligations and funded status.
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• Operating leases
◦ These include operating lease payments of $497 million (of which we expect $110 million of operating lease payments to be due within the next twelve months beginning January 1, 2024).
◦ See Note 21 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
• Uncertain tax positions
◦ In the event we are unable to sustain all of our $1.4 billion of uncertain tax positions, it could result in future tax payments of approximately $950 million. We are adequately reserved for such positions. As a result, there is minimal direct risk to earnings should we fail to sustain our positions. We cannot reasonably estimate the timing of such future payments.
◦ See Note 23 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on uncertain tax positions.
Off-balance sheet :
• Purchase obligations
◦ These include agreements to purchase goods or services that are enforceable and legally binding. Purchase obligations exclude contracts that are cancellable without penalty and those that do not contractually require minimum levels of goods or services to be purchased.
◦ As of December 31, 2023, purchase obligations consisted of a total of $4.3 billion of estimated payments required under contractual arrangements (of which we expect $1.3 billion of purchase obligations to be paid within the next twelve months beginning January 1, 2024). This includes:
▪ $2.8 billion of investment commitments (of which we expect $0.7 billion of the committed amounts to be disbursed in 2024).
▪ $1.5 billion of future service commitments (of which we expect $0.6 billion of the committed amounts to be disbursed in 2024), primarily comprised of contracts for certain outsourced business processes and information technology maintenance and support.
◦ See Note 12 of the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on investment commitments.CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES
The preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts and related disclosures in the Consolidated Financial Statements. Management considers an accounting estimate to be critical if:
• it requires assumptions to be made that were uncertain at the time the estimate was made; and
• changes in the estimate or different estimates that could have been selected could have a material effect on our consolidated results of operations or financial condition.Management has discussed how critical accounting estimates are developed and selected with the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors and the Audit Committee has reviewed the disclosures presented in this Form 10-K. We regularly evaluate items that may impact critical accounting estimates.
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In addition to the estimates presented in the following tables, the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements describe other estimates that management has made in preparation of the financial statements. Management believes the current assumptions used to estimate amounts reflected in our Consolidated Financial Statements are appropriate. However, if actual experience significantly differs from the assumptions used in estimating amounts reflected in our Consolidated Financial Statements, the resulting changes could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations and in certain situations, could have a material adverse effect on liquidity and our financial condition. The tables below present the adverse impacts of certain possible changes in assumptions. The effect of assumption changes in the opposite direction would be a positive impact to our consolidated results of operations, liquidity or financial condition, except for assessing impairment of goodwill.
Balance Sheet Caption / Nature of Critical Accounting Estimate Effect if Different Assumptions Used
Goodwill and other intangible assets
Goodwill represents the excess of the cost of businesses acquired over the fair value of their net assets at the acquisition date. Intangible assets primarily reflect the value of customer relationships and other intangibles acquired in business combinations.
Fair values of reporting units are estimated based on discounted cash flow analysis and market approach models using assumptions that we believe a hypothetical market participant would use to determine a current transaction price. The significant assumptions and estimates used in determining fair value primarily include the discount rate and future cash flows. A discount rate is selected to correspond with each reporting unit's weighted average cost of capital, consistent with that used for investment decisions considering the specific and detailed operating plans and strategies within each reporting unit. Projections of future cash flows differ by reporting unit and are consistent with our ongoing strategic projections. Future cash flows for Evernorth Health Services are primarily driven by the forecasted gross margins of the business, as well as operating expenses and long-term growth rates. Future cash flows for our other reporting units are primarily driven by forecasted revenues, benefit expenses, operating expenses and long-term growth rates.
The fair value of intangibles and the amortization method were determined using an income approach that relies on projected future cash flows including key assumptions for customer attrition and discount rates. Management revises amortization periods if it believes there has been a change in the length of time that an intangible asset will continue to have value.The Company conducts its quantitative evaluation for goodwill impairment at least annually during the third quarter at the reporting unit level and performs qualitative impairment assessments on a quarterly basis to determine if events or changes in circumstances indicate that it is more likely than not that the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value.During the fourth quarter of 2023, following the change in operating segment discussed in Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, U.S. Government's goodwill was merged with U.S Commercial's goodwill. Certain businesses within the U.S. Healthcare operating segment were designated as held for sale (see Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements).
Goodwill and other intangibles as of December 31 were as follows (in millions):
· 2023 – Goodwill $44,259; Other intangible assets $30,863
· 2022 – Goodwill $45,811; Other intangible assets $32,492
See Note 20 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional discussion of our goodwill and other intangible assets.
We completed our normal annual evaluations for impairment of goodwill and intangible assets during the third quarter of 2023, as well as additional qualitative and quantitative tests as required by GAAP. The evaluations support that as of December 31, 2023, the fair value estimates of our reporting units exceed their carrying values by sufficient margins. Changes in assumptions concerning future financial results or other underlying assumptions, including macroeconomic factors, government legislation, changes in the competitive landscape or other market conditions could impact our ability to achieve profitability projections. If we consistently do not achieve our earnings and cash flow projections or our cost of capital rises significantly, the assumptions and estimates underlying the goodwill and intangible asset impairment evaluations could be adversely affected and result in future impairment charges that would negatively impact our operating results and financial position.
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Balance Sheet Caption / Nature of Critical Accounting Estimate Effect if Different Assumptions Used
Income taxes – uncertain tax positions
We evaluate tax positions to determine whether the benefits are more likely than not to be sustained on audit based on their technical merits. The Company establishes a liability if the probability that the position will be sustained is 50% or less. For uncertain positions that management believes are more likely than not to be sustained, the Company recognizes a liability based upon management's estimate of the most likely settlement outcome with the taxing authority. These amounts primarily relate to federal and state uncertain positions of the value and timing of deductions and uncertain positions of attributing taxable income to states.
Balances that are included in the Consolidated Balance Sheets within Accrued expenses and other liabilities are as follows (in millions):
· 2023 – $1,399
· 2022 – $1,343
See Note 23 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional discussion around uncertain tax positions and the Liquidity and Capital Resources section of this MD&A for a discussion of their potential impact on liquidity.
The factors that could impact our estimates of uncertain tax positions include the likelihood of being sustained upon audit based on the technical merits of the tax position and related assumed interest and penalties. If our positions are upheld upon audit, our net income would increase.
Income taxes - valuation allowance
Deferred income taxes are reflected in the Consolidated Balance Sheets for differences between the financial and income tax reporting bases of the Company's underlying assets and liabilities, and are established based upon enacted tax rates and laws. Deferred income tax assets are recognized when available evidence indicates that realization is more likely than not and a valuation allowance is established to the extent this standard is not met. In 2023, the Company recorded a valuation allowance related to various foreign deferred tax assets in the amount of $772 million as well as a valuation allowance of $584 million related to the tax benefit associated with the sale of the Medicare Advantage and related businesses. It is possible that the realization of deferred tax assets may change due to changes in forecasted future earnings in various foreign jurisdictions or the Company's ability to generate future capital gains.
Valuation allowances that are included in the Consolidated Balance Sheets within deferred tax liabilities, net are as follows (in millions):
· 2023 – $1,498
· 2022 – $208
See Note 23 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional discussion around valuation allowances.
The factors that could impact our estimates of valuation allowances include changes in forecasted future earnings in foreign jurisdictions and the Company's future ability to generate capital gains. Decreases in our valuation allowance would increase net income, while increases in our valuation allowance would decrease net income.
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Balance Sheet Caption / Nature of Critical Accounting Estimate Effect if Different Assumptions Used
Unpaid claims and claim expenses – Cigna Healthcare
Unpaid claims and claim expenses reflects estimates of the ultimate cost of claims that have been incurred but not reported, expected development on reported claims, claims that have been reported but not yet paid (reported claims in process) and other medical care expenses and services payable that are primarily comprised of accruals for incentives and other amounts payable to health care professionals and facilities.
Unpaid claims and claim expenses in Cigna Healthcare are primarily impacted by assumptions related to completion factors and medical cost trend. Variation of actual results from either assumption could impact the unpaid claims balance as noted below. A large number of factors may cause the medical cost trend to vary from the Company's estimates, including: changes in health management practices, changes in the level and mix of benefits offered and services utilized and changes in medical practices. Completion factors may be affected if actual claims submission rates from providers differ from estimates (that can be influenced by a number of factors, including provider mix and electronic versus manual submissions), or if changes to the Company's internal claims processing patterns occur.
Unpaid claims and claim expenses for the Cigna Healthcare segment as of December 31 were as follows (in millions):
· 2023 – gross $5,092; net $4,856
· 2022 – gross $4,176; net $3,955
These liabilities are presented above both gross and net of reinsurance and other recoverables.
See Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding assumptions and methods used to estimate this liability.
Based on studies of our claim experience, it is reasonably possible that a 100 basis point change in the medical cost trend and a 50 basis point change in completion factors could occur in the near term.
A 100 basis point increase in the medical cost trend rate would increase this liability by approximately $90 million, resulting in a decrease in net income of approximately $70 million after-tax, and a 50 basis point decrease in completion factors would increase this liability by approximately $180 million, resulting in a decrease in net income of approximately $140 million after-tax.
Valuation of debt security investments
Most debt securities are classified as available for sale and are carried at fair value with changes in fair value recorded in Accumulated other comprehensive loss within Shareholders' equity.
Fair value is defined as the price at which an asset could be exchanged in an orderly transaction between market participants at the balance sheet date.
Determining fair value for a financial instrument requires management judgment. The degree of judgment involved generally correlates to the level of pricing readily observable in the markets. Financial instruments with quoted prices in active markets or with market observable inputs to determine fair value, such as public securities, generally require less judgment. Conversely, private placements including more complex securities that are traded infrequently are typically measured using pricing models that require more judgment as to the inputs and assumptions used to estimate fair value. There may be a number of alternative inputs to select based on an understanding of the issuer, the structure of the security and overall market conditions. In addition, these factors are inherently variable in nature as they change frequently in response to market conditions. Approximately 60% of our debt securities are public securities and approximately 40% are private placement securities.Typically, the most significant input in the measurement of fair value is the market interest rate used to discount the estimated future cash flows of the instrument. Such market rates are derived by calculating the appropriate spreads over comparable U.S. Treasury securities, based on the credit quality, industry and structure of the asset.Balances that are included in the Consolidated Balance Sheets within Investments and Long-term investments are as follows, inclusive of amounts held for sale as of December 31, 2023 (in millions):
· 2023 - $9,855
· 2022 - $9,872
See Notes 12A. and 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of our fair value measurements, the procedures performed by management to determine that the amounts represent appropriate estimates and our accounting policy regarding unrealized appreciation on debt securities.
If the derived market rates used to calculate fair value increased by 100 basis points, the fair value of the total debt security portfolio of $9.9 billion would decrease by approximately $0.6 billion, resulting in an after-tax decrease to shareholders' equity of approximately $0.5 billion as of December 31, 2023.
64SEGMENT REPORTINGThe following section of this MD&A discusses the results of each of our segments.
See Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further description of our segments.
