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Humana Inc. Reports 2004 Financial Results of $1.72 Earnings per Share

Humana Inc. Reports 2004 Financial Results of $1.72 Earnings per Share

February 7, 2005 at 5:01 AM EST
View Press Release in PDF format
- 2004 earnings per share up 22 percent

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Feb 07, 2005 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) today reported a 22 percent increase in diluted earnings per common share (EPS) for the year ended December 31, 2004 (FY 2004), with $1.72 EPS compared to $1.41 EPS for the year ended December 31, 2003 (FY 2003). Factors contributing to the rise in the company's performance for the year include improvement in each of the company's business segments, with strong results from Medicare and further progress in commercial operations.

The company earned $0.29 per diluted common share for the quarter ended December 31, 2004 (4Q04), with pretax results consistent with the company's guidance raised in early December 2004.

"Our Medicare results confirmed how our commitment to this market enhanced our position both financially and strategically as we increased our already robust experience with the senior consumer. Additionally, our leadership in consumer-oriented health plans and an improving product mix fueled further progress in our commercial business," said Michael B. McCallister, Humana's president and chief executive officer. "The fourth quarter was a solid finish to a great year. As strong as 2004 was for us, emerging opportunities in both the Government and Commercial segments make our prospects for 2005 and beyond even stronger."

The company now expects EPS for the year ending December 31, 2005 (FY 2005) to approximate $2.05, an increase from its previous guidance of $1.95 EPS. The $0.10 increase in estimated EPS results primarily from the anticipated positive impact of a federal income tax gain contingency to be realized in the first quarter of 2005, partially offset by an increase in estimated average diluted shares outstanding for 2005 driven by recent share price appreciation. The company's estimate for pretax income in 2005 remains an increase in excess of 15 percent over 2004, with increases anticipated from both of the company's business segments.

FY 2004 EPS included net income of $0.03 per share from the gain on the sale of a venture capital investment, the adjustment of estimated federal income taxes payable, accelerated depreciation for software abandonment, and expenses primarily related to severance costs associated with corporate rightsizing. A favorable adjustment of estimated federal income taxes payable, totaling $0.03 per share, occurred during 4Q04 in connection with the company's assessment of income tax contingencies.

FY 2003 EPS included net expenses of $0.05 per share from the write-down of building and equipment, gain on the sale of a venture capital investment, and accelerated depreciation for software abandonment.

Results for 4Q04 of $0.29 EPS compare to $0.41 EPS for the quarter ended December 31, 2003 (4Q03). As previously discussed, this reduction resulted from the company entering into a new TRICARE contract in the latter half of 2004. The prior contracts resulted in a concentration of TRICARE earnings in the calendar fourth quarter of each year while the current contract results in more ratable earnings throughout the year. The 4Q04 effect of this TRICARE change was partially offset by improved fourth quarter performance in the company's Medicare and commercial operations.

Commercial Segment Results

Commercial segment pretax earnings rose to $27.3 million in 4Q04 from $14.1 million in 4Q03, reflecting a more profitable business mix with significant increases in administrative services only (ASO) and individual product (HumanaOne) members.

Pretax earnings for FY 2004 in the Commercial segment of $142.0 million rose 17 percent compared to those for FY 2003, driven by operating improvements from the previously discussed changes in commercial membership.

The company expects FY 2005 Commercial segment pretax earnings to increase between 10 and 15 percent over FY 2004. The projected 2005 beneficial effect from the lapse of a large unprofitable account and growth in ASO and HumanaOne product membership is expected to be partially offset by reduced income associated with lower average membership in the 3-to-300 case size fully insured customers.

Commercial Segment Enrollment

Commercial segment medical membership of 3,305,100 at December 31, 2004 increased 8 percent from the prior year, driven by net organic growth of 306,200 members in the company's ASO business, 152,600 members added through the April 2004 acquisition of Ochsner Health Plan, and nearly 59,000 new HumanaOne product members, partially offset by continued attrition in the company's fully insured business lines due to the ongoing competitive environment within the 3-to-300 case size fully insured customers. The company was successful in achieving organic commercial medical membership growth in excess of 87,000, or approximately 2.8 percent in FY 2004.

The company's leadership in engaging consumers continues to be evidenced through growth in both its Smart offerings and other consumer-focused high deductible plans. At December 31, 2004, 9 percent of the company's commercial medical membership was in these plans, up from 4 percent at December 31, 2003.

Effective January 1, 2005, an 89,000-member fully insured account, which had been unprofitable during FY 2004, lapsed. Excluding the impact of this account, Humana is forecasting its Commercial segment medical membership to be slightly higher for 2005 versus 2004.

Commercial Segment Premiums and Medical Costs

Premiums and administrative services fees for the Commercial segment increased 4 percent to $1.8 billion in 4Q04 compared to the prior year's quarter. For FY 2004, Commercial segment premiums and administrative services fees increased 7 percent to $7.1 billion versus $6.7 billion in FY 2003.

