Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes, which appear elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those discussed below and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. See Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors and Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements. For discussion of 2020 items and year-over-year comparisons between 2021 and 2020 that are not included in this Form 10-K, refer to Item 7. "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" found in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 3, 2022.
Overview
Alignment is a next generation, consumer-centric platform designed to revolutionize the healthcare experience for seniors. We deliver this experience through our Medicare Advantage plans, which are customized to meet the needs of a diverse array of seniors. Our innovative model of consumer-centric healthcare is purpose-built to provide seniors with care as it should be: high quality, low cost and accompanied by a vastly improved consumer experience. We combine a proprietary technology platform and a high-touch clinical model that enhances our members’ lifestyles and health outcomes while simultaneously controlling costs, which allows us to reinvest savings back into our platform and products to directly benefit the senior consumer. We have grown Health Plan Membership, which we define as members enrolled in our health maintenance organization ("HMO") and preferred provider organization ("PPO") contracts (the "Alignment Health Plans"), from approximately 13,000 at inception to over 98,000 as of December 31, 2022, representing a 29% compound annual growth rate across 52 markets and 6 states. We had approximately 108,300 Health Plan Members across these markets as of January 1, 2023. Our ultimate goal is to bring this differentiated, advocacy-driven healthcare experience to millions of senior consumers in the United States and to become the most trusted senior healthcare brand in the country.
Our model is based on a flywheel concept, referred to as our “virtuous cycle,” which is designed to delight our senior consumers. We start by listening to and engaging with our seniors in order to provide a superior experience in both their healthcare and daily living needs. Through our proprietary technology platform, Alignment's Virtual Application ("AVA"), we utilize data and predictive algorithms that are specifically designed to ensure personalized care is delivered to each member. When our information-enabled care model is combined with our member engagement, we are able to improve healthcare outcomes by, for example, reducing unnecessary hospital admissions, which in turn lowers overall costs. Our ability to manage healthcare expenditures while maintaining quality and member satisfaction is a distinct and sustainable competitive advantage. Our lower total healthcare expenditures allow us to reinvest our savings into richer coverage and benefits, which propels our growth in revenue and membership due to the enhanced consumer value proposition. As we grow, we continue to listen to and incorporate member feedback, and we are able to further enhance benefits and produce strong clinical outcomes. Our virtuous cycle, based on the principle of doing well by doing good, is highly repeatable and a core tenet of our ability to continue to expand in existing and new markets in the future.
It is this virtuous cycle, underpinned by continuous expansion and improvement in our technology platform, that has enabled us to achieve revenues of $1,434.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 and $1,167.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, representing a revenue compound annual growth rate of 35% from our founding in 2013 through the fourth quarter of 2022.
Medicare Advantage Background
Today, seniors are confronted with a healthcare landscape that is fragmented across disparate point solutions, tools and vendors, without an accessible, coordinated approach to comprehensive care delivery. Under the traditional Medicare fee-for-service ("FFS") model, seniors receive access to hospital insurance benefits (“Part A”) and outpatient services (“Part B”) directly from CMS. Original Medicare (Part A and B) does not include prescription drug coverage (“Part D”), and most seniors enrolled in original Medicare opt to obtain Part D and other protection for gaps in their coverage by purchasing costly Medicare supplement insurance plans. In contrast, Medicare Advantage plans are direct-to-consumer and provide a single point of care delivery for Part A, Part B and often Part D coverage. Medicare Advantage penetration of the Medicare market is rapidly increasing given the enhanced benefits and coverage that Medicare Advantage plans offer relative to traditional Medicare FFS. In 2022, approximately 48% of the Medicare eligible population, or approximately 28 million seniors, were enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. Industry projections have forecasted a continued increase in the Medicare Advantage penetration rate from approximately 48% to approximately 61% by 2031.
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Medicare Advantage allows one entity to influence the entirety of a senior’s healthcare through a singular, direct-to-consumer product. We contract with CMS under the Medicare Advantage program to provide health insurance coverage to Medicare eligible persons under HMO and PPO plans in exchange for a payment per member per month ("PMPM"). The PMPM payment varies based on geography, CMS Star ratings and certain population-specific risk factors. Under these value-based contracts, we assume the economic risk of funding our members’ healthcare, supplemental benefits and related administration costs. By transferring the economic risk to managed care companies like Alignment, CMS has enabled us to focus on proactive, cross-disciplinary care targeted at improving health outcomes and lowering unnecessary healthcare expenditures.
The Medicare Advantage regulatory framework is designed to reward plans that achieve the triple aim of high-quality care, low costs and better experience. CMS payments to Medicare Advantage plans are allocated in each county or region based on a bidding system. Each plan submits a bid based on its estimated costs per enrollee for services covered under Medicare Parts A and B. Plans that have a low enough cost structure to bid under the benchmark are entitled to rebates, which enable those plans to offer enhanced supplemental benefits and medical coverage to their members, which in turn boosts membership growth and therefore revenue. CMS further measures Medicare Advantage beneficiaries’ clinical outcomes and experience with their health plans and the healthcare system through a Five Star Quality Rating System. Medicare Advantage plans are eligible to receive additional economic incentives based on their Star rating. Due to the competitive nature of CMS’s bidding system, only those plans that are able to provide low cost and high-quality outcomes will be able to offer enhanced benefit options, which is critical to achieving sustainable membership and growth on a long-term basis.
Under the Medicare Advantage system, our members typically enroll with us for a one-year period that can be renewed on an annual basis, resulting in revenue that is principally based on a subscription-like PMPM recurring revenue model. This model provides us with significant visibility into our short-term financial performance, particularly given that the substantial majority of our members continue to choose Alignment after their initial selection year. Further, our HMO and PPO plans covered under Medicare Advantage contracts with CMS are generally renewed for a calendar year term, unless CMS notifies us of its decision not to renew by May 1 of the year in which the contract would end. When carefully managed, this annual renewal process provides a measure of stability and predictability to our short-term revenue streams, allowing us to focus on improving health quality outcomes and lowering healthcare expenditures for our population through enhanced member care on a long-term basis.