In segment discussions, we present "adjusted revenues" and "pre-tax adjusted income (loss) from operations," defined as income (loss) before income taxes excluding pre-tax income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests, net realized investment results, amortization of acquired intangible assets and special items. The Cigna Group's share of certain realized investment results of its joint ventures reported in the Cigna Healthcare segment using the equity method of accounting are also excluded. Special items are matters that management believes are not representative of the underlying results of operations due to their nature or size. Ratios presented in this segment discussion exclude the same items as adjusted revenues and pre-tax adjusted income (loss) from operations. See Note 25 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional discussion of these metrics and a reconciliation of Income before income taxes to pre-tax adjusted income from operations, as well as a reconciliation of Total revenues to adjusted revenues. Note 25 to the Consolidated Financial Statements also explains that segment revenues include both external revenues and sales between segments that are eliminated in Corporate.
In these segment discussions, we also present "pre-tax adjusted margin," defined as pre-tax adjusted income (loss) from operations divided by adjusted revenues.See the "Executive Overview" section of this MD&A for summarized financial results of each of our segments.
Evernorth Health Services SegmentEvernorth Health Services partners with health plans, employers, governmental organizations and health care providers to solve challenges in the areas of pharmacy benefits, home delivery pharmacy, specialty pharmacy, specialty distribution, and care delivery and management solutions. As described in the introduction to Segment Reporting, Evernorth Health Services' performance is measured using adjusted revenues and pre-tax adjusted income (loss) from operations.
The key factors that impact Evernorth Health Services' Pharmacy revenues, Fees and other revenues and Pharmacy and other service costs are volume, mix of claims and price. These key factors are discussed further below. See Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Form 10-K for additional information on revenue and cost recognition policies for this segment.
• As our clients' claim volumes increase or decrease, our resulting revenues and cost of revenues correspondingly increase or decrease. Our gross profit, defined as Total revenues less Pharmacy and other service costs, could also increase or decrease as a result of changes in purchasing discounts.
• The mix of claims generally considers the type of drug and distribution method used for dispensing and fulfilling. Types of drugs can have an impact on our Pharmacy revenues, Pharmacy and other service costs and gross profit, including amounts payable under certain financial and performance guarantees with our clients. In addition to the types of drugs, the mix of generic claims (i.e., generic fill rate) also impacts our gross profit. Generally, higher generic fill rates reduce revenues, as generic drugs are typically priced lower than the branded drugs they replace. However, as ingredient cost paid to pharmacies on generic drugs is incrementally lower than the price charged to our clients, higher generic fill rates generally have a favorable impact on our gross profit. The home delivery generic fill rate is currently lower than the network generic fill rate as fewer generic substitutions are available among maintenance medications (such as therapies for chronic conditions) commonly dispensed from home delivery pharmacies as compared to acute medications that are primarily dispensed by pharmacies in our retail networks. Furthermore, our gross profit differs among network, home delivery and specialty distribution methods and can impact our profitability.
• Our client contract pricing is impacted by our ongoing ability to negotiate favorable contracts for pharmacy network, pharmaceutical and wholesaler purchasing and manufacturer rebates on our clients' behalf. Through these affordability services, we seek to improve the effectiveness of our integrated solutions for the benefit of our clients by continuously innovating, improving affordability and implementing drug purchasing contract initiatives. Our revenues, cost of revenues and gross profit could increase or decrease as a result of these affordability services. Pharmaceutical manufacturer inflation also impacts our pricing because most of our contracts provide that we bill clients and pay pharmacies based on a generally recognized price index for pharmaceuticals. Therefore, the rate of inflation for prescription drugs and our efforts to manage this inflation for our clients continues to be a significant driver of our revenues and cost of revenues in the current environment.
In this MD&A, we present revenues and gross profit, as well as adjusted revenues and adjusted gross profit, consistent with our segment reporting metrics, which exclude special items.
65Results of Operations
Financial SummaryFor the Years Ended December 31, Change Favorable (Unfavorable) Change Favorable (Unfavorable)
(Dollars in millions) 2023 2022 2021 2023 vs. 2022 2022 vs. 2021
Total revenues $ 153,499 $ 140,335 $ 131,912 $ 13,164 9 % $ 8,423 6 %Adjusted revenues (1)$ 153,499 $ 140,335 $ 131,912 $ 13,164 9 % $ 8,423 6 %
Pharmacy and other service costs $ 143,571 $ 131,284 $ 123,504 $ 12,287 9 % $ 7,780 6 %
Gross profit (2)
$ 9,928 $ 9,051 $ 8,408 $ 877 10 % $ 643 8 %
Adjusted gross profit (1),(2)
$ 9,928 $ 9,051 $ 8,408 $ 877 10 % $ 643 8 %
Pre-tax adjusted income from operations $ 6,442 $ 6,127 $ 5,818 $ 315 5 % $ 309 5 %
Pre-tax adjusted margin 4.2 % 4.4 % 4.4 % (20) bps — bps
Adjusted expense ratio (3)
2.2 % 2.0 % 1.9 % (20) bps (10) bpsSelected Financial InformationFor the Years Ended December 31, Change Favorable (Unfavorable) Change Favorable (Unfavorable)
(Dollars and adjusted scripts in millions) 2023 2022 2021 2023 vs. 2022 2022 vs. 2021
Pharmacy revenue by distribution channel
Adjusted network revenues (1)
$ 67,514 $ 64,946 $ 64,992 4 % — %
Adjusted home delivery and specialty revenues (1)
65,732 61,283 54,391 7 13
Other pharmacy revenues 9,047 6,753 6,428 34 5
Total adjusted pharmacy revenues (1)
$ 142,293 $ 132,982 $ 125,811 7 % 6 %
Adjusted fees and other revenues (1)
10,965 7,267 6,084 51 19
Net investment income 241 86 17 180 N/M
Adjusted revenues (1)
$ 153,499 $ 140,335 $ 131,912 9 % 6 %
Pharmacy script volume (4)
Adjusted network scripts 1,327 1,295 1,355 2 % (4) %
Adjusted home delivery and specialty scripts 258 280 283 (8) (1)
Total adjusted scripts 1,585 1,575 1,638 1 % (4) %
Generic fill rate (5)
Network 86.9 % 86.4 % 85.4 % 50 bps 100 bps
Home delivery 85.3 % 85.1 % 85.9 % 20 bps (80) bps
Overall generic fill rate 86.7 % 86.3 % 85.5 % 40 bps 80 bps
(1) Total revenues and gross profit were equal to adjusted revenues and adjusted gross profit as there were no special items in the periods presented.
(2) Gross profit and adjusted gross profit are calculated as total revenues or adjusted revenues less pharmacy and other service costs.
(3) Adjusted expense ratio is calculated as selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of adjusted revenues.
(4) Non-specialty network scripts filled through 90-day programs and home delivery scripts are multiplied by three. All other network and specialty scripts are counted as one script.
(5) Generic fill rate is defined as the total number of generic scripts divided by the total overall scripts filled.
2023 versus 2022
Adjusted network revenues increased 4%, reflecting inflation on branded drugs and higher claims volume, partially offset by a decrease in claims mix and an increase in the generic fill rate.
Adjusted home delivery and specialty revenues increased 7%, reflecting higher specialty claims volume and inflation on branded drugs, partially offset by lower home delivery claims volume.
Other pharmacy revenues increased 34%, reflecting higher volume from our CuraScript Specialty Distribution business, which distributes pharmaceuticals and medical supplies directly to health care providers, clinics and hospitals.
Adjusted fees and other revenues increased 51%, reflecting client growth in Care Delivery and Management Solutions, including cross-enterprise leverage, primarily driven by our behavioral health and eviCore Healthcare solutions, and client growth from our continued affordability services.
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Adjusted gross profit increased 10%, and pre-tax adjusted income from operations increased 5%, reflecting continued affordability improvements and growth in Specialty Pharmacy, partially offset by increased strategic investments to support the onboarding of new clients and continued advancement of our digital capabilities and care solutions.
The adjusted expense ratio increased 20 bps, reflecting increased strategic investments to support the onboarding of new clients and continued advancement of our digital capabilities and care solutions.Cigna Healthcare SegmentCigna Healthcare includes the U.S. Healthcare and International Health businesses, which provide comprehensive medical and coordinated solutions to clients and customers. During the fourth quarter of 2023, the U.S. Commercial and U.S. Government operating segments were merged to form the U.S. Healthcare operating segment. As described in the introduction to Segment Reporting, performance of the Cigna Healthcare segment is measured using adjusted revenues and pre-tax adjusted income from operations. Key factors affecting results for this segment include:
• customer growth;
• revenue growth;
• percentage of Medicare Advantage customers in plans eligible for quality bonus payments;
• medical costs as a percentage of premiums (medical care ratio or "MCR") for our insured businesses; and
• selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of adjusted revenues (adjusted expense ratio).
Effective January 1, 2023, we adopted amended accounting guidance for long-duration insurance contracts. For the Cigna Healthcare segment, prior period results of operations have been retrospectively adjusted to conform to this new basis of accounting. The impact of this amended guidance is immaterial. See Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
In January 2024, we entered into a definitive agreement to sell the Medicare Advantage, Medicare Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plans, Medicare and Other Supplemental Benefits and CareAllies businesses within the U.S. Healthcare operating segment to Health Care Service Corporation for $3.3 billion cash, subject to applicable regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. See Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.Results of Operations
Financial SummaryFor the Years Ended December 31, Change Favorable (Unfavorable) Change Favorable (Unfavorable)
(Dollars in millions) 2023 2022 2021 2023 vs. 2022 2022 vs. 2021
Adjusted revenues $ 51,205 $ 45,037 $ 44,643 $ 6,168 14 % $ 394 1 %
Pre-tax adjusted income from operations $ 4,478 $ 4,099 $ 3,601 $ 379 9 % $ 498 14 %
Pre-tax adjusted margin 8.7 % 9.1 % 8.1 % (40) bps 100 bps
Medical care ratio 81.3 % 81.7 % 84.0 % 40 bps 230 bps
Adjusted expense ratio 21.6 % 21.8 % 20.9 % 20 bps (90) bps
2023 versus 2022
Adjusted revenues increased 14%, primarily reflecting customer growth and higher premium rates due to anticipated underlying medical cost trend.
Pre-tax adjusted income from operations increased 9%, primarily due to a lower medical care ratio and a lower adjusted expense ratio. The improvement to the medical care ratio and the adjusted expense ratio for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, as compared to the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, was driven by decreases of 160 bps and 190 bps, respectively, for the three months ended December 31, 2023.
The medical care ratio decreased 40 bps, primarily due to a lower U.S. Healthcare medical care ratio, reflecting improved stop loss results, effective pricing execution and affordability initiatives.
The adjusted expense ratio decreased 20 bps for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to revenue growth outpacing volume-related expenses as well as higher technology spend. The adjusted expense ratio decreased 190 bps for the three months ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to revenue growth and timing of investments outpacing volume-related expenses.
67Medical Customers
A medical customer is defined as a person meeting any one of the following criteria:
• is covered under a medical insurance policy, managed care arrangement or administrative services agreement issued by us;
• has access to our provider network for covered services under their medical plan; or
• has medical claims that are administered by us.