Commercial segment premiums for fully insured medical membership increased in the range of 5.5 to 7.5 percent on a per-member basis during 4Q04 compared to the same period in the prior year. FY 2004 commercial premiums for fully insured membership increased in the range of 6 to 8 percent on a per-member basis.

The ranges of per-member premium increase for both 4Q04 and FY 2004 include the estimated impact of an increasing mix of fully insured membership in the company's HumanaOne product, the premium for which lowered Humana's overall average per-member premium increase by approximately 150 to 200 basis points as this product has a correspondingly lower benefit than other fully insured commercial medical products.

In 4Q04, the Commercial segment medical expense ratio (medical expenses divided by premium revenues) of 83.9 percent was 30 basis points higher than in 4Q03, driven by the 2004 impact of the large unprofitable account. For FY 2004, the medical expense ratio of 83.9 percent increased 100 basis points year over year, in line with previous company guidance. This increase was driven by a combination of the effect of the unprofitable 89,000-member account and strategically planned pricing actions.

Per-member medical costs for the commercial fully insured business are forecast to rise in the range of 6.5 to 8.5 percent in 2005, including the lowering effect of approximately 200 basis points from a higher mix of HumanaOne membership year over year. These estimates are consistent with per- member increases in commercial medical costs experienced in FY 2004.

Government Segment Results

As expected, Government segment pretax earnings were $35.9 million in 4Q04 compared to $85.7 million in 4Q03. The profitability effect of the previously discussed TRICARE contract change in 4Q04 was partially offset by improvements in the performance of the segment's MedicareAdvantage business. Results for 4Q04 also include additional investment spending to position the company to take advantage of the substantial Medicare opportunities in 2005 and beyond.

For FY 2004, Government segment pretax earnings of $273.8 million increased 22 percent versus FY 2003, primarily from improved performance in its MedicareAdvantage products.

For 2005, the company expects a continuing increase in earnings in its Government segment, driven by improvements in results from both Medicare and TRICARE operations.

Government Segment Enrollment

MedicareAdvantage membership continued to increase in 4Q04, totaling 377,200 at December 31, 2004, up 48,600 members year over year and up 5,900 members sequentially. The previously described Ochsner Health Plan transaction resulted in the addition of 33,100 MedicareAdvantage members during the second quarter of 2004.

For 2005, year-over-year organic growth in MedicareAdvantage membership is anticipated to approximate 10 to 15 percent as a result of investments in sales and marketing, continued growth in the company's Medicare HMO products and expanded participation in Private-Fee-for-Service and local PPO programs. Humana's pending acquisition of CarePlus Health Plans of Florida (CarePlus) is expected to add approximately 50,000 more MedicareAdvantage members upon the completion of the transaction.

On November 1, 2004, Humana added approximately 1 million TRICARE members as the final membership transition associated with its new South Region contract with the Department of Defense became effective. TRICARE membership of 2,871,800 at December 31, 2004 compares to 2,906,900 at December 31, 2003. The company anticipates no material changes to its TRICARE membership levels in 2005.

Government Segment Premiums and Medical Costs

MedicareAdvantage premiums per member increased in the range of 8 to 10 percent year over year during 4Q04, reflecting higher reimbursement associated with the Medicare Modernization Act.

FY 2004 MedicareAdvantage premiums per member increased in the range of 9 to 11 percent. The company anticipates a range of 9 to 11 percent for 2005 as per-member premium continues to benefit from the processes the company has established to ensure its premiums from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) accurately reflect the risk profile of its membership.

MedicareAdvantage medical costs per member increased year over year in the range of 9 to 11 percent for FY 2004, with a range of 9 to 11 percent anticipated for 2005.

TRICARE premiums and administrative services fees during 4Q04 of $486.9 million reflect the implementation of the new South Region contract with the Department of Defense, which included a reduction in the benefits and services previously provided, and thus, lower revenues. Additionally, the timing of revenue recognition within each option period under the South Region contract differs from that under prior TRICARE contracts. Due to the South Region contract transition period, 4Q04 did not experience a full complement of revenues and membership. These differences accounted for the expected year-over-year decline in TRICARE premiums and administrative services fees of approximately 27 percent in 4Q04 and 7 percent for FY 2004.

For 2005, the company anticipates TRICARE premiums and administrative services fees to approximate $2.5 billion as the company experiences a full year under the new South Region contract with the second option period scheduled to begin April 1, 2005.

Selling, General & Administrative Expenses

The company's consolidated Selling, General, & Administrative (SG&A) expense ratio (SG&A expenses as a percent of premiums plus administrative services fees) was 14.5 percent for 4Q04, with continued discipline in administrative spending producing a 110 basis point year-over-year decline. Each of the segments also saw improvement in the SG&A expense ratio during 4Q04, with the Commercial segment's ratio declining by 70 basis points and the Government segment's ratio down by 160 basis points.