Factors Affecting Our Performance
Our proprietary technology platform, AVA, is a key element of our business with capabilities that we expect to impact our future performance. AVA enables us to personalize and manage our member relationships, care quality and experience, and to coordinate and manage risk with our provider partners. AVA’s unified platform, analytical tools and data across the healthcare ecosystem enable us to produce consistent outcomes, unit economics and support new member growth. Additionally, our historical financial performance has been, and we expect our financial performance in the future will be, driven by our ability to:
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Capitalize on Our Existing Market Growth Opportunity: Our ability to attract and retain members to grow in our existing markets depends on our ability to offer a superior value proposition. We have proven that we can compete against, and take market share from, large established players in highly competitive markets. According to CMS data, we were one of the top three Medicare Advantage Organizations in terms of HMO net members growth in our California counties between 2016 and 2023. There are approximately 4.4 million Medicare-eligible individuals enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans in our existing 52 counties, of which our approximately 108,300 Health Plan Members represents only 2% market share. We believe that there are still significant opportunities for future growth even in our most mature markets where we have a 10-20% market share. Additionally, we are evaluating other opportunities to leverage our historical investments in our technology platform and our comprehensive clinical model across our existing and potentially new geographies. For example, in April 2021, we entered into CMS Innovation Center’s Direct Contracting program, which allows us to partner directly with physicians to help manage their Medicare FFS patient populations and participate in the upside and downside risk associated with managing the health of such patients. CMS has announced it is replacing the DCE program with the "ACO Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health Model" or "ACO REACH" model, which became effective January 1, 2023. As of January 1, 2023, we had approximately 7,900 ACO REACH seniors in our arrangement with our clinician partners.
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Drive Growth and Consistent Outcomes Through New Market Expansion: We enter new markets with the goal of building brand awareness across our key stakeholders to achieve meaningful market share over time. We intend to focus on markets with significant senior populations where we expect to be able to replicate our model most effectively. Our existing markets also feature a diverse array of membership profiles across ethnicities, income levels and acuity. In 2022 and 2023, we expanded into 16 and 14 new markets, respectively, across our four existing states and two new states, Florida and Texas.
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Provide Superior Service, Care and Consumer Satisfaction: We are highly focused on providing superior service and care to our members and on maintaining high levels of consumer satisfaction, which are key to our financial performance and growth. The CMS Five Star Quality Rating System provides economic incentives to Medicare Advantage plans that achieve higher Star ratings by (i) meeting certain care criteria (such as completing particular
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preventative screening procedures or ensuring proper follow-up care is provided for specific conditions or episodes) and (ii) receiving high member satisfaction ratings. These incentives impact financial performance in the year following the CMS Rating Year (for example, CMS’s announcement of the 2023 Ratings occurred in the second half of 2022 and will impact our financial performance in 2024). In aggregate, more than 90% of our health plan members are enrolled in plans rated 4 stars and above, meaning the vast majority of members consistently receive a high-quality care experience, as defined under CMS star measurement criteria.
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Effectively Manage the Quality of Care to Improve Member Outcomes: Our care delivery model is based on a clinical continuum through which we have created a highly personalized experience that is unique to each member depending on their personal health and circumstances. Utilizing data and predictive analytics generated by AVA, our clinical continuum separates seniors into four categories in order to provide optimized care for every stage of a senior’s life: healthy, healthy utilizer, pre-chronic and chronic. We partner with our broader network of community providers to service members in our non-chronic categories, and we have developed a Care Anywhere program implemented by our internal clinical teams to care for our higher risk and/or chronically ill members. By investing in our members’ care proactively, our model has consistently reduced unnecessary and costly care while improving the quality of our members’ lifestyle and healthcare experience. By delivering superior care and preventing avoidable utilization of the healthcare system, we are able to reduce our claims expenditures in some of our largest medical expense categories, which translates to superior medical benefits ratio (“MBR”) financial performance and ultimately the ability to offer richer products in the market.
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Achieve Superior Unit Economics: As our senior population ages, their healthcare needs become more frequent and complex. To combat the healthcare cost increases that typically result, we proactively look to (i) connect with our population early in their enrollment with Alignment to assess their care needs, (ii) develop care plans and engage those members with more chronic, complex health challenges in our clinical model, and (iii) continue to monitor and evaluate our healthier members in a preventative fashion over time. Given the Medicare Advantage payment mechanism and the retention of the vast majority of our members who continue to choose Alignment after their initial selection year, we are able to focus our efforts on driving favorable long-term health outcomes for our entire population. As a result, our clinical model efforts have demonstrated the ability to lower the MBRs of our returning members. We believe this is evidence of our ability to manage the financial risk of our members as they age, and that these favorable underlying unit economic trends translate directly to our ability to continue to deliver a richer product to the marketplace. With this dynamic in mind, our consolidated MBR may be impacted year-to-year based on our pace of new member growth and mix of members by cohort. However, we believe our ability to sustain MBR performance improvement over time positions us well to invest in new member growth to drive long-term financial performance.
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Invest in our Platform and Growth:We plan to continue to invest in our business in order to further develop our AVA platform, pursue new expansion opportunities and create innovative product offerings. In addition, in order to maintain a differentiated value proposition for our members, we continue to invest in innovative product offerings and supplementary benefits to meet the evolving needs of the senior consumer. We anticipate further investments in our business as we expand into new markets and pursue strategic acquisitions, which we expect will primarily be focused on healthcare delivery groups in key geographies, standalone and provider-sponsored Medicare Advantage plans and other complementary risk bearing assets.
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Navigate Seasonality to our Business:Our operational and financial results will experience some variability depending upon the time of year in which they are measured. We experience the largest portion of member growth during the first quarter, when plan enrollment selections made during the annual enrollment period ("AEP") from October 15th through December 7th of the prior year take effect. As a result, we expect to see a majority of our member growth occur on January 1 of a given calendar year. As the year progresses, our per-member revenue often declines as new members join us, typically with less complete or accurate documentation (and therefore lower risk-adjustment scores), and senior mortality disproportionately impacts our higher-acuity (and therefore greater revenue) members. Medical costs will vary seasonally depending on a number of factors, but most significantly the weather. Certain illnesses, such as the influenza virus, are far more prevalent during colder months of the year, which will result in an increase in medical expenses during these time periods. We therefore expect to see higher levels of per-member medical costs in the first and fourth quarters. The design of our prescription drug coverage (Medicare Part D) results in coverage that varies as a member’s cumulative out-of-pocket costs pass through successive stages of a member’s plan period, which begins annually on January 1 for renewals. These plan designs generally result in us sharing a greater portion of the responsibility for total prescription drug costs in the early stages of the year and less in the latter stages, which typically results in a higher MBR on our Part D program in the first half of the year relative to the second half of the year. In addition, we expect our corporate, general and administrative expenses to increase in absolute dollars for the foreseeable future to support our growth and because of additional costs of being a public company. Due to the timing of many of these investments, including our primary sales and marketing season, we typically incur a greater level of investment in the second half of the year relative to the first half of the year.