Cigna Healthcare Medical CustomersAs of December 31, Change Favorable (Unfavorable) Change Favorable (Unfavorable)
(In thousands) 2023 2022 2021 2023 vs. 2022 2022 vs. 2021
Insured 5,464 4,756 4,757 708 15 % (1) — %
U.S. Healthcare 4,280 3,587 3,676 693 19 (89) (2)International Health (1)1,184 1,169 1,081 15 1 88 8
Administrative services only 14,316 13,248 12,324 1,068 8 924 7
U.S. Healthcare 13,890 12,619 11,688 1,271 10 931 8International Health (1)426 629 636 (203) (32) (7) (1)
Total 19,780 18,004 17,081 1,776 10 % 923 5 %
(1) International Health excludes medical customers served by less than 100% owned subsidiaries, as well as certain customers served by our third-party administrator. International Health customers as of December 31, 2023 reflect the transition of certain run-off business to Other Operations beginning January 1, 2023.
2023 versus 2022
Total medical customers increased 10%, primarily driven by growth in fee-based customers as well as in Individual and Family Plans and Medicare Advantage customers.
See Part I, Item 1 of this Form 10-K for definitions of Cigna Healthcare's market segments.Unpaid Claims and Claim ExpensesAs of December 31, Change Increase (Decrease) Change Increase (Decrease)
(In millions) 2023 2022 2021 2023 vs. 2022 2022 vs. 2021
Unpaid claims and claim expenses – Cigna Healthcare
$ 5,092 $ 4,176 $ 4,261 $ 916 22 % $ (85) (2) %
2023 versus 2022
Our unpaid claims and claim expenses liability increased 22%, driven by customer growth, primarily within our Individual and Family Plans business.Other OperationsOther Operations includes corporate owned life insurance ("COLI") and the Company's run-off operations. See Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding these operations. In the prior periods, Other Operations also included the International businesses sold in July 2022 and our interest in a joint venture in Türkiye sold in December 2022. As described in the introduction of Segment Reporting, performance of Other Operations is measured using adjusted revenues and pre-tax adjusted income from operations.
Effective January 1, 2023, we adopted amended accounting guidance for long-duration insurance contracts. For the Other Operations segment, prior period results of operations have been retrospectively adjusted to conform to this new basis of accounting. The impact of this amended guidance is immaterial. Prior period results related to long-duration contracts sold in the Chubb transaction and our divested interest in a joint venture in Türkiye were not adjusted (as permitted by ASU 2022-05). See Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional disclosure of our long-duration insurance contracts and Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding the adoption of this amended guidance.
68Results of Operations
Financial SummaryFor the Years Ended December 31, Change Favorable (Unfavorable) Change Favorable (Unfavorable)
(Dollars in millions) 2023 2022 2021 2023 vs. 2022 2022 vs. 2021
Adjusted revenues $ 596 $ 2,263 $ 3,989 $ (1,667) (74) % $ (1,726) (43) %
Pre-tax adjusted income from operations $ 96 $ 509 $ 903 $ (413) (81) % $ (394) (44) %
Pre-tax adjusted margin 16.1 % 22.5 % 22.6 % (640) bps (10) bps
2023 versus 2022
Adjusted revenues declined reflecting the absence of revenues from the business divested in 2022.
Pre-tax adjusted income from operations decreased primarily due to the absence of earnings from the businesses divested in the Chubb transaction.CorporateCorporate reflects amounts not allocated to operating segments, including net interest expense (defined as interest on corporate financing less net investment income on investments not supporting segment and other operations), certain litigation matters, expense associated with our frozen pension plans, charitable contributions, operating severance, certain overhead and enterprise-wide project costs and eliminations for products and services sold between segments.Financial SummaryFor the Years Ended December 31, Change Favorable (Unfavorable) Change Favorable (Unfavorable)
(In millions) 2023 2022 2021 2023 vs. 2022 2022 vs. 2021
Pre-tax adjusted loss from operations $ (1,698) $ (1,466) $ (1,339) $ (232) (16) % $ (127) (9) %
2023 versus 2022
Pre-tax adjusted loss from operations increased 16% primarily due to an increase in the weighted average interest rate on our indebtedness and increased pension costs due to lower expected asset returns and a higher discount rate. While our pension expense has increased year-over-year, we continue to expect the required contributions for 2024 to be immaterial.INVESTMENT ASSETSThe following table presents our investment asset portfolio excluding separate account assets. Additional information regarding our investment assets is included in Notes 12, 13, 14 and 16 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
(In millions) December 31, 2023 December 31, 2022
Debt securities $ 9,855 $ 9,872
Equity securities 3,362 622
Commercial mortgage loans 1,533 1,614
Policy loans 1,211 1,218
Other long-term investments 4,181 3,728
Short-term investments 206 139
Total $ 20,348 $ 17,193
Investments classified as assets of businesses held for sale (1)
(1,438) —
Investments per Consolidated Balance Sheets $ 18,910 $ 17,193
(1) Investments related to the HCSC transaction that were held for sale as of December 31, 2023. These investments were primarily comprised of debt securities and commercial mortgage loans, and to a lesser extent, other long term investments.Investment OutlookWe continue to actively monitor economic conditions including the impact of inflation, higher interest rates and the potential for a recession on the investment portfolio. Although there has been very limited impact to date on our investment portfolio as a result of 2023 economic and geopolitical events, including banking system stress, we continue to monitor ongoing developments and the
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potential impact of 2023 events on the portfolio. Future realized and unrealized investment results will be driven largely by market conditions and these future conditions are not reasonably predictable. We believe that the vast majority of our investments will continue to perform under their contractual terms. We manage the portfolio for long-term economics and therefore we expect to hold a significant portion of these assets for the long term. The following discussion addresses the strategies and risks associated with our various classes of investment assets. Although future declines in investment fair values remain possible due to interest rate movements and credit deterioration due to both investment-specific uncertainties and global economic uncertainties as discussed below, we do not expect these losses to have a material unfavorable effect on our financial condition or liquidity.Debt SecuritiesInvestments in debt securities include publicly traded and privately placed bonds, mortgage and other asset-backed securities and preferred stocks redeemable by the investor. These investments are classified as available for sale and are carried at fair value in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Additional information regarding valuation methodologies, key inputs and controls is included in Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
The following table reflects our portfolio of debt securities by type of issuer:
(In millions) December 31, 2023 December 31, 2022
Federal government and agency $ 267 $ 312
State and local government 38 41
Foreign government 352 365
Corporate
8,833 8,806
Mortgage and other asset-backed 365 348
Total $ 9,855 $ 9,872
The carrying value of our debt securities portfolio was flat during the year ended December 31, 2023 reflecting net sales activity offset by a valuation increase due to declining market interest rates . Our portfolio remains in a net unrealized depreciation position due to generally increasing interest rates over the last several quarters. More detailed information about debt securities by type of issuer, maturity dates and net unrealized position is included in Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
As of December 31, 2023, $8.3 billion, or 84%, of the debt securities in our investment portfolio were investment grade (Baa and above, or equivalent) and the remaining $1.6 billion were below investment grade. The majority of the bonds that are below investment grade were rated at the higher end of the non-investment grade spectrum. These quality characteristics have not materially changed since the prior year and remain consistent with our investment strategy.
Debt securities include private placement assets of $4.0 billion. These investments are generally less marketable than publicly traded bonds; however, yields on these investments tend to be higher than yields on publicly traded bonds with comparable credit risk. We perform a credit analysis of each issuer and require financial and other covenants that allow us to monitor issuers for deteriorating financial strength and pursue remedial actions, if warranted.
Investments in debt securities are diversified by issuer, geography and industry. On an aggregate basis, the debt securities portfolio continues to perform according to original expectations, which includes a long-term economic investment strategy. Elevated global inflation, higher interest rates, continuing supply chain disruptions and potential fallout from the stress in the banking system are the primary risks that many of the issuers in our portfolio are facing. To date, most issuers have been successful in managing the cost escalation and product shortages without undue margin pressure. We continue to monitor the economic environment and its effect on our portfolio and consider the impact of various factors in determining the allowance for credit losses on debt securities, which is discussed in Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.Commercial Mortgage LoansAs of December 31, 2023, our $1.5 billion commercial mortgage loan portfolio consisted of approximately 50 fixed-rate loans, diversified by property type, location and borrower. These loans are carried in our Consolidated Balance Sheets at their unpaid principal balance, net of an allowance for expected credit losses. As a result of increasing market interest rates since the majority of these loans were made, the carrying value exceeds the market value of these loans as of December 31, 2023. See Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further details. Given the quality and diversity of the underlying real estate, positive debt service coverage and significant borrower cash invested in the property generally ranging between 30 and 40%, we remain confident that the vast majority of borrowers will continue to perform as expected under their contract terms. For further discussion of the results and changes in key loan metrics, see Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
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Loans are secured by high quality commercial properties, located in strong institutional markets and are generally made at approximately 65% of the property's value at origination of the loan. Property value, debt service coverage, quality, building tenancy and stability of cash flows are all important financial underwriting considerations. We hold no direct residential mortgage loans and do not originate or service securitized mortgage loans.
We assess the credit quality of our commercial mortgage loan portfolio annually, generally in the second quarter by reviewing each holding's most recent financial statements, rent rolls, budgets and relevant market reports. The review performed in the second quarter of 2023 confirmed ongoing strong overall credit quality in line with the previous year's results. See Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information regarding our key credit quality indicators for commercial mortgage loans.
Office sector fundamentals have been and continue to be weak and values are experiencing stress due to multiple headwinds: expanded work from home flexibility, shorter term leases, elevated tenant improvement allowances and corporate migration to lower cost states. Additionally, the current macroeconomic headwinds are impacting capital markets and reducing investor appetite for capital intensive assets (e.g., offices and regional shopping malls). Our commercial mortgage loan portfolio has no exposure to regional shopping malls and less than 30% exposure to office properties. Although future losses remain possible due to further credit deterioration, we do not expect these losses to have a material unfavorable effect on our financial condition or liquidity.
Other Long-term Investments
Other long-term investments of $4.2 billion as of December 31, 2023 included investments in securities limited partnerships and real estate limited partnerships, direct investments in real estate joint ventures and other deposit activity that is required to support various insurance and health services businesses. Accounting policies for these investments are discussed in Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. The increase in other long-term investments of $0.5 billion since December 31, 2022 is primarily driven by net additional funding activity. These limited partnership entities typically invest in mezzanine debt or equity of privately-held companies and equity real estate. Given our subordinate position in the capital structure of these underlying entities, we assume a higher level of risk for higher expected returns. To mitigate risk, these investments are diversified across approximately 200 separate partnerships and 100 general partners who manage one or more of these partnerships. Also, the underlying investments are diversified by industry sector or property type and geographic region. No single partnership investment exceeded 4% of our securities and real estate limited partnership portfolio.
Income from our limited partnership investments is generally reported on a one quarter lag due to the timing of when financial information is received from the general partner or manager of the investments. We expect continued volatility in private equity and real estate fund performance going forward as fair market valuations are adjusted to reflect market and portfolio transactions. Less than 4% of our other long-term investments are exposed to real estate in the office sector.