For FY 2004, the year-over-year decline was also substantial, resulting in a consolidated SG&A expense ratio of 14.5 percent, a decline of 90 basis points. This was the combined effect of a 50 basis point decline in the Commercial segment expense ratio and a 120 basis point decline in the Government segment ratio.

The company's 2005 consolidated SG&A expense ratio is projected to be in the range of 13.5 to 14.5 percent. The expected lower SG&A expense ratio should result from the beneficial effect of both growth in membership leveraging fixed costs and management's continued focus on streamlining administrative costs through process design and technology improvements.

Cash Flows from Operations

Cash flows provided by operations for FY 2004 of $347.8 million exceeded the company's expectations, but decreased 16 percent from $413.1 million in FY 2003 due to a change implemented by CMS in the timing of its January premium remittance. This change resulted in the company receiving only 11 monthly CMS premium payments in FY 2004.

Cash flows provided by operations during 4Q04 were $19.5 million compared to $290.2 million in 4Q03 and reflect the CMS revenue and TRICARE contract timing changes described above.

Cash flows from operations under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for FY 2004 include the negative impact of $211.9 million related to the December 2003 receipt of the January 2004 MedicareAdvantage premium payment from CMS.

The company anticipates cash flows from operations for FY 2005 will be in the range of $600 million to $650 million driven by expected higher earnings.

Non-GAAP Cash Flows from Operations

When reviewing and analyzing Humana's cash flow position, company management applies the CMS premium payment in each month to match the corresponding disbursements. To do otherwise distorts meaningful analysis of the company's operating cash flow. Therefore, decisions such as management's forecasting and business plans regarding cash flow use this non-GAAP financial measure.

The following is a reconciliation of the most directly comparable historical and projected financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, to the historical and projected non-GAAP financial measures:

($ in
    millions)                                              FY 2003  FY 2004
                                                            Number   Number
                                                              of       of
                                    FY       FY            Monthly  Monthly
                 4Q03     4Q04     2003     2004   FY 2005   CMS      CMS
                Actual   Actual   Actual   Actual Expected Receipts Receipts

    GAAP
    cash flows
    provided
    by                                              $600 to
    operations $  290.2  $  19.5  $ 413.1  $ 347.8     $650    12       11

    Timing of
    premium
    payment
    receipt
    from CMS     (211.9)       -     (6.1)   211.9        -     -        1

    Non-
    GAAP
    cash flows
    provided
    by                                              $600 to
    operations $   78.3  $  19.5  $ 407.0  $ 559.7     $650    12       12

    Balance Sheet

The company's financial liquidity remained strong in 4Q04 with 54 percent of total assets in cash and investment securities at December 31, 2004, unchanged from December 31, 2003.

Debt as a percent of total capitalization (debt plus stockholders' equity) of 23.3 percent declined 260 basis points from December 31, 2003 and 50 basis points sequentially.

Cash and investment securities at the parent company of $439.3 million at December 31, 2004 compared to $399.4 million at December 31, 2003, an increase of 10 percent.

Acquisition of CarePlus

On December 14, 2004, the company announced an agreement to acquire CarePlus as well as its affiliated ten CAC-Florida Medical Centers, and PrescibIT Rx pharmacy management company. CarePlus provides MedicareAdvantage HMO plans and benefits to approximately 50,000 Medicare eligibles in Miami- Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval, is currently expected to close in the latter part of 1Q05.

The acquisition is anticipated to be immediately accretive to earnings, adding EPS of $0.15 to $0.18 during the initial 12 months, net of acquisition integration costs.

Conference Call & Virtual Slide Presentation

Humana will host a conference call, as well as a virtual slide presentation, at 9:00 a.m. eastern time today to discuss its financial results for the quarter and the company's expectations for future earnings.

All parties interested in the audio only portion of the conference call are invited to dial 888-625-7430. No password is required. The company suggests participants dial in approximately ten minutes in advance of the call.

A live virtual presentation (audio with slides) will be available and may be accessed via Humana's Investor Relations page at http://www.humana.com . The company suggests web participants sign on approximately 15 minutes in advance of the call. The company also suggests web participants visit the site well in advance of the call to run a system test and to download any free software needed to view the presentation.

For those unable to participate in the live event, the virtual presentation archive will be available in the Presentations section of the Investor Relations page at http://www.humana.com , approximately two hours following the live web cast.

Cautionary Statement

This news release contains forward-looking statements. The forward- looking statements herein are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be significantly impacted by certain risks and uncertainties described in the following documents, as filed by Humana with the Securities and Exchange Commission:

- Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003;
     - Form 10-Qs for the quarters ended March 31, 2004, June 30, 2004 and
       September 30, 2004.