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Key Business Metrics
In addition to our financial information in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”), we review a number of operating and financial metrics, including the following key metrics, to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business, formulate business plans and make strategic decisions.
Year Ended December 31,
(dollars in '000's, except percentages) 2022 2021 % Change
Medical benefits ratio 86.5 % 87.6 % -1.1 %
(1) See "Adjusted EBITDA" and "Adjusted Gross Profit" below for reconciliation to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP and related disclosures.
(2) Not meaningful
Health Plan Membership
We define Health Plan Membership as the number of members enrolled in the Alignment Health Plans as of the end of a reporting period. We believe this is an important metric to assess growth of our underlying business, which is indicative of our ability to consistently offer a superior value proposition to seniors. This metric excludes third party payor members with respect to which we are at-risk for managing their healthcare expenditures, which represented 500 members and 600 members as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. It also excludes the approximately 5,000 traditional Medicare seniors for which we are at-risk for managing their healthcare expenditures through our contracts with CMS under the DCE program as of December 31, 2022.
Adjusted Gross Profit and Medical Benefits Ratio, or MBR
Adjusted gross profit is a non-GAAP financial measure that we define as loss from operations before depreciation and amortization, clinical equity-based compensation expense, and selling, general, and administrative expenses. Adjusted gross profit is a key measure used by our management and Board to understand and evaluate our operating performance and trends before the impact of our consolidated selling, general and administrative expenses.
Adjusted gross profit should not be considered in isolation of, or as an alternative to, measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. There are a number of limitations related to the use of adjusted gross profit in lieu of loss from operations, which is the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP.
Our use of the term adjusted gross profit may vary from the use of similar terms by other companies in our industry and accordingly may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.
Adjusted gross profit is reconciled as follows:
Year Ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands)
Add back:
Equity-based compensation (medical expenses) 9,128 15,418
Depreciation (medical expenses) 213 220
Selling, general, and administrative expenses 295,646 290,991
Adjusted gross profit % 13.5 % 12.4 %
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We calculate our MBR by dividing total medical expenses, excluding depreciation and equity-based compensation, by total revenues in a given period. We believe our MBR is an indicator of our gross profit for our Medicare Advantage plans and demonstrates the ability of our clinical model to produce superior outcomes by identifying and providing targeted care to our high-risk members resulting in improved member health and reduced total population medical expenses. We expect that this metric may fluctuate over time due to a variety of factors, including our pace of new member growth given that new members typically join Alignment with higher MBRs, while our model has demonstrated an ability to improve MBR for a given cohort over time.
When we determine, on an annual basis, whether we have satisfied the CMS minimum Medical Loss Ratio of 85%, adjustments are made to the MBR calculation to include certain additional expenses related to improving the quality of care provided, and to exclude certain taxes and fees, in each case as permitted or required by CMS and applicable regulatory requirements.
Adjusted EBITDA
Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure that we define as net loss before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization expense, reorganization and transaction-related expenses, equity-based compensation expense, loss on sublease and loss on extinguishment of debt. For the year ended December 31, 2022, we have revised our definition of Adjusted EBITDA to exclude loss on sublease and loss on extinguishment of debt, which changes had no impact on adjusted EBITDA in the prior year period. Adjusted EBITDA is a key measure used by our management and our Board to understand and evaluate our operating performance and trends, to prepare and approve our annual budget and to develop short and long-term operating plans. In particular, we believe that the exclusion of the amounts eliminated in calculating adjusted EBITDA provides useful measures for period-to-period comparisons of our business. Given our intent to continue to invest in our platform and the scalability of our business in the short to medium-term, we believe adjusted EBITDA over the long term will be an important indicator of value creation.
Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation of, or as an alternative to, measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. There are a number of limitations related to the use of adjusted EBITDA in lieu of net loss, which is the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP.
Our use of the term adjusted EBITDA may vary from the use of similar terms by other companies in our industry and accordingly may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.
Adjusted EBITDA is reconciled as follows:
Year Ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands)
Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest 92 —
Add back:
Income taxes 339 -
Reorganization and transaction-related expenses(2) 579 4,585
Loss on sublease and disposal of assets(4) 611 —
Loss on extinguishment of debt 2,196 —
(1) 2022 represents equity-based compensation related to grants made in the current year, as well as equity-based compensation related to the timing of the IPO, which includes previously issued stock appreciation rights ("SARs") liability awards, modifications related to transaction vesting units, and grants made in conjunction with the IPO. 2021 represents equity-based compensation related to the timing of the IPO as previously discussed. Equity-based compensation expense for the year ended December 31, 2021 includes $11.4 million related to the cash settlement of SARs.
(2) Represents legal, professional, accounting and other advisory fees related to the Reorganization, IPO, and secondary offerings that are considered non-recurring and non-capitalizable.
(3) Represents acquisition-related fees, such as legal and advisory fees, that are non-capitalizable.
(4) Represents loss related to right of use ("ROU") assets that were subleased in the second quarter of 2022 and loss related to disposal of assets.
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Results of Operations
We operate and manage our business as a single reporting and operating segment, which is to provide healthcare services to our seniors. The components of our results of operations are as follows:
Revenues
Our revenue is comprised of earned premiums and other revenue. We receive and record premium revenue on a monthly basis from the federal government based on our contract with CMS. In accordance with this arrangement, we assume the responsibility for the outcomes and the economic risk of funding our members’ healthcare, supplemental benefits and related administration costs. We recognize premium revenue in the month that members are entitled to receive healthcare services, and premiums collected in advance are deferred. The monthly premium that we receive under our contract with CMS includes a PMPM which is adjusted based on certain risk factors derived from medical diagnoses for our members. The adjustments are estimated by projecting the ultimate annual premium and are recognized ratably during the year, with adjustments in each period to the amount of revenue recognized to reflect changes in the estimated ultimate premium. Premiums are also recorded net of estimated uncollectible amounts and retroactive membership adjustments.