We participate in an insurance joint venture in China with a 50% ownership interest. We account for this joint venture under the equity method of accounting and report our share of the net assets of $0.2 billion in Other assets. Our 50% share of the investment portfolio supporting the joint venture's liabilities is approximately $11.7 billion as of December 31, 2023. These investments were comprised of approximately 75% debt securities, including government and corporate debt diversified by issuer, industry and geography; 15% equities, including mutual funds, equity securities and private equity partnerships; and 10% long-term deposits and policy loans. We continuously review the joint venture's investment strategy and its execution. There were no investments with a material unrealized loss as of December 31, 2023.MARKET RISKFinancial Instruments
Our assets and liabilities include financial instruments subject to the risk of potential losses from adverse changes in market rates and prices. Consistent with disclosure requirements, the following items have been excluded from this consideration of market risk for financial instruments:
• changes in the fair values of insurance-related assets and liabilities as disclosed in Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements because their primary risks are insurance rather than market risk;
• changes in the fair values of investments recorded using the equity method of accounting and liabilities for pension and other postretirement and postemployment benefit plans (and related assets); and
• changes in the fair values of other significant assets and liabilities, such as goodwill, deferred policy acquisition costs, taxes and various accrued liabilities. Because they are not financial instruments, their primary risks are other than market risk.
Excluding the items noted in the paragraph above, our primary market risk exposure from financial instruments is our interest-rate risk exposure to fixed-rate, medium-term instruments. Changes in market interest rates affect the value of instruments that promise a fixed
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return. Following increased investments in equity securities during 2023, primarily as a result of our investment in VillageMD, our exposure to equity price risk has increased.Our Management of Market Risks
We predominantly rely on two techniques to manage our exposure to market risk:• Investment/liability matching. We generally select investment assets with characteristics (such as duration, yield, currency and liquidity) that correspond to the underlying characteristics of our related insurance and contractholder liabilities so that we can match the investments to our obligations. Shorter-term investments generally support shorter-term life and health liabilities. Medium-term, fixed-rate investments support interest-sensitive and health liabilities. Longer-term investments generally support products with longer payout periods such as annuities.
• Use of derivatives. We use derivative financial instruments to reduce our primary market risks. See Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information about derivative financial instruments.Effect of Market FluctuationsWe determine the sensitivity of market risk for our fixed income financial instruments, including debt securities and commercial mortgage loans, by estimating the present value of future cash flows using duration modeling and applying a 100 basis point increase in interest rates. The sensitivity of market risk for equity securities is determined by applying a 10% decrease in market prices. The effect of these hypothetical changes in market rates or prices on the fair value of certain financial instruments, subject to the exclusions noted above (particularly insurance liabilities), would have been as follows:
Market scenario for certain non-insurance financial instrumentsLoss in Fair Value(in billions) December 31, 2023 December 31, 2022
100 basis point increase in interest rates (excluding the Company's long-term debt) $ 0.7 $ 0.7
10% decrease in market prices for equity securities $ 0.3 $ 0.1
In the event of a hypothetical 100 basis point increase in interest rates, the fair value of the Company's long-term debt would decrease approximately $1.8 billion at both December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022. Changes in the fair value of our long-term debt do not impact our financial position or operating results since long-term debt is not required to be recorded at fair value. See Note 8 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information about the Company's debt.
FY 2024-12-31 (later)
Item 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONSManagement's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations ("MD&A") is intended to provide information to assist you in better understanding and evaluating the financial condition of The Cigna Group as of December 31, 2024 compared with December 31, 2023 and our results of operations for 2024 compared with 2023 and 2022 and is intended to help you understand the ongoing trends in our business. For comparisons of our results of operations for 2023 compared with 2022, please refer to the previously filed MD&A included in Part II, Item 7 of our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. We encourage you to read this MD&A in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K ("Form 10-K") and the "Risk Factors" contained in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K.
Unless otherwise indicated, financial information in this MD&A is presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). See Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Form 10-K for additional information regarding the Company's significant accounting policies. In some of our financial tables in this MD&A, we present either percentage changes or "N/M" when those changes are so large as to become not meaningful. Changes in percentages are expressed in basis points ("bps").In this MD&A, our consolidated measures "adjusted income from operations," earnings per share on that same basis and "adjusted revenues" are not determined in accordance with GAAP and should not be viewed as substitutes for the most directly comparable GAAP measures of "shareholders' net income," "earnings per share" and "total revenues." We also use pre-tax adjusted income (loss) from operations and adjusted revenues to measure the results of our segments.The Company uses "pre-tax adjusted income (loss) from operations" and "adjusted revenues" as its principal financial measures of segment operating performance because management believes these metrics reflect the underlying results of business operations and facilitate analysis of trends in underlying revenue, expenses and profitability. We define adjusted income (loss) from operations as shareholders' net income (or income (loss) before income taxes less pre-tax income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests for the segment metric) excluding net investment gains/losses, amortization of acquired intangible assets and special items. The Cigna Group's share of certain investment results of its joint ventures reported in the Cigna Healthcare segment using the equity method of accounting are also excluded. Special items are matters that management believes are not representative of the underlying results of operations due to their nature or size. Adjusted income (loss) from operations is measured on an after-tax basis for consolidated results and on a pre-tax basis for segment results. Consolidated adjusted income (loss) from operations is not determined in accordance with GAAP and should not be viewed as a substitute for the most directly comparable GAAP measure, shareholders' net income. See the below Financial Highlights section for a reconciliation of consolidated adjusted income from operations to shareholders' net income.
The Company defines adjusted revenues as total revenues excluding the following adjustments: special items and The Cigna Group's share of certain investment results of its joint ventures reported in the Cigna Healthcare segment using the equity method of accounting. Special items are matters that management believes are not representative of the underlying results of operations due to their nature or size. We exclude these items from this measure because management believes they are not indicative of past or future underlying performance of the business. Adjusted revenues is not determined in accordance with GAAP and should not be viewed as a substitute for the most directly comparable GAAP measure, total revenues. See the below Financial Highlights section for a reconciliation of consolidated adjusted revenues to total revenues.EXECUTIVE OVERVIEWThe Cigna Group, together with its subsidiaries (either individually or collectively referred to as the "Company," "we," "us" or "our"), is a global health company committed to creating a better future for every individual and every community. Our subsidiaries offer a differentiated set of pharmacy, medical, behavioral, dental, and related products and services. For further information on our business and strategy, see Part I, Item 1 "Business" of this Form 10-K.
38Financial HighlightsConsolidated Results of Operations (GAAP basis)For the Years Ended December 31, Change Change
(Dollars in millions) 2024 2023 2022 2024 vs. 2023 2023 vs. 2022
Pharmacy revenues $ 185,362 $ 137,243 $ 128,566 $ 48,119 35 % $ 8,677 7 %
Premiums 45,996 44,237 39,916 1,759 4 4,321 11
Fees and other revenues 14,790 12,619 10,881 2,171 17 1,738 16
Net investment income 973 1,166 1,155 (193) (17) 11 1
Total revenues 247,121 195,265 180,518 51,856 27 14,747 8
Pharmacy and other service costs 182,509 133,801 124,834 48,708 36 8,967 7
Medical costs and other benefit expenses 38,648 36,287 32,184 2,361 7 4,103 13
Selling, general and administrative expenses 14,844 14,822 13,174 22 — 1,648 13
Amortization of acquired intangible assets 1,703 1,819 1,876 (116) (6) (57) (3)
Total benefits and expenses 237,704 186,729 172,068 50,975 27 14,661 9
Income from operations
9,417 8,536 8,450 881 10 86 1
Interest expense and other (1,435) (1,446) (1,228) 11 (1) (218) 18
Net gain (loss) on sale of businesses
24 (1,499) 1,662 1,523 N/M (3,161) N/M
Net investment losses
(2,737) (78) (487) (2,659) N/M 409 (84)
Income before income taxes
5,269 5,513 8,397 (244) (4) (2,884) (34)
Total income taxes 1,491 141 1,615 1,350 N/M (1,474) (91)
Net income
3,778 5,372 6,782 (1,594) (30) (1,410) (21)
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests
344 208 78 136 65 130 167
Shareholders' net income
$ 3,434 $ 5,164 $ 6,704 $ (1,730) (34) % $ (1,540) (23) %
Consolidated effective tax rate 28.3 % 2.6 % 19.2 % 2,570 bps (1,660) bps
Medical customers (in thousands) 19,147 19,780 18,004 (633) (3) % 1,776 10 %
39Reconciliation of Shareholders' Net Income (GAAP) to Adjusted Income from Operations
For the Years Ended December 31,2024 2023 2022(In millions) Pre-tax After-tax Pre-tax After-tax Pre-tax After-taxShareholders' net income
$ 3,434 $ 5,164 $ 6,704Adjustments to reconcile to adjusted income from operationsNet investment losses (1)
$ 2,533 2,529 $ 135 114 $ 613 496
Amortization of acquired intangible assets 1,703 1,347 1,819 1,413 1,876 1,345Special itemsIntegration and transaction-related costs
275 211 45 35 135 103
Impairment of dividend receivable
182 138 — — — —
Deferred tax expenses (benefits), net
— 84 — (1,071) — —
Net (gain) loss on sale of businesses
(24) (2) 1,499 1,429 (1,662) (1,332)
Charge for organizational efficiency plan
— — 252 193 22 17
Charges (benefits) associated with litigation matters — — 201 171 (28) (20)
Total special items $ 433 431 $ 1,997 757 $ (1,533) (1,232)
Adjusted income from operations
$ 7,741 $ 7,448 $ 7,313
(1) Includes Net investment gains/losses as presented in our Consolidated Statements of Income, as well as the Company's share of certain investment results of its joint ventures reported in the Cigna Healthcare segment using the equity method of accounting, which are presented within Fees and other revenues in our Consolidated Statements of Income.Reconciliation of Shareholders' Net Income (GAAP) to Adjusted Income from Operations
For the Years Ended December 31,2024 2023 2022
(Diluted earnings per share) Pre-tax After-tax Pre-tax After-tax Pre-tax After-tax
Shareholders' net income
$ 12.12 $ 17.39 $ 21.41Adjustments to reconcile to adjusted income from operationsNet investment losses (1)
$ 8.95 8.93 $ 0.45 0.38 $ 1.96 1.59
Amortization of acquired intangible assets 6.01 4.76 6.13 4.77 5.99 4.30Special itemsIntegration and transaction-related costs
0.97 0.75 0.15 0.12 0.43 0.33
Impairment of dividend receivable
0.64 0.49 — — — —
Deferred tax expenses (benefits), net
— 0.30 — (3.61) — —
Net (gain) loss on sale of businesses
(0.08) (0.02) 5.05 4.81 (5.31) (4.26)
Charge for organizational efficiency plan
— — 0.85 0.65 0.07 0.05
Charges (benefits) associated with litigation matters — — 0.68 0.58 (0.09) (0.06)
Total special items $ 1.53 1.52 $ 6.73 2.55 $ (4.90) (3.94)
Adjusted income from operations
$ 27.33 $ 25.09 $ 23.36
(1) Includes Net investment gains/losses as presented in our Consolidated Statements of Income, as well as the Company's share of certain investment results of its joint ventures reported in the Cigna Healthcare segment using the equity method of accounting, which are presented within Fees and other revenues in our Consolidated Statements of Income.