    About Humana

Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of the nation's largest publicly traded health benefits companies, with approximately 7 million medical members located primarily in 15 states and Puerto Rico. Humana offers a diversified portfolio of health insurance products and related services - through traditional and consumer-choice plans - to employer groups, government-sponsored plans, and individuals.

Over its 44-year history, Humana has consistently seized opportunities to meet changing customer needs. Today, the company is a leader in consumer engagement, providing guidance that leads to lower costs and a better health plan experience throughout its diversified customer portfolio.

More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company's web site at http://www.humana.com , including copies of:

- Annual report to stockholders;
     - Securities and Exchange Commission filings;
     - Most recent investor conference presentation;
     - Quarterly earnings press releases;
     - Audio archive of most recent earnings release conference call;
     - Calendar of events (includes upcoming earnings conference call dates,
       times, and access number, as well as planned interaction with
       institutional investors);
     - Corporate Governance Information.

    Summary of Earnings Guidance Points

Note: The company's earnings guidance points described throughout this press release (including the table below) exclude any impact of the company's pending acquisition of CarePlus as well as any potential impact from new stock option accounting rules required for implementation by all companies in the latter half of 2005.

2005 Guidance Points

    FY 2005 EPS                             Approximately $2.05

    1Q05 EPS                                $0.59 to $0.61

    Consolidated revenues                   Approximately $14 billion

    Commercial segment pretax income        Increase of 10% to 15%

    Commercial medical membership           Slightly higher excluding loss of
                                            89K member account on January 1,
                                            2005

    Increase in Commercial segment fully    6.5% to 8.5% overall;
     insured medical premiums on a per-     8.5% to 10.5% group only
     member basis

    Increase in Commercial segment fully    6.5% to 8.5% overall;
     insured medical costs on a per-member  8.5% to 10.5% group only
     basis

    TRICARE pretax margin                   Approximately 3%

    Medicare medical membership             Organic growth of 10% to 15%

    TRICARE medical membership              No material change from 2004
                                             ending membership

    Increase in Medicare medical premiums   9% to 11%
     on a per-member basis

    Increase in Medicare medical costs on   9% to 11%
     a per-member basis

    TRICARE revenues                        Approximately $2.5 billion

    Consolidated SG&A expense ratio         13.5% to 14.5%

    Cash flows from operations for full     $600 million to $650 million
     year - GAAP and non-GAAP

    Capital expenditures                    Approximately $115 million

    Effective tax rate                      FY 2005 approximately 30 percent;
                                            1Q05 approximately 12 percent

    Shares used in computation of EPS       FY 2005 approximately 166 million;
                                            1Q05 approximately 165 million



    Humana Inc.
    In thousands

    Ending Medical             December 31,                         Percent
     Membership             2004         2003       Difference      Change

    Commercial:
      Fully insured        2,286.5      2,352.8        (66.3)        (2.8)
      ASO                  1,018.6        712.4        306.2         43.0
    Total Commercial       3,305.1      3,065.2        239.9          7.8

    Government:
      MedicareAdvantage      377.2        328.6         48.6         14.8
      Medicaid               478.6        468.9          9.7          2.1
      TRICARE              1,789.4      1,849.7        (60.3)        (3.3)
      TRICARE ASO          1,082.4      1,057.2         25.2          2.4
        Total TRICARE      2,871.8      2,906.9        (35.1)        (1.2)
    Total Government       3,727.6      3,704.4         23.2          0.6
      Total ending medical
       membership          7,032.7      6,769.6        263.1          3.9


    Ending Specialty           December 31,                         Percent
     Membership             2004         2003       Difference      Change

    Commercial:
      Dental-fully insured   825.8        767.6         58.2          7.6
      Dental-ASO             420.9        379.8         41.1         10.8
        Total Dental       1,246.7      1,147.4         99.3          8.7
      Group life             444.6        502.4        (57.8)       (11.5)
      Short-term disability   16.9         18.3         (1.4)        (7.7)
      Total ending
       specialty
       membership          1,708.2      1,668.1         40.1          2.4


                           Three months ended       Twelve months ended
                              December 31,              December 31,
    Premiums               2004         2003         2004         2003

    Commercial:
      Fully insured
       medical          $1,633,240   $1,584,950   $6,614,482   $6,240,806
      Specialty             89,632       81,469      349,564      320,206
    Total Commercial     1,722,872    1,666,419    6,964,046    6,561,012

    Government:
      MedicareAdvantage    791,064      634,332    3,086,598    2,527,446
      TRICARE              475,751      622,513    2,127,595    2,249,725
      Medicaid             133,298      129,367      511,193      487,100
    Total Government     1,400,113    1,386,212    5,725,386    5,264,271
    Total premiums      $3,122,985   $3,052,631  $12,689,432  $11,825,283


                           Three months ended       Twelve months ended
    Administrative            December 31,              December 31,
     services fees         2004         2003         2004         2003