Our recognized premium revenue for the Alignment Health Plans is subject to a minimum annual medical loss ratio (“MLR”) of 85%. The MLR represents medical costs as a percentage of premium revenue. The Code of Federal Regulations defines what specifically constitutes medical expenses and premium revenue for the MLR test, and if the minimum MLR is not met, we are required to remit a portion of the premiums back to the federal government. The amount remitted, if any, is recognized as an adjustment to premium revenues in the consolidated statement of operations. The amounts payable under this provision were immaterial at December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021.
The premiums we receive from CMS for our members are based on the annual bid that we submit to CMS. These payments represent revenues for providing healthcare coverage, including Medicare Part D benefits. Under the Medicare Part D program, members receive standard drug benefits. We may also provide enhanced benefits at our own expense. We recognize revenue for providing this insurance coverage in the month that members are entitled to receive healthcare services. Our CMS payment related to Medicare Part D is subject to risk sharing through the Medicare Part D risk corridor provisions. See “—Critical Accounting Policies—Revenue” below.
Our capitation revenue consists primarily of capitated fees for medical care services provided by us under arrangements with our third-party payors and from CMS related to our Direct Contracting Entity ("DCE"). Under those arrangements, we receive a PMPM payment for a defined member population, and we are responsible to provide health care services to the member population over the contract period. We are solely responsible for the cost of health care services related to the member population and in some cases, providing supplemental benefits provided by us to the members. We act as a principal in arranging for and controlling the services provided by our provider network and we are at risk for arranging and providing health care services. Capitation revenue is recognized in the month that members are entitled to receive health care services and capitation revenue collected in advance is deferred. We report this capitation revenue as part of earned premiums. CMS has announced it is replacing the DCE program with the “ACO Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health Model” or “ACO REACH” model, which became effective January 1, 2023.
Expenses
Medical Expenses. Medical expenses include claim payments, capitation payments, pharmacy costs net of rebates, allocations of certain centralized expenses, supplemental benefits, internal care delivery expenses and various other costs incurred to provide health insurance coverage to members, as well as estimates of future payments to hospitals and others for medical care previously provided to our members.
We have contracts with a network of hospitals, physicians, and other providers and compensate those providers and ancillary organizations based on contractual arrangements or CMS Medicare compensation guidelines. We pay these contracting providers either through fee-for-service arrangements in which the provider is paid negotiated rates for specific services provided, or through capitation payments, which represent monthly contractual fees disbursed for each member regardless of medical services provided to the member. We are ultimately responsible for the entirety of the cost of healthcare services related to our member population, in addition to supplemental benefits that we provide to our seniors.
Capitation-related expenses are recorded on an accrual basis during the coverage period. Expenses related to fee-for-service contracts are recorded in the period in which the related services are dispensed.
Pharmacy costs represent payments for members’ prescription drug benefits, net of rebates from drug manufacturers. Receivables for such pharmacy rebates are included in accounts receivable in the consolidated balance sheet.
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Selling, General and Administrative Expenses. Selling, general and administrative expenses consist of (i) personnel expenses including salaries, bonuses, equity-based compensation expense and benefits for non-clinical employees; (ii) all corporate technology, occupancy costs and allocated overhead costs; (iii) professional and outside services, including external vendors and professional services; (iv) costs associated with administering our contracts with CMS, including claims adjudication, member and concierge services, provider engagement, and other health plan functions; and (v) central and community-based advertising costs to generate greater awareness, engagement and retention among our current and prospective members, as well as the infrastructure required to support all of our marketing efforts and ongoing commission payments. These expenses also include certain growth expenditures, including business development and various new market expansion activities. Our investments in our sales, marketing and other growth activities are an important component of our selling, general and administrative expenses in a typical year given our desire to continue to grow on an accelerated trajectory. We anticipate continuing to invest heavily in our growth efforts in the near future, which we believe will be an important driver of long-term value creation. We expect selling, general and administrative expenses to increase in absolute dollars as we incur costs associated with being a public company and growing our business.
Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation and amortization expenses are primarily attributable to our capital investment and consist of fixed asset depreciation, amortization of intangibles considered to have definite lives and amortization of capitalized internal-use software costs.
Other Expense
Interest Expense. Interest expense consists primarily of interest payments on our outstanding borrowings under our Term Loan (as defined below). See “—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Term Loan.”
Other (Income) Expenses. Other (income) expenses consist primarily of gains or losses on the disposition of assets.
The following table sets forth our consolidated statements of operations data for the periods indicated:
Years Ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands)
Revenues:
Expenses:
Selling, general, and administrative expenses 295,646 290,991
Other expenses:
Other expenses (income) 176 (229 )
Loss on extinguishment of debt 2,196 —
Provision for income taxes 339 —
Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest 92 —
Net loss attributable to Alignment Healthcare, Inc. $ (149,547 ) $ (195,286 )
The following table sets forth our consolidated statements of operations data expressed as a percentage of total revenues for the periods indicated:
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Years Ended December 31,
(% of revenue)
Revenues:
Other — —
Expenses:
Medical expenses 87 89
Selling, general and administrative expenses 21 25
Depreciation and amortization 1 1
Loss from operations (9 ) (15 )
Other expenses:
Interest expense 1 2
Other expenses (income) — —
Loss on extinguishment of debt — —
Total other expenses 1 2
Loss before income taxes (10 ) (17 )
Provision for income taxes — —
Net loss (10 )% (17 )%
Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest — —
Net loss attributable to Alignment Healthcare, Inc. (10 )% (17 )%
Revenues
Year Ended December 31, Change
(dollars in thousands)
Revenues:
Revenues. Revenues were $1,434.2 million and $1,167.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, an increase of $266.4 million or 22.8%. The increase was driven by a combination of growth in our Health Plan Membership and higher revenue PMPM in 2022 as compared to 2021. Health Plan Membership increased 14.3% between December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021. The increase in revenue PMPM is primarily attributable to an increase in the CMS benchmark rates.