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Financial highlights by segment
For the Years Ended December 31, Change Change
(Dollars in millions, except per share amounts) 2024 2023 2022 2024 vs. 2023 2023 vs. 2022
Revenues
Adjusted revenues by segment
Evernorth Health Services $ 202,155 $ 153,499 $ 140,335 32 % 9 %
Cigna Healthcare 52,914 51,205 45,037 3 14
Other Operations 828 596 2,263 39 (74)
Corporate, net of eliminations (8,798) (9,978) (6,991) (12) 43
Adjusted revenues 247,099 195,322 180,644 27 8
Net investment results from certain equity method investments 204 (57) (126) N/M (55)
Special item related to impairment of dividend receivable (182) — — N/M N/M
Total revenues $ 247,121 $ 195,265 $ 180,518 27 % 8 %
Shareholders' net income
$ 3,434 $ 5,164 $ 6,704 (34) % (23) %
Adjusted income from operations
$ 7,741 $ 7,448 $ 7,313 4 % 2 %
Earnings per share (diluted)
Shareholders' net income
$ 12.12 $ 17.39 $ 21.41 (30) % (19) %
Adjusted income from operations
$ 27.33 $ 25.09 $ 23.36 9 % 7 %
Pre-tax adjusted income (loss) from operations by segment
Evernorth Health Services $ 7,001 $ 6,442 $ 6,127 9 % 5 %
Cigna Healthcare 4,229 4,478 4,099 (6) 9
Other Operations (9) 96 509 N/M (81)
Corporate, net of eliminations (1,688) (1,698) (1,466) (1) 16
Consolidated pre-tax adjusted income from operations
9,533 9,318 9,269 2 1
Income attributable to noncontrolling interests
405 146 84 177 74
Net investment (losses) (1)
(2,533) (135) (613) N/M (78)
Amortization of acquired intangible assets (1,703) (1,819) (1,876) (6) (3)
Special items (433) (1,997) 1,533 (78) N/M
Income before income taxes
$ 5,269 $ 5,513 $ 8,397 (4) % (34) %
(1) Includes Net investment gains/losses as presented in our Consolidated Statements of Income, as well as the Company's share of certain investment results of its joint ventures reported in the Cigna Healthcare segment using the equity method of accounting, which are presented within Fees and other revenues in our Consolidated Statements of Income.
For further analysis and explanation of each segment's results, see the "Segment Reporting" section of this MD&A.
Commentary: 2024 versus 2023
The commentary presented below, and the segment commentaries that follow, compare results for the year ended December 31, 2024 with results for the year ended December 31, 2023. Commentary regarding percentage changes (or bps) and dollar variances represents the driver's impact on the overall category.
Shareholders' net income decreased 34%, or $1,730 million, primarily reflecting increased net investment losses (-$2,415 million) driven by the impairment of VillageMD equity securities, as well as the absence of the foreign deferred tax benefits recorded in 2023 (-$1,155 million). These unfavorable items were partially offset by lower net losses on sale of businesses (+$1,431 million) and higher adjusted income from operations (+$293 million). See further discussion of these drivers below.
Adjusted income from operations increased 4%, primarily reflecting higher earnings in Evernorth Health Services, partially offset by lower earnings in Cigna Healthcare.
Medical customers decreased 3%, primarily reflecting a decrease in Individual and Family Plans ("IFP") customers.
Pharmacy revenues increased 35%, primarily reflecting higher utilization of prescription drugs from customer growth in Evernorth Health Services.
Premiums increased 4%, primarily reflecting higher premium rates in our U.S. Healthcare operating segment.
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Fees and other revenues increased 17%, primarily reflecting growth in affordability services within our Pharmacy Benefit Services operating segment.
Net investment income decreased 17%, primarily due to a $182 million impairment of dividend receivable in the third quarter of 2024 related to VillageMD accrued dividends.
Pharmacy and other service costs increased 36%, primarily reflecting higher utilization of prescription drugs from customer growth in Evernorth Health Services.
Medical costs and other benefit expenses increased 7%, primarily reflecting higher medical costs in our U.S. Healthcare operating segment.
Selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expenses were flat, primarily reflecting increases in strategic investments to support both business growth and continued advancement of our digital capabilities and solutions (3%), offset by the absence of costs reported in 2023 for an organizational efficiency plan (-2%) and litigation settlements (-1%).
Net gain (loss) on sale of businesses. The gain reported in 2024 reflects the sale of a portion of an equity method investment, partially offset by an estimated loss on sale (primarily goodwill impairment) related to the HCSC transaction (defined below). The loss reported in 2023 primarily reflects a goodwill impairment related to the HCSC transaction. See Note 5 and Note 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of the HCSC transaction and the equity method investment sale, respectively.
Investment results primarily reflect the impairment of VillageMD equity securities in 2024. See Note 11 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of the impairment of VillageMD equity securities.
The effective tax rate increased, primarily driven by the absence of foreign deferred tax benefits recorded in 2023 and a valuation allowance related to the impairment of VillageMD equity securities, partially offset by the absence of the impact of the valuation allowance resulting from the HCSC transaction recorded in 2023. See Note 20 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of these matters.Key Transactions and Business Developments
Sale of Medicare Advantage and Related BusinessesIn January 2024, the Company entered into a definitive agreement to sell the Medicare Advantage, Medicare Individual Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plans, Medicare and Other Supplemental Benefits, and CareAllies businesses within the U.S. Healthcare operating segment to Health Care Service Corporation ("HCSC") ("HCSC transaction"). The initial $3.3 billion purchase price is anticipated to increase at closing, reflecting higher statutory surplus for the legal entities that will convey to HCSC. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025. See Note 5 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCESLiquidity
We maintain liquidity at two levels: the subsidiary level and the parent company level.Subsidiary Level. Cash requirements at the subsidiary level generally consist of pharmacy, medical costs and other benefit payments; expense requirements, primarily for employee compensation and benefits, information technology and facilities costs; income taxes; and debt service.
Our subsidiaries normally meet their liquidity requirements by maintaining appropriate levels of cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments; using cash flows from operating activities; matching durations of investments to estimated durations for the related insurance and contractholder liabilities; selling investments; and borrowing from affiliates, subject to applicable regulatory limits.
Parent Level. Cash requirements at the parent company level generally consist of debt service; payment of declared dividends to shareholders; lending to subsidiaries as needed; and pension plan funding.
The parent company normally meets its liquidity requirements by maintaining appropriate levels of cash and various types of marketable investments; collecting dividends from its subsidiaries; using proceeds from issuing debt and common stock; and borrowing from its subsidiaries, subject to applicable regulatory limits.
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Regulatory Restrictions. Dividends from our insurance, Health Maintenance Organization ("HMO") and certain foreign subsidiaries are subject to regulatory restrictions. See Note 19 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Form 10-K for additional information regarding these restrictions. Most of the Evernorth Health Services segment operations are not subject to regulatory restrictions regarding dividends and therefore provide significant financial flexibility to The Cigna Group.
Investment Portfolio. We support the liquidity needs of our businesses by managing the duration of invested assets to be consistent with the duration of liabilities. We manage the portfolio to both optimize returns in the current economic environment and meet our liquidity needs.
Cash flows for the years ended December 31 were as follows:For the Years Ended December 31,(In millions) 2024 2023 2022
Operating activities $ 10,363 $ 11,813 $ 8,656
Investing activities $ (2,102) $ (5,174) $ 3,098
Financing activities $ (7,647) $ (4,294) $ (11,240)
The following discussion explains variances in the various categories of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared with the same period in 2023.
Operating Activities. Cash flows from operating activities consist principally of cash receipts and disbursements for pharmacy revenues and costs, premiums, fees, investment income, taxes, benefit costs and other expenses.
Operating cash flows decreased for the year ended December 31, 2024 due to higher insurance claims and related payments as well as higher accounts receivable as a result of organic business growth and timing. These decreases were partially offset by the favorable net cash flow impacts of new clients in Evernorth Health Services, higher pharmacy and service costs payable, and lower income tax payments.
Investing Activities. The decrease in cash used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2024 was primarily due to lower purchases of equity securities.
Financing Activities. The Company had higher share repurchases, including the completed ASR Agreements (described below), partially offset by net cash provided by debt financing activities in 2024.Capital ResourcesOur capital resources consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents and investments maintained at regulated subsidiaries required to underwrite insurance risks, cash flows from operating activities, our commercial paper program, credit agreements and the issuance of long-term debt and equity securities. Our businesses generate significant cash flows from operations, some of which is subject to regulatory restrictions relative to the amount and timing of dividend payments to the parent company. Dividends received from U.S.- regulated subsidiaries were $2.4 billion for the year ended December 31, 2024 and $1.2 billion for the year ended December 31, 2023. Non-regulated subsidiaries also generate significant cash flows from operating activities, which is typically available immediately to the parent company for general corporate purposes.
We prioritize our use of capital resources to (i) invest in capital expenditures (primarily related to technology to support innovative solutions for our clients and customers), provide the capital necessary to maintain or improve the financial strength ratings of subsidiaries, and to repay debt and fund pension obligations if necessary; (ii) pay dividends to shareholders; (iii) consider acquisitions and investments that are strategically and economically advantageous; and (iv) return capital to shareholders through share repurchases.Funds AvailableCommercial Paper Program . The commercial paper program had approximately $0.9 billion outstanding at December 31, 2024.
Revolving Credit Agreements. Our revolving credit agreements provide us with the ability to borrow amounts for general corporate purposes, including for the purpose of providing liquidity support if necessary under our commercial paper program discussed above. See Note 7 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on our credit agreements and commercial paper program.
As of December 31, 2024, we had $6.5 billion of undrawn committed capacity under our revolving credit agreements (these amounts are available for general corporate purposes, including providing liquidity support for our commercial paper program), $5.6 billion of
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remaining capacity under our commercial paper program and $7.6 billion in cash and short-term investments, approximately $0.8 billion of which was held by the parent company or certain nonregulated subsidiaries.
Our debt-to-capitalization ratio (calculated as Short-term debt and Long-term debt ("Total debt") as a percentage of Total shareholders' equity and Total debt ("Total capitalization")) was 43.8% and 40.1% at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. We actively monitor our debt obligations and engage in issuance or redemption activities as needed in accordance with our capital management strategy.
Subsidiary Borrowings. In addition to the sources of liquidity discussed above, the parent company can borrow an additional $1.8 billion from its subsidiaries without further approvals as of December 31, 2024.Use of Capital ResourcesCapital Expenditures . Capital expenditures for property, equipment and computer software were $1.4 billion in 2024 compared to $1.6 billion in the year ended December 31, 2023. We expect to deploy approximately $1.4 billion in capital expenditures in 2025, which will be funded primarily from operating cash flows.
Dividends . The Company currently intends to pay regular quarterly dividends, with future declarations subject to approval by its Board of Directors and the Board's determination that the declaration of dividends remains in the best interests of The Cigna Group and its shareholders. See Note 8 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information regarding the dividend payments declared and paid during 2024, as well as the first quarter 2025 declared cash dividend.
Share Repurchases . The Company maintains a share repurchase program authorized by the Board of Directors, under which it may repurchase shares of its common stock from time to time. The timing and actual number of shares repurchased will depend on a variety of factors, including price, general business and market conditions, and alternate uses of capital. The share repurchase program may be effected through open market purchases in compliance with Rule 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), including through Rule 10b5-1 trading plans or privately negotiated transactions. The program may be suspended or discontinued at any time.