    Commercial             $42,244      $31,865     $166,032     $122,846
    Government              11,132       40,023      106,764      148,830
    Total administrative
     services fees         $53,376      $71,888     $272,796     $271,676



    Humana Inc.
    Dollars in thousands, except per share results

    Consolidated           Three months ended       Twelve months ended
     Statements of            December 31,              December 31,
     Income                2004         2003         2004         2003

    Revenues:
      Premiums          $3,122,985   $3,052,631  $12,689,432  $11,825,283
      Administrative
       services fees        53,376       71,888      272,796      271,676
      Investment income     31,375       26,777      132,838      122,041
      Other income           1,889        1,576        9,259        7,311
        Total revenues   3,209,625    3,152,872   13,104,325   12,226,311
    Operating expenses:
      Medical            2,645,480    2,534,887   10,669,647    9,879,421
      Selling, general
       and administrative  461,169      486,832    1,877,864    1,858,028
      Depreciation          30,640       24,158      107,286      115,167
      Other intangible
       amortization          2,437        2,389       10,506       11,612
        Total operating
         expenses        3,139,726    3,048,266   12,665,303   11,864,228
    Income from
     operations             69,899      104,606      439,022      362,083
      Interest expense       6,648        4,894       23,172       17,367
    Income before income
     taxes                  63,251       99,712      415,850      344,716
      Provision for income
       taxes                16,125       33,403      135,838      115,782
    Net income             $47,126      $66,309     $280,012     $228,934

    Basic earnings per
     common share            $0.30        $0.41        $1.75        $1.44
    Diluted earnings per
     common share            $0.29        $0.41        $1.72        $1.41

    Shares used in computing
     basic earnings per
     common share (000's)  159,598      161,225      160,421      158,968
    Shares used in computing
     diluted earnings per
    common share (000's)   162,138      163,724      162,456      161,960


    Operating Results by Segment

    Pretax income
      Commercial           $27,306      $14,062     $142,010     $121,010
      Government            35,945       85,650      273,840      223,706
        Consolidated       $63,251      $99,712     $415,850     $344,716


    Key Ratios

    Medical expense ratio
      Commercial             83.9%        83.6%        83.9%        82.9%
      Government             85.7%        82.3%        84.3%        84.3%
        Consolidated         84.7%        83.0%        84.1%        83.5%

    Selling, general, and
     administrative expense
     ratio
      Commercial             16.6%        17.3%        16.4%        16.9%
      Government             11.9%        13.5%        12.2%        13.4%
        Consolidated         14.5%        15.6%        14.5%        15.4%



    Humana Inc.
    Dollars in thousands, except per share results

                                  December 31,  September 30,  December 31,
    Consolidated Balance Sheets       2004           2004          2003

    Assets
    Current assets:
      Cash and cash equivalents      $580,079       $375,090      $931,404
      Investment securities         2,145,645      2,332,522     1,676,642
      Receivables, net:
        Premiums                      554,661        405,067       452,404
        Administrative services
         fees                          24,954         19,803        13,583
      Securities lending collateral    77,840         82,342        86,491
      Other                           212,958        273,240       247,298
        Total current assets        3,596,137      3,488,064     3,407,822

    Property and equipment, net       399,506        390,735       416,472

    Other assets:
      Long-term investment
       securities                     348,465        333,796       319,167
      Goodwill                        885,572        859,734       776,874
      Other                           427,937        421,623       459,479
        Total other assets          1,661,974      1,615,153     1,555,520
      Total assets                 $5,657,617     $5,493,952    $5,379,814

    Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity
    Current liabilities:
      Medical and other expenses
       payable                     $1,422,010     $1,436,135    $1,272,156
      Trade accounts payable and
       accrued expenses               488,332        504,892       440,340
      Book overdraft                  192,060        116,106       219,054
      Securities lending payable       77,840         82,342        86,491
      Unearned revenues               146,326        132,659       333,071
        Total current liabilities   2,326,568      2,272,134     2,351,112
      Long-term debt                  636,696        630,912       642,638
      Other long-term liabilities     604,229        568,911       550,115
        Total liabilities           3,567,493      3,471,957     3,543,865
    Commitments and contingencies
    Stockholders' equity:
      Preferred stock, $1 par;
       10,000,000 shares
       authorized; none issued              -              -             -
      Common stock, $0.16 2/3 par;
       300,000,000 shares authorized;
       176,044,649 shares issued at
       December 31, 2004               29,340         29,177        28,984
      Capital in excess of par
       value                        1,017,156        994,975       974,975
      Retained earnings             1,229,823      1,182,697       949,811
      Accumulated other
       comprehensive income            16,526         13,797        16,909
      Unearned stock compensation      (1,721)          (203)         (754)
      Treasury stock, at cost,
       15,778,088 shares at
       December 31, 2004             (201,000)      (198,448)     (133,976)
        Total stockholders' equity  2,090,124      2,021,995     1,835,949
      Total liabilities and
       stockholders' equity        $5,657,617     $5,493,952    $5,379,814