Expenses
Year Ended December 31, Change
(dollars in thousands)
Expenses:
Medical Expenses. Medical expenses were $1,249.9 million and $1,039.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, an increase of $210.9 million, or 20.3%. The increase was driven primarily by the growth in Alignment Health Plan membership. Overall, medical expenses for the year December 31, 2022 grew at a lower rate than the total revenue growth rate compared to the year ended December 31, 2021 primarily due to the impact of COVID-19 on utilization in 2021. For the three months ended March 31, 2021, we experienced an increase in inpatient admissions due to COVID-related hospitalizations. However, for the remainder of fiscal year 2021 and fiscal year 2022, we saw a decline in COVID-related inpatient utilization (compared to the first quarter of 2021) as vaccination rates improved across our senior population and the
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milder variants became dominant. The ultimate impact of COVID-19 to us and our financial condition is presently unknown and we continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on our claims reserve estimate.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses. Selling, general and administrative expenses were $295.7 million and $291.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, an increase of $4.7 million, or 1.6%, due to headcount increases to support membership growth, recurring commission payments, ongoing expenditures in sales and marketing, investments in new market entries, and other general investments to support Alignment's long-term growth. This increase was offset by a decrease in equity-based compensation. Excluding equity-based compensation, for the year ended December 31, 2022, our selling, general and administrative expenses increased 21.0% from the year ended December 31, 2021.
Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense was $17.3 million and $15.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, an increase of $1.5 million, or 9.5%. The increase was primarily due to the amount of our capital expenditures and the associated depreciation relative to 2021.
Other Expenses
Interest expense. Interest expense was $18.3 million and $17.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, an increase of $0.9 million or 5.1%. The increase in interest expense was primarily due to a higher principal balance caused by the payment-in-kind interest under our previous CRG loan agreement (described below), as well as interest expense and amortization of deferred debt issuance costs related to the Oxford loan agreement (described below).
Other (income) expenses. Other (income) expenses were $0.2 million and $(0.2) million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, an increase of $0.4 million. The increase in expense was primarily due to a loss recorded on ROU assets that were subleased.
Loss on extinguishment of debt. During the year ended December 31, 2022 we recorded a $2.2 million loss on extinguishment of debt due to the write-off of debt issuance costs related to our debt refinance discussed below. There was no such loss recorded in 2021.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
General
To date, we have financed our operations principally through our IPO, private placements of our equity securities, revenues, and certain term loans (described below). As of December 31, 2022, we had $409.5 million in cash.
We operate as a holding company in a highly regulated industry. Alignment Healthcare, Inc., our parent company, is dependent upon dividends and administrative expense reimbursements from our subsidiaries, most of which are subject to regulatory restrictions. We maintain significant levels of aggregate excess statutory capital and surplus in our state-regulated operating subsidiaries. Cash at the parent company was $245.9 million at December 31, 2022.
We may incur operating losses in the future due to the investments we intend to continue to make in expanding our operations and sales and marketing, in further developing our technology and due to the general and administrative costs we expect to incur in connection with continuing to operate as a public company. As a result, we may require additional capital resources to execute strategic initiatives to grow our business.
We believe that our liquid assets will be sufficient to fund our operating and organic capital needs for at least the next 12 months. Our assessment of the period of time through which our financial resources will be adequate to support our operations is a forward-looking statement and involves risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could vary because of, and our future capital requirements will depend on, many factors, including our growth rate, the timing and extent of spending to expand our presence in existing markets, expand into new markets, increase our sales and marketing activities and develop our technology. Additionally, in the future we may enter into arrangements to acquire or invest in complementary businesses, services and technologies, including intellectual property rights, which may also substantially increase our capital needs.
We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could use our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. We may be required to seek additional equity or debt financing. In the event that additional financing is required from outside sources, we may not be able to raise it on terms acceptable to us or at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital when desired, or if we cannot expand our operations or otherwise capitalize on our business opportunities because we lack sufficient capital, our business, results of operations, and financial condition would be adversely affected.
Certain states in which we operate as a CMS-licensed Medicare Advantage company may require us to meet certain capital adequacy performance standards and tests. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has adopted rules which, if implemented by the states, set minimum capitalization requirements for insurance companies, HMOs, and other entities bearing risk for healthcare coverage. The requirements take the form of risk-based capital (“RBC”) rules, which may vary from state to
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state. Certain states in which our health plans or risk bearing entities operate have adopted the RBC rules. Other states in which our health plans or risk bearing entities operate have chosen not to adopt the RBC rules, but instead have designed and implemented their own rules regarding capital adequacy. Our health plans or risk-bearing entities were in compliance with the minimum capital requirements for all periods presented.
CRG Term Loan
On August 21, 2018, we entered into a term loan agreement (the "CRG Term Loan") with CR Group ("CRG") for $80.0 million, with an option to borrow up to an additional $20.0 million. In April 2019, we amended the CRG Term Loan to increase its borrowing capacity by $75.0 million and drew down $35.0 million in May 2019. The CRG Term Loan was subject to a commitment fee of $6.8 million and we incurred debt issuance costs of $3.6 million. The commitment fees were deferred as part of debt issuance costs and were amortized to interest expense over the term using the effective interest method. The debt issuance costs were amortized to interest expense over the term using the effective interest method.
The CRG Term Loan bore interest at a rate of 10.25% payable on a quarterly basis. We had the option to pay a portion of the interest in cash with the remaining portion of the interest added to the principal balance as a payment-in-kind. The payment-in-kind was also subject to a commitment fee of 5%. The cash and payment-in-kind interest rates were 7.75% and 2.50%, respectively, through April 2019, and then converted to 7.50% and 2.75%, respectively. In 2022 and 2021, we utilized our option to pay the quarterly interest payments in both cash and payment-in-kind. The amount was included in the long-term debt balance. In connection with the new credit facility with Oxford Finance, as noted below, we repaid all amounts outstanding under the term loan with CRG on September 2, 2022.
Oxford Term Loan
On September 2, 2022 (the “Effective Date”), we, Alignment Healthcare USA, LLC, an indirect subsidiary of the Company (the “Borrower”), and certain of our other subsidiaries (together with the Company and the Borrower, the “Borrower Parties”) entered into a term loan agreement (the “Oxford Loan Agreement”) with Oxford Finance LLC (“Oxford”), as administrative agent, collateral agent and a lender, and the other lenders from time to time party thereto (collectively, the “Lenders”), pursuant to which the Lenders have agreed to lend the Borrower an aggregate principal amount of up to $250.0 million in a series of term loans (the “Term Loans”). Pursuant to the Oxford Loan Agreement, the Borrower received an initial Term Loan of $165.0 million on the Effective Date (the “Initial Term Loan”) and may borrow up to an additional $85.0 million of Term Loans at its option (such additional Term Loans, the “Delayed Draw Term Loans”). Interest on the Term Loans is a variable rate equal to (i) the secured overnight financing rate administered by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for a one-month tenor, subject to a floor of 1.00%, plus (ii) an applicable margin of 6.50%. All unpaid principal and accrued and unpaid interest with respect to each Term Loan is due and payable in full on September 1, 2027. The interest rate applied during the month ended September 30, 2022 through the month ended December 31, 2022 ranged from 9.02% to 10.63%.