Including the Accelerated Share Repurchase agreements (discussed further in Note 8 to the Consolidated Financial Statements) (the "ASR Agreements"), we repurchased 20.9 million shares for approximately $7.0 billion during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to 7.8 million shares for approximately $2.3 billion during the year ended December 31, 2023. In December 2024, the Board of Directors approved an increase of $6.0 billion in incremental share repurchase authorization, bringing the company's total share repurchase authority to $10.3 billion as of December 31, 2024. From January 1, 2025 through February 26, 2025, we repurchased 3.0 million shares for approximately $901 million. Share repurchase authority was $9.4 billion as of February 26, 2025.Other Sources of Funds and Uses of Capital ResourcesDivestiture. As discussed in the "Key Transactions and Business Developments" section above, the HCSC transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025. We anticipate use of the proceeds in alignment with our capital deployment priorities, with the majority allocated to share repurchases.Risks to Liquidity and Capital ResourcesRisks to our liquidity and capital resources outlook include cash projections that may not be realized, and the demand for funds could exceed available cash if our ongoing businesses experience unexpected shortfalls in earnings or we experience material adverse effects from one or more risks or uncertainties described more fully in the "Risk Factors" section of this Form 10-K.Guarantees and Contractual ObligationsWe are contingently liable for various contractual obligations and financial and other guarantees entered into in the ordinary course of business. See Note 21 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for discussion of various guarantees.
On Balance Sheet :
Long-Term Debt. Total scheduled payments on long-term debt are $48.5 billion (of which $3.5 billion relate to the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025), which include scheduled interest payments and maturities of long-term debt. See Note 7 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding principal maturities of long-term debt.
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Other Non-Current Liabilities. These include other long-term liabilities reflected in our Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2024, including obligations associated with other postretirement and postemployment benefit obligations, reinsurance liabilities, supplemental and deferred compensation plans, and interest rate and foreign currency swap contracts.
Uncertain Tax Positions. In the event we are unable to sustain all of our $1.5 billion of uncertain tax positions, it could result in future tax payments of approximately $1.0 billion. We are adequately reserved for such positions. As a result, there is minimal direct risk to earnings should we fail to sustain our positions. We cannot reasonably estimate the timing of such future payments. See Note 20 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on uncertain tax positions.
Off-Balance Sheet :
Purchase Obligations. These include agreements to purchase goods or services that are enforceable and legally binding. Purchase obligations exclude contracts that are cancellable without penalty and those that do not contractually require minimum levels of goods or services to be purchased. As of December 31, 2024, purchase obligations consisted of a total of $4.2 billion of estimated payments required under contractual arrangements (of which we expect $1.6 billion of purchase obligations to be paid within the next 12 months beginning January 1, 2025). This includes the following:
• $2.7 billion of investment commitments (of which we expect $0.9 billion of the committed amounts to be disbursed in 2025). See Note 11 of the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on investment commitments.
• $1.5 billion of future service commitments (of which we expect $0.7 billion of the committed amounts to be disbursed in 2025), primarily comprised of contracts for certain outsourced business processes and information technology maintenance and support.CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES
The preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts and related disclosures in the Consolidated Financial Statements. Management considers an accounting estimate to be critical if:
• it requires assumptions to be made that were uncertain at the time the estimate was made; and
• changes in the estimate or different estimates that could have been selected could have a material effect on our consolidated results of operations or financial condition.Management has discussed how critical accounting estimates are developed and selected with the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors, and the Audit Committee has reviewed the disclosures presented in this Form 10-K. We regularly evaluate items that may impact critical accounting estimates.
In addition to the estimates described below, the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements describe other estimates that management has made in preparation of the financial statements. Management believes the current assumptions used to estimate amounts reflected in our Consolidated Financial Statements are appropriate. However, if actual experience significantly differs from the assumptions used in estimating amounts reflected in our Consolidated Financial Statements, the resulting changes could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations and, in certain situations, could have a material adverse effect on liquidity and our financial condition. The information below presents the adverse impacts of certain possible changes in assumptions. The effect of assumption changes in the opposite direction would be a positive impact to our consolidated results of operations, liquidity or financial condition, except for assessing impairment of goodwill.
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
Nature of Critical Accounting Estimate. Goodwill represents the excess of the cost of businesses acquired over the fair value of their net assets at the acquisition date. Intangible assets primarily reflect the value of customer relationships and other intangibles acquired in business combinations.
Fair values of reporting units are estimated based on discounted cash flow analysis and market approach models using assumptions that we believe a hypothetical market participant would use to determine a current transaction price. The significant assumptions and estimates used in determining fair value primarily include the discount rate and future cash flows. A discount rate is selected to correspond with each reporting unit's weighted average cost of capital, consistent with that used for investment decisions considering the specific and detailed operating plans and strategies within each reporting unit. Projections of future cash flows differ by reporting unit and are consistent with our ongoing strategic projections. Future cash flows for the Evernorth Health Services reporting units are primarily driven by the forecasted gross margins of the business, as well as operating expenses and long-term growth rates. Future cash flows for our other reporting units are primarily driven by forecasted revenues, benefit expenses, operating expenses and long-
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term growth rates.
The fair value of intangibles and the amortization method were determined using an income approach that relies on projected future cash flows, including key assumptions for customer attrition and discount rates. Management revises amortization periods if it believes there has been a change in the length of time that an intangible asset will continue to have value.The Company conducts its quantitative evaluation for goodwill impairment at least annually during the third quarter at the reporting unit level and performs qualitative impairment assessments on a quarterly basis to determine if events or changes in circumstances indicate that it is more likely than not that the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value.Excluding amounts classified as held for sale, Goodwill and other intangibles as of December 31, 2024 were $44,370 million and $29,417 million, respectively, and as of December 31, 2023, were $44,259 million and $30,863 million, respectively. See Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional discussion of our goodwill and other intangible assets.
Effect if Different Assumptions Used. We completed our normal annual evaluations for impairment of goodwill and intangible assets during the third quarter of 2024. The evaluations support that as of December 31, 2024, the fair value estimates of our reporting units exceed their carrying values by substantial margins. Changes in assumptions concerning future financial results or other underlying assumptions, including macroeconomic factors, government legislation, changes in the competitive landscape or other market conditions, could impact our ability to achieve profitability projections. If we consistently do not achieve our earnings and cash flow projections or our cost of capital rises significantly, the assumptions and estimates underlying the goodwill and intangible asset impairment evaluations could be adversely affected and result in future impairment charges that would negatively impact our operating results and financial position.
Income Taxes - Uncertain Tax Positions
Nature of Critical Accounting Estimate. We evaluate tax positions to determine whether the benefits are more likely than not to be sustained on audit based on their technical merits. The Company establishes a liability if the probability that the position will be sustained is 50% or less. For uncertain positions that management believes are more likely than not to be sustained, the Company recognizes a liability based upon management's estimate of the most likely settlement outcome with the taxing authority. These amounts primarily relate to federal and state uncertain positions of the value and timing of deductions and uncertain positions of attributing taxable income to states.
Balances that are included in the Consolidated Balance Sheets within Accrued expenses and other liabilities were $1,477 million and $1,399 million as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. See Note 20 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional discussion around uncertain tax positions and the Liquidity and Capital Resources section of this MD&A for a discussion of their potential impact on liquidity.
Effect if Different Assumptions Used. The factors that could impact our estimates of uncertain tax positions include the likelihood of sustaining our tax position (and related assumed interest and penalties) under audit. If our positions are upheld upon audit, our net income would increase.
Income Taxes - Valuation Allowance
Nature of Critical Accounting Estimate. Deferred income taxes in the Consolidated Balance Sheets reflect differences between the financial and income tax reporting bases of the Company's underlying assets and liabilities, and are established based upon enacted tax rates and laws. Deferred income tax assets are recognized when available evidence indicates that realization is more likely than not and a valuation allowance is established to the extent this standard is not met. It is possible that the realization of deferred tax assets may be impacted by changes in forecasted future earnings in various foreign jurisdictions or the Company's ability to generate future capital gains.
Valuation allowances that are included in the Consolidated Balance Sheets within Deferred tax liabilities, net were $2,332 million and $1,498 million as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. See Note 20 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional discussion around valuation allowances.
Effect if Different Assumptions Used. The factors that could impact our estimates of valuation allowances include changes in forecasted future earnings in foreign jurisdictions, potential international tax reform as a result of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development initiatives, and the Company's future ability to generate capital gains. Decreases in our valuation allowance would increase net income, while increases in our valuation allowance would decrease net income.
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Unpaid Claims and Claims Expenses - Cigna Healthcare
Nature of Critical Accounting Estimate. Unpaid claims and claim expenses reflect estimates of the ultimate cost of claims that have been incurred but not reported, expected development on reported claims, claims that have been reported but not yet paid (reported claims in process) and other medical care expenses and services payable that are primarily comprised of accruals for incentives and other amounts payable to health care professionals and facilities.
Unpaid claims and claim expenses in Cigna Healthcare are primarily impacted by assumptions related to completion factors and medical cost trend. Variation of actual results from either assumption could impact the unpaid claims balance as noted below. A large number of factors may cause the medical cost trend to vary from the Company's estimates, including changes in health management practices, changes in the level and mix of benefits offered and services utilized, and changes in medical practices. Completion factors may be affected if actual claims submission rates from providers differ from estimates (that can be influenced by a number of factors, including provider mix and electronic versus manual submissions), or if changes to the Company's internal claims processing patterns occur.
Unpaid claims and claim expenses for the Cigna Healthcare segment, both gross and net of reinsurance and other recoverables, as of December 31, 2024 were $5,018 million gross and $4,859 million net and as of December 31, 2023 were $5,092 million gross and $4,856 million net. See Note 9 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding assumptions and methods used to estimate this liability.
Effect if Different Assumptions Used. Based on studies of our claim experience, it is reasonably possible that a 100 basis point change in the medical cost trend and a 50 basis point change in completion factors could occur in the near term. A 100 basis point increase in the medical cost trend rate would increase this liability by approximately $110 million, resulting in a decrease in net income of approximately $85 million after-tax, and a 50 basis point decrease in completion factors would increase this liability by approximately $185 million, resulting in a decrease in net income of approximately $145 million after-tax.
Valuation of Debt Security Investments
Nature of Critical Accounting Estimate. Most debt securities are classified as available for sale and are carried at fair value with changes in fair value recorded in Accumulated other comprehensive loss within Shareholders' equity. Fair value is defined as the price at which an asset could be exchanged in an orderly transaction between market participants at the balance sheet date.
Determining fair value for a financial instrument requires management judgment. The degree of judgment involved generally correlates to the level of pricing readily observable in the markets. Financial instruments with quoted prices in active markets or with market-observable inputs to determine fair value, such as public securities, generally require less judgment. Conversely, private placements including more complex securities that are traded infrequently are typically measured using pricing models that require more judgment as to the inputs and assumptions used to estimate fair value. There may be a number of alternative inputs to select based on an understanding of the issuer, the structure of the security and overall market conditions. In addition, these factors are inherently variable in nature as they change frequently in response to market conditions. Approximately 60% of our debt securities are public securities and approximately 40% are private placement securities.Typically, the most significant input in the measurement of fair value is the market interest rate used to discount the estimated future cash flows of the instrument. Such market rates are derived by calculating the appropriate spreads over comparable U.S. Treasury securities, based on the credit quality, industry and structure of the asset.Balances that are included in the Consolidated Balance Sheets within Investments and Long-term investments, inclusive of amounts held for sale, were $9,423 million and $9,855 million as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. See Notes 11A and 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of our fair value measurements, the procedures performed by management to determine that the amounts represent appropriate estimates and our accounting policy regarding unrealized appreciation on debt securities.