    Debt to total capitalization
     ratio                              23.3%          23.8%         25.9%



    Humana Inc.
    Dollars in thousands
                                Three months ended     Twelve months ended
    Consolidated Statements         December 31,            December 31,
     of Cash Flows               2004        2003        2004        2003

    Cash flows from operating
     activities
      Net income                $47,126     $66,309    $280,012    $228,934
      Adjustments to reconcile
       net income to net cash
       provided by operating
       activities:
        Writedown of property
         and equipment                -           -           -      17,233
        Depreciation and
         amortization            33,077      26,547     117,792     126,779
        Provision for deferred
         income taxes            26,063       2,038      53,608      32,251
        Changes in operating
         assets and liabilities,
         net of effect of
         business acquired:
          Receivables          (151,334)    (28,736)    (44,625)    (15,220)
          Other assets           22,767     (17,325)      3,991      25,110
          Medical and other
           expenses payable     (14,125)    (24,410)     78,791     130,025
          Other liabilities      39,057      43,931      65,732    (107,432)
          Unearned revenues      13,667     224,910    (190,759)     (2,686)
        Other                     3,187      (3,044)    (16,733)    (21,854)
        Net cash provided by
         operating activities    19,485     290,220     347,809     413,140

    Cash flows from investing
     activities
      Acquisition, net of
       cash and cash
       equivalents acquired     (25,838)          -    (141,810)          -
      Purchases of property
       and equipment            (41,196)    (36,288)   (114,096)   (101,268)
      Proceeds from sales
       of property and
       equipment                  1,519       8,699      30,491      11,182
      Purchases of investment
       securities              (486,927)   (908,323) (4,097,559) (4,582,251)
      Proceeds from maturities
       of investment
       securities               174,869     183,975   1,015,144     769,436
      Proceeds from sales of
       investment securities    479,896     751,618   2,683,749   3,520,064
      Net cash provided by
       (used in) investing
       activities               102,323        (319)   (624,081)   (382,837)

    Cash flows from financing
     activities
      Change in book overdraft   75,954         303     (26,994)    124,172
      Proceeds from issuance
       of senior notes                -           -           -     299,139
      Net commercial paper
       conduit repayments             -           -           -    (265,000)
      Proceeds from swap exchange     -           -           -      31,556
      Change in securities
       lending payable           (4,502)     (4,860)     (8,651)      9,674
      Common stock repurchases   (2,552)          -     (67,024)    (44,147)
      Proceeds from stock
       option exercises and
       other                     14,281      10,223      27,616      24,350
      Net cash provided by
       (used in) financing
       activities                83,181       5,666     (75,053)    179,744

      Increase (decrease) in
       cash and cash
       equivalents              204,989     295,567    (351,325)    210,047
      Cash and cash equivalents
       at beginning of period   375,090     635,837     931,404     721,357
      Cash and cash equivalents
       at end of period        $580,079    $931,404    $580,079    $931,404



    Humana Inc.

    Percentage of Ending Membership Under Capitation Arrangements

                                             Commercial Segment
                                         Fully              Total
                                        Insured     ASO    Segment

    December 31, 2004
    Capitated HMO
     hospital system based A               3.1%        -      2.1%
    Capitated HMO
     physician group based A               2.5%        -      1.7%
    Risk-sharing  B                        3.0%        -      2.1%
    All other membership                  91.4%    100.0%    94.1%
       Total                             100.0%    100.0%   100.0%

    December 31, 2003
    Capitated HMO
     hospital system based A              5.4%         -      4.2%
    Capitated HMO
     physician group based A              3.0%         -      2.3%
    Risk-sharing B                        2.9%         -      2.2%
    All other membership                 88.7%     100.0%    91.3%
       Total                            100.0%     100.0%   100.0%



    Humana Inc.

    Percentage of Ending Membership Under Capitation Arrangements

                                 Government Segment                 Consol.
                     Medicare                    TRICARE  Total      Total
                     Advantage Medicaid  TRICARE   ASO   Segment    Medical

    December 31, 2004
    Capitated HMO
     hospital system
     based  A           10.2%     3.6%       -        -     1.5%      1.8%
    Capitated HMO
     physician group
     based  A            1.1%    39.3%       -        -     5.2%      3.5%
    Risk-sharing  B     55.2%    50.4%       -        -    12.0%      7.4%
    All other
     membership         33.5%     6.7%   100.0%   100.0%   81.3%     87.3%