The term loan was subject to a commitment fee of $1.7 million and an origination fee of $1.7 million. The Delayed Draw Term Loans are subject to a commitment fee of $0.9 million. We incurred additional debt issuance costs of $1.1 million related to attorney fees and other third-party costs. The commitment and origination fees are included within debt issuance costs and were deferred and will be amortized to interest expense over the debt term using the straight line method, which is materially consistent with the effective interest method. The debt issuance costs related to the term loan are presented in the consolidated balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying value of the term loan. The debt issuance costs related to the delayed draw term loan are presented in the consolidated balance sheet as other assets.
Substantially all of the proceeds from the Initial Term Loan were used to repay in full the $159.3 million aggregate principal amount, accrued interest (including “payment in kind” interest) and fees related to the CRG Term Loan, as well as certain fees and expenses payable to Oxford.
The Term Loans are guaranteed by certain of our wholly owned subsidiaries and collateralized by all unrestricted assets.
For certain prepayments of the Term Loans prior to the second anniversary of the Effective Date, the Borrower will be required to pay a prepayment fee ranging from 1.00% to 2.00% of the principal amount of the Term Loans being prepaid.
The Oxford Loan Agreement includes customary events of default, including, among others, payment defaults, breach of representations and warranties, covenant defaults, judgment defaults, insolvency and bankruptcy defaults, and change of control. The occurrence of an event of default could result in the acceleration of the obligations under the Loan Agreement, termination of the Term Loan commitments and the right to foreclose on the collateral securing the obligations. During the existence of an event of default, the outstanding Term Loans will accrue interest at a rate per annum equal to 2.00% plus the otherwise applicable interest rate. Additionally, in the event of any contemplated asset sale or series of asset sales yielding net proceeds in excess of $2,500, except those excluded per the Loan Agreement, we are required to prepay the aggregate outstanding principal balance of the Term Loans in an amount equal to the entire amount of the asset sale net proceeds, plus any accrued and unpaid interest.
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The Oxford Loan Agreement includes financial covenants that require the Borrower Parties to (i) maintain minimum liquidity, as defined in the Loan Agreement, of $23.0 million and (ii) satisfy a maximum permitted ratio of debt to trailing twelve-month revenue, as set forth in the Loan Agreement. As of December 31, 2022, we were in compliance with the financial covenants.
Cash Flows
The following table presents a summary of our consolidated cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities for the periods indicated.
Year Ended December 31,
Net cash used in operating activities $ (45,427 ) $ (78,776 )
Net cash used in investing activities (28,217 ) (20,815 )
Net cash provided by financing activities 16,593 360,130
Cash and restricted cash at beginning of period 468,350 207,811
Cash and restricted cash at end of period $ 411,299 $ 468,350
Operating Activities
For the year ended December 31, 2022, net cash used in operating activities was $45.4 million, a decrease of $33.4 million compared to net cash used in operating activities of $78.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The decrease is mainly attributable to the decrease in net loss for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, as well as an improvement in our working capital accounts. This decrease was offset by an increase in cash paid for payment-in-kind interest of $14.1 million due to the payoff of the CRG Term Loan. The decrease in net loss was mainly attributable to revenue growth exceeding the increase in medical expenses and selling, general and administrative expenses, as discussed above.
Investing Activities
For the year ended December 31, 2022, net cash used in investing activities was $28.2 million, an increase of $7.4million compared to net cash used in investing activities of $20.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase primarily relates to incremental capital expenditures related to information technology and infrastructure projects, as well as an increase in cash paid for acquisitions.
Financing Activities
For the year ended December 31, 2022, net cash provided by financing activities was $16.6 million, a decrease of $343.5 million compared to net cash provided by financing activities of $360.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The decrease primarily relates to proceeds from the IPO in the first quarter of 2021, partially offset by net cash received in connection with our refinancing of the CRG Term Loan with the Oxford Term Loans. $14.1 million of cash paid for the repayment of long-term debt relates to payment-in-kind interest and is included in operating activities.
Material cash requirements from known contractual and other obligations
Our principal commitments consist of repayments of long-term debt, operating leases and certain purchase obligations. The following table summarizes our contractual and other obligations as of December 31, 2022:
Payments due by Period
Total Less than1 year 1-3 years 3-5years More than5 years
(dollars in thousands) (in thousands)
(1) Represents the estimated full cash repayment to Oxford Finance upon maturity of the Term Loan in September 2027.
(2) Includes fixed, minimum and estimated payments under our existing contractual obligations that are legally enforceable and binding for goods and services. These obligations include agreements that are cancelable with the payment of an early termination penalty and other funding commitments that require fixed or minimum levels of service to be purchased with a specific timing established. Purchase obligations exclude agreements that are cancelable without penalty.
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Not included in the table above are our medical expenses payable which are included within current liabilities in our financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and include the accounts of our wholly-owned subsidiaries and three variable interest entities (“VIEs”) in California and North Carolina that meet the consolidation requirements for accounting purposes. All intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Noncontrolling interest is presented within the equity section of our consolidated balance sheets.
Certain accounting policies involve significant judgments and assumptions by management, which have a material impact on the carrying value of assets and liabilities and the recognition of income and expenses. Management considers these accounting policies to be critical accounting policies. The estimates and assumptions used by management are based on historical experience and other factors, which are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. The significant accounting policies which we believe are the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our reported financial results are described below. Refer to Note 2 “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” to our audited consolidated financial statements for more detailed information regarding our critical accounting policies.
Revenue
Payments by CMS to health plans are determined through a competitive bidding process with CMS and are based on the cost of care in a local market and the average utilization of services by the member enrolled. These payments are subject to periodic adjustments under CMS’s “risk adjustment model,” which compensates health plans based on the health severity and certain demographic factors of each individual member. Members diagnosed with certain conditions are paid at a higher monthly payment than members who are healthier. Under this risk adjustment model, CMS calculates the risk adjustment payment using diagnosis data from hospital inpatient, hospital outpatient and physician treatment settings. We and healthcare providers collect, capture, and submit the necessary and available diagnosis data to CMS within prescribed deadlines. Both premium and capitation revenue (including Medicare Part D) are subject to adjustments under the risk adjustment model.