Effect if Different Assumptions Used. If the derived market rates used to calculate fair value increased by 100 basis points, the fair value of the total debt security portfolio of $9.4 billion would decrease by approximately $0.5 billion, resulting in an after-tax decrease to shareholders' equity of approximately $0.4 billion as of December 31, 2024.
47SEGMENT REPORTINGThe following section of this MD&A discusses the results of each of our segments. See Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further description of our segments.
In segment discussions, we present "adjusted revenues" and "pre-tax adjusted income (loss) from operations," defined as income (loss) before income taxes excluding pre-tax income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests, net investment gains/losses, amortization of acquired intangible assets and special items. The Company uses "pre-tax adjusted income (loss) from operations" and "adjusted revenues" as its principal financial measures of segment operating performance because management believes these metrics reflect the underlying results of business operations and facilitate analysis of trends in underlying revenue, expenses and profitability. The Cigna Group share of certain investment results of its joint ventures reported in the Cigna Healthcare segment using the equity method of accounting are also excluded. Special items are matters that management, including the chief operating decision maker, believes are not representative of the underlying results of operations due to their nature or size. Ratios presented in this segment discussion exclude the same items as adjusted revenues and pre-tax adjusted income (loss) from operations. See Note 22 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional discussion of these metrics and a reconciliation of income (loss) before income taxes to pre-tax adjusted income (loss) from operations, as well as a reconciliation of Total revenues to adjusted revenues. Note 22 to the Consolidated Financial Statements also explains that segment revenues include both external revenues and sales between segments that are eliminated in Corporate.
In these segment discussions, we also present "pre-tax margin," calculated as pre-tax adjusted income (loss) from operations divided by adjusted revenues.See the "Executive Overview" section of this MD&A for summarized financial results of each of our segments.
Evernorth Health Services SegmentEvernorth Health Services includes a broad range of coordinated and point solution health services and capabilities, as well as those from partners across the health care system, within our Pharmacy Benefit Services and Specialty and Care Services operating segments. As described in the introduction to Segment Reporting, Evernorth Health Services' performance is measured using adjusted revenues and pre-tax adjusted income (loss) from operations.
Key Factors Affecting Segment Performance
The key factors that impact the performance of Evernorth Health Services Pharmacy Benefit Services and Specialty and Care Services revenues and income from operations are volume, mix of claims, price and contract affordability services. Specialty and Care Services revenues are also impacted by specialty distribution customer growth and client growth. These key factors are discussed further below. Certain of the key factors impact both operating segments as services are offered through an integrated client contract. See Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Form 10-K for additional information on revenue and cost recognition policies for this segment.
Key factors that impact both Pharmacy Benefit Services and Specialty and Care Services:
• Pharmacy claim volume (also referred to as utilization) relates to processing prescription claims filled by retail pharmacies in our network and dispensing prescription claims from our home delivery and specialty pharmacies, along with other claims. Pharmacy claim volume (utilization) is impacted by new clients or organic customer growth through the expansion of existing clients.
• The mix of claims generally considers the type of drug and distribution method used for dispensing and fulfilling. In addition to the types of drugs, the mix of generic or biosimilar claims also impacts our results. Generally, a higher mix of generic and biosimilar drugs reduces revenues and increases income from operations, as generic and biosimilar drugs are typically priced lower than the branded drugs they replace, providing positive impacts or our clients, our customers and us.
• Pharmaceutical manufacturer inflation also impacts our pricing because most of our contracts provide that we bill clients and pay pharmacies based on a generally recognized price index for pharmaceuticals. Therefore, the rate of inflation for prescription drugs and our efforts to manage this inflation for our clients continue to be significant drivers of our revenues and cost of revenues in the current environment.
• Our client contract pricing is impacted by our ongoing ability to negotiate favorable contracts for pharmacy network, pharmaceutical and wholesaler purchasing and manufacturer rebates on our clients' behalf (also referred to as affordability improvements). Through these affordability services, we seek to improve the effectiveness of our integrated and fee-for-service solutions, for the benefit of our new and existing clients, by continuously innovating, improving affordability and implementing drug purchasing contract initiatives. Our continued affordability improvements further reduce drug costs for the benefit of our consumers and clients, and we share in the value delivered, which generally results in a favorable impact on our income from operations.
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Key factors that impact Specialty and Care Services:
• Customer growth generally results in increased revenues and income from operations. This generally includes both organic customer growth through the expansion of existing business and new business, as well as higher volume in our specialty distribution services where we deliver pharmaceuticals and medical supplies directly to health care providers, clinics and hospitals, primarily to physicians who regularly order costly specialty pharmaceuticals. This business provides competitive pricing on pharmaceuticals and medical supplies and leverages our distribution platform to improve our results.
• Client growth, both organic and new business, in our Care Services business generally results in increased revenues and income from operations. This includes client movement in our virtual care, in-home care, physical primary care, benefits management and behavioral health services as we expand our businesses and build upon our cross-enterprise leverage.Results of Operations
Financial SummaryFor the Years Ended December 31, Change Change
(Dollars in millions) 2024 2023 2022 2024 vs. 2023 2023 vs. 2022Adjusted revenues (1)$ 202,155 $ 153,499 $ 140,335 $ 48,656 32 % $ 13,164 9 %
Pre-tax adjusted income from operations (1)
$ 7,001 $ 6,442 $ 6,127 $ 559 9 % $ 315 5 %
Pre-tax margin (1)(2)
3.5 % 4.2 % 4.4 % (70) bps (20) bps
SG&A expense ratio (3)
1.9 % 2.2 % 2.0 % (30) bps 20 bps
(1) See Note 22 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for reconciliation of adjusted revenues and pre-tax adjusted income from operations to Total revenues and Income before income taxes, respectively.
(2) Pre-tax margin is calculated as pre-tax adjusted income from operations divided by adjusted revenues.
(3) SG&A expense ratio is calculated as segment selling, general and administrative expenses divided by adjusted revenues. See Note 22 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further details.
In this selected financial information, we present adjusted revenues and pre-tax income from operations by our two operating segments, Pharmacy Benefit Services and Specialty and Care Services.Selected Financial InformationFor the Years Ended December 31, Change Change
(Dollars and adjusted scripts in millions) 2024 2023 2022 2024 vs. 2023 2023 vs. 2022
Total adjusted revenues
Pharmacy Benefit Services $ 111,822 $ 76,792 $ 75,801 46 % 1 %
Specialty and Care Services 90,333 76,707 64,534 18 19
Total adjusted revenues $ 202,155 $ 153,499 $ 140,335 32 % 9 %
Pre-tax adjusted income from operations
Pharmacy Benefit Services $ 3,577 $ 3,469 $ 3,616 3 % (4) %
Specialty and Care Services 3,424 2,973 2,511 15 18
Total pre-tax adjusted income from operations $ 7,001 $ 6,442 $ 6,127 9 % 5 %
Pharmacy claim volume (1)
2,120 1,585 1,575 34 % 1 %
(1) Non-specialty network prescriptions filled through 90-day programs and home delivery prescriptions are counted as three claims. All other network and specialty prescriptions are counted as one claim.
2024 versus 2023
Commentary in parentheses regarding percentage changes represents the driver's impact on the overall category.
Adjusted revenues increased 32%, primarily reflecting higher utilization of prescription drugs from customer growth in both Pharmacy Benefit Services (+24%) and Specialty and Care Services (+7%).
Pre-tax adjusted income from operations increased 9%, primarily reflecting customer growth in Specialty and Care Services (+10%) and continued affordability improvements in Pharmacy Benefit Services (+5%). These increases were partially offset by strategic investments to support business growth and continued advancement of our capabilities and solutions (-3% in Specialty and Care Services and -2% in Pharmacy Benefit Services).
The SG&A expense ratio decreased 30 bps, primarily reflecting higher adjusted revenues as discussed above.
49Cigna Healthcare SegmentCigna Healthcare includes the U.S. Healthcare and International Health businesses, which provide comprehensive medical and coordinated solutions to clients and customers. As described in the introduction to Segment Reporting, performance of the Cigna Healthcare segment is measured using adjusted revenues and pre-tax adjusted income from operations.
In January 2024, the Company entered into a definitive agreement to sell the Medicare Advantage, Medicare Individual Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plans, Medicare and Other Supplemental Benefits, and CareAllies businesses within the U.S. Healthcare operating segment. See "Key Transactions and Business Developments" for further discussion.
Key Factors Affecting Segment Performance
The key factors that impact Cigna Healthcare revenues and income from operations include revenue growth, customer growth, medical cost trend, percentage of Medicare Advantage customers in plans eligible for quality bonus payments, the medical care ratio ("MCR") and the SG&A expense ratio. These key factors are discussed further below. See Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Form 10-K for additional information on revenue and cost-recognition policies for this segment.
• Revenue growth includes increases to premium rates in consideration of anticipated medical cost increases, customer growth driven by new clients and customers, and increased fee revenue from the expansion of products and services to existing clients and customers, including solutions provided by Evernorth Health Services.
• Higher medical costs (also referred to as higher medical cost trend) is impacted by utilization (the quantity of medical services consumed by our customers), unit costs (the cost per medical service) and mix of services.
• Prior to the divestiture of our Medicare Advantage and related businesses to HCSC, the percentage of Medicare Advantage customers in bonus-eligible plans impacts the amount of quality bonus payments we receive.
• MCR represents medical costs as a percentage of premiums for our segment's insured businesses, and it is impacted by medical cost trend and premium rates. Affordability initiatives that serve to mitigate medical cost inflation also impact the MCR.
• The SG&A expense ratio represents the segment's selling, general and administrative expenses divided by adjusted revenues.Results of Operations
Financial SummaryFor the Years Ended December 31, Change Change
(Dollars in millions) 2024 2023 2022 2024 vs. 2023 2023 vs. 2022
Adjusted revenues (1)
$ 52,914 $ 51,205 $ 45,037 $ 1,709 3 % $ 6,168 14 %
Pre-tax adjusted income from operations (1)
$ 4,229 $ 4,478 $ 4,099 $ (249) (6) % $ 379 9 %
Pre-tax margin (1)(2)
8.0 % 8.7 % 9.1 % (70) bps (40) bps
Medical care ratio 83.2 % 81.3 % 81.7 % 190 bps (40) bps
SG&A expense ratio (3)
20.4 % 21.6 % 21.8 % (120) bps (20) bps
(1) See Note 22 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for reconciliation of adjusted revenues and pre-tax adjusted income from operations to Total revenues and Income before income taxes, respectively.
(2) Pre-tax margin is calculated as pre-tax adjusted income from operations divided by adjusted revenues.
(3) SG&A expense ratio is calculated as segment selling, general and administrative expenses divided by adjusted revenues. See Note 22 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further details.
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2024 versus 2023
Commentary regarding percentage changes (or bps) and dollar variances represents the driver's impact on the overall category.