        Total          100.0%   100.0%   100.0%   100.0%  100.0%    100.0%

    December 31, 2003
    Capitated HMO
     hospital system
     based  A           11.8%     2.9%       -        -     1.4%      2.7%
    Capitated HMO
     physician group
     based  A            1.8%    46.9%       -        -     6.1%      4.4%
    Risk-sharing B      47.9%    43.7%       -        -     9.8%      6.4%
    All other
     membership         38.5%     6.5%   100.0%   100.0%   82.7%     86.5%

        Total          100.0%   100.0%   100.0%   100.0%  100.0%    100.0%

    A - In a limited number of circumstances, we contract with hospitals and
        physicians to accept financial risk for a defined set of HMO
        membership. In transferring this risk, we prepay these providers a
        monthly fixed-fee per member to coordinate substantially all of the
        medical care for their capitated HMO membership, including some health
        benefit administrative functions and claims processing. For these
        capitated HMO arrangements, we generally agree to reimbursement rates
        that target a medical expense ratio ranging from 82% to 89%.
        Providers participating in hospital-based capitated HMO arrangements
        generally receive a monthly payment for all of the services within
        their system for their HMO membership. Providers participating in
        physician-based capitated HMO arrangements generally have
        subcontracted specialist physicians and are responsible for
        reimbursing such hospitals and physicians for services  rendered to
        their HMO membership.

    B - In some circumstances, we contract with physicians under risk-sharing
        arrangements whereby physicians have assumed some level of risk for
        all or a portion of the medical costs of their HMO membership.
        Although these arrangements do include capitation payments for
        services rendered, we process substantially all of the claims under
        these arrangements.



    Humana Inc.
    Dollars in thousands

    Medical Claim Reserves - Details and Statistics

    Change in medical and other expenses payable:

    The change in medical and other expenses payable is summarized as follows:

                                           For the Twelve     For the Twelve
                                            Months Ended       Months Ended
                                          December 31, 2004  December 31, 2003


    Balances at January 1                    $1,272,156         $1,142,131

    Acquisition                                  71,063                  -

    Incurred related to:
          Current year                       10,763,105          9,955,491
          Prior years - non-TRICARE  (1)        (68,448)           (33,432)
          Prior years - TRICARE (2)             (25,010)           (42,638)
    Total incurred                           10,669,647          9,879,421

    Paid related to:
          Current year                       (9,504,331)        (8,710,393)
          Prior years                        (1,086,525)        (1,039,003)
    Total paid                              (10,590,856)        (9,749,396)

    Balances at end of period                $1,422,010         $1,272,156


    The impact of any change in "incurred related to prior years" claims may
    be offset as we re-establish the "incurred related to current year".  Our
    reserving practice is to consistently recognize the actuarial best
    estimate of our ultimate liability for our claims within a level of
    confidence required to meet actuarial standards.  Thus, only when the
    release of a prior year reserve is not offset with the same level of
    conservatism in estimating the current year reserve will the redundancy
    reduce medical expense.  We have consistently applied this methodology in
    determining our best estimate for unpaid claims liability in each period.

    (1) The $35.0 million increase in non-TRICARE favorable development from
        $33.4 million to $68.4 million related primarily to better than
        expected utilization in the latter half of 2003 for our Medicare line
        of business.

    (2) Changes in estimates of TRICARE incurred claims for prior years
        recognized during 2003 and 2004 resulted primarily from claim costs
        and utilization levels developing favorably from the levels originally
        estimated for the second half of the prior year.  As a result of
        substantial risk-sharing provisions with the Department of Defense and
        with subcontractors, any resulting impact on operations from the
        change in estimates of incurred related to prior years is
        substantially reduced, whether positive or negative.



    Humana Inc.
    Dollars in thousands

    Medical Claim Reserves - Details and Statistics

    Medical and Other Expenses Payable Detail:

                                        December 31  September 30  December 31
                                            2004         2004          2003
    A  IBNR and other medical
       expenses payable                   $910,525      $945,972     $767,712
    B  TRICARE IBNR                        284,647       238,474      267,146
    C  TRICARE other medical
        expenses payable                     6,970        16,923       37,849
    D  Unprocessed claim
        inventories                        115,300       122,300      109,700
    E  Processed claim
        inventories                         97,801        79,895       74,262
    F  Payable to pharmacy benefit
        administrator                        6,767        32,571       15,487
             Total medical and other
              expenses payable          $1,422,010    $1,436,135   $1,272,156


    A IBNR represents an estimate of medical expenses payable for claims
      incurred but not reported (IBNR) at the balance sheet date. The level of
      IBNR is primarily impacted by membership levels, medical claim trends
      and the receipt cycle time, which represents the length of time between
      when a claim is initially incurred and when the claim form is received
      (i.e. a shorter time span results in lower reserves for claims IBNR).

    B TRICARE IBNR has increased from higher medical expenses due to the
      transition to the new South region contract.