Throughout the year, we estimate risk adjustment payments based upon the diagnosis data submitted and expected to be submitted to CMS. The risk adjustment payments are recorded as an adjustment to premium and capitation revenue. Our risk adjustment data is also subject to review by the government, including audit by regulators.
Receivables, including risk adjusted premium due from the government or through third-party payors, pharmacy rebates, and other receivables, are shown net of allowances for estimated uncollectible accounts and retroactive membership adjustments.
Medical Expenses Payable
Medical expenses payable includes estimates of our obligations for medical care services that have been rendered on behalf of our members and the members of third-party payors, but for which claims have either not yet been received or processed, loss adjustment expense reserve for the expected costs of settling these claims, and for liabilities related to physician, hospital and other medical cost disputes.
We develop estimates for medical expenses incurred but not yet paid (“IBNP”) which includes an estimate for claims incurred but not reported (“IBNR”) and a payable for adjudicated claims. IBNR is estimated using an actuarial process that is consistently applied and centrally controlled. Medical expenses payable also includes an estimate for the costs necessary to process unpaid claims at the end of each period. We estimate IBNR liability using actuarial methods that are commonly used by health insurance actuaries and meet Actuarial Standards of Practice. These actuarial methods consider factors, such as cost trends and completion factors that are assessed based on historical data for payment patterns, product mix, seasonality, utilization of health care services, and other relevant factors.
Completion Factors. A completion factor is an actuarial estimate, based upon historical experience and analysis of current trends, of the percentage of incurred claims during a given period adjudicated by us at the date of estimation. Completion factors are the most significant factors we use in developing our medical expenses payable estimates for periods prior to the most recent three months. Completion factors include judgments in relation to claim submissions such as the time from date of service to claim receipt, claim levels and processing cycles, as well as other factors. If actual claims submission rates from providers (which can be influenced by a number of factors, including provider mix and electronic versus manual submissions) or our claim processing patterns are different than estimated, our reserve estimates may be significantly impacted.
The following table illustrates the sensitivity of these factors and the estimated potential impact on our medical expenses payable estimates for those periods as of December 31, 2022:
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Completion Factors Increase (Decrease) In Medical Expenses Payable
(Decrease) Increase in Factors
(in thousands)
Medical Cost Per Member Per Month Trend Factors. Medical cost PMPM trend factors are significant factors we use in developing our medical expenses payable estimates for the most recent three months. Medical cost trend factors are developed through a comprehensive analysis of claims incurred in prior months, provider contracting and expected unit costs, benefit design and a review of a broad set of health care utilization indicators. These factors include but are not limited to pharmacy utilization trends and inpatient hospital authorization data. A large number of factors can cause the medical cost trend to vary from our estimates, including: our ability and practices to manage medical and pharmaceutical costs, changes in level and mix of services utilized; mix of benefits offered, including the impact of co-pays and deductibles; changes in medical practices; and catastrophes, epidemics and pandemics, such as COVID-19.
The following table illustrates the sensitivity of these factors and the estimated potential impact on our medical expenses payable estimates for the most recent two months as of December 31, 2022:
Increase (Decrease) in Factors
(in thousands)
Each period, we re-examine previously established IBNR estimates based on actual claim submissions and other changes in facts and circumstances. As the IBNR estimates recorded in prior periods develop, we adjust the amount of the estimates and include the changes in estimates in medical expenses in the period in which the change is identified.
Actuarial Standards of Practice generally require that the IBNP estimates be adequate to cover obligations under moderately adverse conditions. Moderately adverse conditions are situations in which the actual claims are expected to be higher than the otherwise estimated value of such claims at the time of estimate.
In many situations, the claims amount ultimately settled will be different than the estimate that satisfies the Actuarial Standards of Practice. We include in our IBNP an estimate for medical claims liability under moderately adverse conditions, which represents the risk of adverse deviation of the estimates in its actuarial method of reserving.
We believe that medical expenses payable is adequate to cover future claims payments required. However, such estimates are based on knowledge of current events and anticipated future events. Therefore, the actual liability could differ materially from the amounts provided. The following tables provide information about incurred and paid claims development as of December 31, 2022:
Cumulative Incurred Claims, net of reinsurance for the Years Ended December 31,
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Substantially all of the claims incurred but not paid balance as of December 31, 2022 relate to the current year.
There is no single or common claim frequency metric used in the health care industry. We believe a relevant metric for our health insurance business is the cumulative number of claims paid for each incurred year. Claims that did not result in a liability are not included in the frequency metric.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 2 to our audited consolidated financial statements “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies—Recent Accounting Pronouncements Adopted” for more information.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
Market risk represents the risk of loss that may impact our financial position due to adverse changes in financial market prices and rates. Our market risk exposure is primarily a result of exposure due to potential changes in inflation. We do not hold financial instruments for trading purposes.
Inflation Risk
Based on our analysis of the periods presented, we believe that inflation has not had a material effect on our operating results. Nonetheless, if our costs were to become subject to significant inflationary pressures, we may not be able to fully offset such higher costs through price increases. There can be no assurance that future inflation will not have an adverse impact on our operating results and financial condition.
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Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID No.34) 83
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 85
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 90
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the stockholders and the Board of Directors of
Alignment Healthcare, Inc.:
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Alignment Healthcare, Inc. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity (deficit), and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022, and the related notes listed in the accompanying Index (collectively, the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2022, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated February 28, 2023, expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current-period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
Medical expenses payable – Incurred but not paid claims - Refer to Notes 2 and 7 to the financial statements
Critical Audit Matter Description
Medical expenses payable includes estimates of obligations for medical care services that have been rendered on behalf of members and the members of the contracted third-party payors, but for which claims have either not yet been received or processed. These estimates are referred to as incurred but not yet paid (IBNP) claim liabilities of $88.8 million as of December 31, 2022, and includes an estimate for claims incurred but not reported (IBNR). The Company develops estimates for IBNR claim liability by using actuarial methods that requires management judgment in developing its estimates. These actuarial methods consider factors such as historical data for payment patterns, and assumptions of cost trends related to the medical cost per member per month which may be impacted by seasonality and utilization of health care services and completion factors that assume time from date of service to claim receipt.