Adjusted revenues increased 3%, or $1,709 million, primarily due to higher premiums within employer insured (+$1,086 million), stop loss (+$601 million) and Medicare Part D (+$595 million), reflecting premium rate increases across those businesses, partially offset by lower premiums within IFP (-$1,137 million), reflecting a decrease in customers.
Pre-tax adjusted income from operations decreased 6%, or $249 million, primarily due to higher medical costs (-$2,209 million), partially offset by higher adjusted revenues (+$1,709 million) and lower SG&A expenses (+$250 million), primarily reflecting ongoing efficiencies. The impact of higher premiums in adjusted revenues and medical costs are reflected in the medical care ratio calculation.
The medical care ratio increased 190 bps for the year ended and 570 bps for the three months ended December 31, 2024. The increases for both periods were primarily due to higher stop loss medical costs.
The SG&A expense ratio decreased 120 bps, primarily due to revenue growth outpacing volume-related expenses (-60 bps), as well as ongoing efficiencies (-30 bps).Medical Customers
A medical customer is defined as a person meeting any one of the following criteria:
• is covered under a medical insurance policy, managed care arrangement or administrative services agreement issued by us;
• has access to our provider network for covered services under their medical plan; or
• has medical claims that are administered by us.
Cigna Healthcare Medical CustomersAs of December 31, Change Change
(In thousands) 2024 2023 2022 2024 vs. 2023 2023 vs. 2022
U.S. Healthcare
3,853 4,280 3,587 (427) (10) 693 19International Health (1)1,211 1,184 1,169 27 2 15 1
Insured 5,064 5,464 4,756 (400) (7) % 708 15 %
U.S. Healthcare
13,649 13,890 12,619 (241) (2) 1,271 10International Health (1)434 426 629 8 2 (203) (32)
Administrative services only 14,083 14,316 13,248 (233) (2) 1,068 8
Total 19,147 19,780 18,004 (633) (3) % 1,776 10 %
(1) International Health excludes medical customers served by less than 100%-owned subsidiaries, as well as certain customers served by our third-party administrator.
Total medical customers decreased 3%, primarily due to a decline in IFP customers. See Part I, Item 1 of this Form 10-K for definitions of Cigna Healthcare market segments.Unpaid Claims and Claim ExpensesAs of December 31, Change Change
(In millions) 2024 2023 2022 2024 vs. 2023 2023 vs. 2022
Unpaid claims and claim expenses $ 5,018 $ 5,092 $ 4,176 $ (74) (1) % $ 916 22 %
Our unpaid claims and claim expenses liability decreased 1%, driven by a decrease in IFP customers (-$300 million), partially offset by an increase related to the Medicare businesses (+$175 million).
51Other OperationsOther Operations includes corporate-owned life insurance ("COLI"), the Company's run-off operations and other non-strategic businesses. As described in the introduction of Segment Reporting, performance of Other Operations is measured using adjusted revenues and pre-tax adjusted income from operations.Results of Operations
Financial SummaryFor the Years Ended December 31, Change Change
(Dollars in millions) 2024 2023 2022 2024 vs. 2023 2023 vs. 2022
Adjusted revenues $ 828 $ 596 $ 2,263 $ 232 39 % $ (1,667) (74) %
Pre-tax adjusted (loss) income from operations
$ (9) $ 96 $ 509 $ (105) N/M % $ (413) (81) %
Pre-tax margin (1.1) % 16.1 % 22.5 % (1,720) bps (640) bps
2024 versus 2023
Adjusted revenues primarily reflect premiums and net investment income associated with COLI and our run-off operations and revenues from other non-strategic businesses.
Pre-tax adjusted (loss) income from operations decreased primarily driven by unfavorable margins in our non-strategic businesses.CorporateCorporate reflects amounts not allocated to operating segments, including net interest expense (defined as interest on corporate financing less net investment income on investments not supporting segment and other operations), certain litigation matters, expense associated with our frozen pension plans, charitable contributions, operating severance, certain overhead and enterprise-wide project costs, and eliminations for products and services sold between segments.Financial SummaryFor the Years Ended December 31, Change Change
(In millions) 2024 2023 2022 2024 vs. 2023 2023 vs. 2022
Pre-tax adjusted loss from operations
$ (1,688) $ (1,698) $ (1,466) $ 10 (1) % $ (232) 16 %
2024 versus 2023
Commentary regarding percentage changes represents the driver's impact on the overall category.
Pre-tax adjusted loss from operations decreased 1%, primarily due to lower pension and operating costs (-7%), partially offset by higher interest rates on our indebtedness (+6%).INVESTMENT ASSETSInformation regarding our investment assets is included in Notes 11, 12, 13 and 15 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.Investment OutlookFuture realized and unrealized investment results will be driven largely by market conditions, and these future conditions are not reasonably predictable. We believe that the vast majority of our investments will continue to perform under their contractual terms. We manage the portfolio for long-term economics and therefore we expect to hold a significant portion of these assets for the long term. Although future declines in investment fair values remain possible due to interest rate movements and credit deterioration due to both investment-specific uncertainties and global economic uncertainties as discussed below, we do not expect these losses to have a material unfavorable effect on our financial condition or liquidity. The below discussion addresses the strategies and risks associated with our various classes of investment assets. See Item 1A "Risk Factors" for additional information regarding risks associated with our investment portfolio.
52Debt SecuritiesThe carrying value of our debt securities portfolio decreased from $9.9 billion as of December 31, 2023 to $9.4 billion as of December 31, 2024, primarily reflecting net sales activity . Our portfolio remains in a net unrealized depreciation position due to generally increasing interest rates over the past few years.
As of December 31, 2024, $8.1 billion, or 86%, of the debt securities in our investment portfolio were investment grade (Baa and above, or equivalent) and the remaining $1.3 billion were below investment grade. The majority of the bonds that are below investment grade were rated at the higher end of the non-investment grade spectrum. These quality characteristics have not materially changed since the prior year and remain consistent with our investment strategy.
Investments in debt securities are diversified by issuer, geography and industry. On an aggregate basis, the debt securities portfolio continues to perform according to original expectations, which includes a long-term economic investment strategy. Primary risks facing many of the issuers in our portfolio include ongoing geopolitical events and economic conditions, including expectations for a longer period of higher inflation and interest rates. To date, most issuers have been successful in managing these issues without a meaningful change in credit quality. We continue to monitor the economic environment and its effect on our portfolio; we also continue to consider the impact of various factors in determining the allowance for credit losses on debt securities, which is discussed in Note 11 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.Commercial Mortgage LoansAs of December 31, 2024, our $1.4 billion commercial mortgage loan portfolio consisted of approximately 45 fixed-rate loans, diversified by property type, location and borrower. These loans are carried in our Consolidated Balance Sheets at their unpaid principal balance, net of an allowance for expected credit losses. As a result of increasing market interest rates since the majority of these loans were made, the carrying value exceeds the market value of these loans as of December 31, 2024. Given the quality and diversity of the underlying real estate, positive debt service coverage and significant borrower cash invested in the property generally ranging between 30 and 40%, we remain confident that the vast majority of borrowers will continue to perform as expected under their contract terms. For further discussion of the results and changes in key credit quality indicators, see Note 11 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Office sector fundamentals have been and continue to be weak, and values are experiencing stress due to multiple headwinds: expanded work-from-home flexibility, shorter term leases, elevated tenant improvement allowances and corporate migration to lower cost states. Additionally, the current macroeconomic headwinds are impacting capital markets and reducing investor appetite for capital-intensive assets (e.g., offices and regional shopping malls). Our commercial mortgage loan portfolio has no exposure to regional shopping malls and approximately 25% exposure to office properties. Although future losses remain possible due to further credit deterioration, we do not expect these losses to have a material unfavorable effect on our results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.
Other Long-Term Investments
Other long-term investments of $4.6 billion as of December 31, 2024 included investments in securities limited partnerships and real estate limited partnerships, direct investments in real estate joint ventures and other deposit activity that is required to support various insurance and health services businesses. These limited partnership entities typically invest in mezzanine debt or equity of privately held companies and equity real estate. Given our subordinate position in the capital structure of these underlying entities, we assume a higher level of risk for higher expected returns. To mitigate risk, these investments are diversified by industry sector or property type and geographic region. No single partnership investment exceeded 3% of our securities and real estate limited partnership portfolio.
We expect continued volatility in private equity and real estate fund performance going forward as fair market valuations are adjusted to reflect market and portfolio transactions. Less than 4% of our other long-term investments are exposed to real estate in the office sector.
Unconsolidated Subsidiary Investments Portfolio
We participate in an insurance joint venture in China with a 50% ownership interest. We account for this joint venture under the equity method of accounting. Our 50% share of the investment portfolio supporting the joint venture's liabilities was approximately $15.6 billion as of December 31, 2024. These investments were comprised of approximately 75% debt securities, including government and corporate debt diversified by issuer, industry and geography; 15% equities, including mutual funds, equity securities and private equity partnerships; and 10% long-term deposits and policy loans. We continuously review the joint venture's investment strategy and its execution. There were no investments with a material unrealized loss as of December 31, 2024. See Note 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding unconsolidated subsidiaries.
53MARKET RISKOur assets and liabilities include financial instruments subject to the risk of potential losses from adverse changes in market rates and prices. Our primary market risk exposure from financial instruments is our interest-rate risk exposure to fixed-rate, medium-term instruments. Changes in market interest rates affect the value of instruments that promise a fixed return.
Consistent with disclosure requirements, the following items have been excluded from this consideration of market risk for financial instruments: changes in the fair values of insurance-related assets and liabilities as disclosed in Note 9 to the Consolidated Financial Statements (because their primary risks are insurance rather than market risk); changes in the fair values of investments recorded using the equity method of accounting and liabilities for pension and other postretirement and postemployment benefit plans (and related assets); and changes in the fair values of other significant assets and liabilities, such as goodwill, taxes and various accrued liabilities (because they are not financial instruments, their primary risks are other than market risks).Our Management of Market Risks
We predominantly rely on two techniques to manage our exposure to market risk:• Investment/liability matching. We generally select investment assets with characteristics (such as duration, yield, currency and liquidity) that correspond to the underlying characteristics of our related insurance and contractholder liabilities so that we can match the investments to our obligations. Shorter-term investments generally support shorter-term life and health liabilities. Medium-term, fixed-rate investments support interest-sensitive and medium-term health liabilities. Longer-term investments generally support products with longer payout periods such as annuities.
• Use of derivatives. We use derivative financial instruments to reduce our primary market risks. See Note 11 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information about derivative financial instruments.Effect of Market FluctuationsWe determine the sensitivity of market risk for our fixed income financial instruments, including debt securities and commercial mortgage loans, by estimating the present value of future cash flows using duration modeling and applying a 100 basis point increase in interest rates. The effect of these hypothetical changes in market rates or prices on the fair value of certain noninsurance financial instruments would have been as follows:
Market scenario for certain noninsurance financial instrumentsLoss in Fair Value(in billions) December 31, 2024 December 31, 2023
100 basis point increase in interest rates (excluding the Company's long-term debt) $ 0.6 $ 0.7
In the event of a hypothetical 100 basis point increase in interest rates, the fair value of the Company's long-term debt would decrease approximately $1.8 billion at both December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023. Changes in the fair value of our long-term debt do not impact our financial position or operating results since long-term debt is not required to be recorded at fair value. See Note 7 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information about the Company's debt.