    C TRICARE other medical expense payable may include liabilities to
      subcontractors and/or risk share payables to the Department of Defense.
      The level of these balances may fluctuate from period to period due to
      the timing of payment (cutoff) and whether or not the balances are
      payables or receivables (receivables from the Department of Defense are
      classified as "receivables" in our balance sheet).

    D Unprocessed claim inventories represent the estimated valuation of
      claims received but not yet fully processed.  TRICARE claim inventories
      are not included in this amount as an independent third party
      administrator processes all TRICARE medical claims on our behalf.
      Reserves for TRICARE claims inventory are included in TRICARE IBNR.

    E Processed claim inventories represent the estimated valuation of
      processed claims that are in the post claim adjudication process, which
      consists of administrative functions such as audit and check batching
      and handling.

    F The balance due to our pharmacy benefit administrator fluctuates due to
      bi-weekly payments and the month-end cutoff.



    Receipt Cycle Time:
    The receipt cycle time measures the average length of time between when a
    claim was initially incurred and when the claim form was received.  Below
    is a summary:

                 Average Number of Days from Incurred Date to Receipt Date (1)
                              2004     2003      Change   % Change

    1st Quarter Average       17.4     17.1         0.3      1.8 %
    2nd Quarter Average       16.7     16.7         0.0      0.0 %
    3rd Quarter Average       16.9     16.6         0.3      1.8 %
    4th Quarter Average       16.4     16.6        (0.2)    -1.2 %
    Full Year Average         16.9     16.7         0.2      1.2 %

    (1) Receipt cycle time data for our 3 largest claim processing platforms
        representing approximately 90% of our claims volume.



    Humana Inc.

    Medical Claim Reserves - Details and Statistics

    Unprocessed Claim Inventories:
    The estimated valuation and number of claims on hand that are yet to be
    processed are as follows:

                     Estimated                Number
                     Valuation   Claim Item   of Days
           Date        (000)       Counts     On Hand

     12/31/2002       $92,300      424,200      4.5
      3/31/2003       $99,000      421,700      4.4
      6/30/2003       $92,100      446,600      4.7
      9/30/2003      $106,800      528,400      5.8
     12/31/2003      $109,700      443,000      4.9
      3/31/2004       $94,800      400,900      3.9
      6/30/2004       $98,100      387,000      3.7
      9/30/2004      $122,300      453,300      4.4
     12/31/2004      $115,300      394,400      3.7



    Days in Claims Payable (Quarterly):
    A common metric for monitoring medical claim reserve levels relative to
    the medical claim expenses is days in claims payable, or DCP, which
    represents the medical claim liabilities at the end of the period divided
    by average medical expenses per day in the quarterly period. Since we have
    some providers under capitation payment arrangements (which do not require
    a medical claim IBNR reserve), we have also summarized this metric
    excluding capitation expenses.

                      Days
                   in Claims                        DCP
      Quarter       Payable    Annual            Excluding   Annual
       Ended         (DCP)     Change   % Change Capitation  Change   % Change

     12/31/2002       45.2     (2.2)     -4.6 %     53.3     (3.8)     -6.7 %
      3/31/2003       46.5     (0.7)     -1.5 %     54.7     (1.5)     -2.7 %
      6/30/2003       47.9      1.1       2.4 %     56.2      0.9       1.6 %
      9/30/2003       47.2      0.6       1.3 %     54.5     (0.8)     -1.4 %
     12/31/2003       46.2      1.0       2.2 %     53.2     (0.1)     -0.2 %
      3/31/2004       47.4      0.9       1.9 %     54.3     (0.4)     -0.7 %
      6/30/2004       47.4     (0.5)     -1.0 %     54.1     (2.1)     -3.7 %
      9/30/2004       51.8      4.6       9.7 %     59.1      4.6       8.4 %
     12/31/2004       49.5      3.3       7.1 %     54.8      1.6       3.0 %

    This metric fluctuates due to all of the issues reviewed above, including
    the change in the receipt cycle time, the change in medical claim
    inventories, the change in TRICARE liability balances, and the timing of
    our bi-weekly payment to our pharmacy benefits administrator.  An annual
    recap follows:

                                                    2004     2003

    4th quarter-prior year                          46.2     45.2
       Impact of change in claim receipt
        cycle time                                  (0.2)    (0.5)
       Impact of change in unprocessed
        claim inventories                            0.2      0.6
       Impact of change in processed
        claim inventories                            0.9     (1.1)
       Impact of changing TRICARE
        reserve balances                             1.6      2.0
       Impact of change in pharmacy
        payment cutoff                              (0.4)    (1.0)
       All other                                     1.2      1.0
    Year to date-current year                       49.5     46.2

SOURCE Humana Inc.

Regina Nethery, Investor Relations, +1-502-580-3644, or Rnethery@humana.com , or Tom
Noland, Corporate Communications, +1-502-580-3674, or Tnoland@humana.com , both of
Humana Inc.
http://www.prnewswire.com