We identified the IBNR claim liability as a critical audit matter because of the significant assumptions made by management in estimating the liability. This required complex auditor judgment, and an increased extent of effort, including the involvement of
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actuarial specialists in performing procedures to evaluate the reasonableness of management’s methods, assumptions and judgments in developing the IBNR claim liability.
How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit
Our audit procedures related to IBNR claim liability included the following, among others:
•
We tested the effectiveness of controls over the Company’s actuarial process for estimating the IBNR claim liability.
•
We tested the underlying claims and membership data and other information that served as the basis for the actuarial analysis, to determine the inputs to the actuarial estimate were complete and accurate.
•
With the assistance of our actuarial specialists, we evaluated the reasonableness of the actuarial methods and assumptions used by management to estimate the IBNR claim liability by:
o
Performed an overlay of the historical claims data used in management’s actuarial model to the data used in prior periods to determine whether there were material changes to the claims data tested in prior periods.
o
Performed a retrospective review comparing management’s prior year estimate of IBNR claim liability to claims processed in 2022 with dates of service in 2021 or prior.
o
Developed an independent estimate of the IBNR claim liability and compared our estimate to management’s estimate. Our independent estimate included development of per member per month claims cost trends and completion factors using management’s data, and comparison of these assumptions to current and historical claims trends and current industry benchmarks.
/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP
Los Angeles, California
February 28, 2023
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2019.
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Alignment Healthcare, Inc.
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(amounts in thousands, except par value and share amounts)
Assets
Current Assets:
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 42,107 27,747
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses 32,288 17,431
Long-term portion of lease liabilities 3,698 6,975
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 14)
Stockholders' Equity:
Total Alignment Healthcare, Inc. stockholders' equity 238,126 306,040
Noncontrolling interest 1,176 15
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 633,863 $ 630,895
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
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Alignment Healthcare, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(amounts in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
Year Ended December 31,
Revenues:
Expenses:
Other expenses:
Loss on extinguishment of debt 2,196 — —
Provision for income taxes 339 — —
Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest 92 — —
(1) The weighted-average shares used in computing net loss per share, basic and diluted, for the year ended December 31, 2020, was retroactively adjusted as a result of the Reorganization. See Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements for additional details.
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
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Alignment Healthcare, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity (Deficit)
(amounts in thousands, except par value and share amounts)
Common Stock
Net loss attributable to Alignment Healthcare, Inc. — — — (22,926 ) — (22,926 )
Equity-based compensation — — 2,124 — — 2,124
Equity repurchase — — (1,505 ) — — (1,505 )
Noncontrolling interest attributable to subsidiary — — — — 15 15
Issuance of common stock third-party business partners 573,782 1 6,479 — — 6,480
Equity repurchase — — (1,474 ) — — (1,474 )
Forfeitures (370,107 ) — — — — —
Noncontrolling interest attributable to subsidiary — — (85 ) — 1,253 1,168
(1) The consolidated balances were derived from the audited consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, and were retroactively adjusted, including shares and per share amounts, as a result of the Reorganization. See Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements for additional details.
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
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Alignment Healthcare, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(amounts in thousands)
Year Ended December 31,
Operating Activities:
Loss on sublease 510 — —
Amortization-debt issuance costs and investment discount 1,850 2,254 2,192
Loss on disposal of property and equipment 101 — 1,006
Loss on extinguishment of debt 2,196 — —
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Payment-in-kind interest (14,122 ) — —
Noncurrent liabilities — — (3,941 )
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities (45,427 ) (78,776 ) 7,561
Investing Activities:
Purchase of business, net of cash received (4,043 ) — —
Asset acquisition, net of cash received — (1,405 ) —
Proceeds from the sale of property and equipment — — 100
Financing Activities:
Repurchase of noncontrolling interest (100 ) — —
Contributions from noncontrolling interest holders 68 15 —
Issuance of long-term debt 165,000 — —
Debt issuance costs (5,196 ) — —
Repayment of long-term debt (143,179 ) — —
Common stock issuance costs — (29,011 ) (3,371 )
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Supplemental non-cash investing and financing activities:
Acquisition of property in accounts payable $ 47 $ 347 $ 106
Purchase of business in accounts payable $ 505 $ — $ —
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The following table provides a reconciliation of cash and restricted cash reported within the consolidated balance sheets to the total above:
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
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Alignment Healthcare, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(amounts in thousands, except share amounts)
1. Organization
Alignment Healthcare, Inc. (collectively, “we” or “us” or “our” or the “Company”), is a next generation, consumer-centric health care platform that is purpose-built to provide seniors with high quality, affordable care with a vastly improved consumer experience. Enabled by our innovative technology and care delivery model, the Company focuses on improving outcomes in the Medicare Advantage sector. The Company’s operations primarily consist of Medicare Advantage Plans in the states of California, North Carolina, Nevada, Arizona, Florida and Texas.
Reorganization
We historically operated as a Delaware limited liability company under the name Alignment Healthcare Holdings, LLC. On March 17, 2021, Alignment Healthcare Holdings, LLC converted to a Delaware corporation pursuant to a statutory conversion and we changed our name to Alignment Healthcare, Inc. for purposes of completing an initial public offering ("IPO") ("the Reorganization"). As part of the Reorganization, Alignment Healthcare Partners, LP ("the Parent"), the sole unitholder of Alignment Healthcare Holdings, LLC, exchanged its membership units for our common stock and became the sole holder of our shares of common stock. Prior to the closing of the IPO, the Parent merged with and into the Company with Alignment Healthcare, Inc. surviving the merger.
The membership units that were owned by the Parent prior to the Reorganization were converted to our common stock using an approximately 1 to 260 common stock split. All share and per share amounts in these consolidated financial statements and related notes have been retroactively adjusted, where applicable, for all periods presented to give effect to the common stock split and exchange ratio applied in connection with the Reorganization. As a result, we reclassified the capital contributions associated with the issuance of the membership units to additional paid-in capital and common stock using a par value of $0.001 for all periods presented within the consolidated financial statements.
Initial Public Offering
On March 25, 2021, our Registration Statement on Form S-1 for the initial public offering of 27,200,000 shares of common stock was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our common stock began trading on March 26, 2021 on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “ALHC."
We completed an IPO through issuing and selling 21,700,000 shares of common stock and certain stockholders selling 5,500,000 shares of common stock, in each case at a price of $18.00 per share. We received proceeds of $361,589 after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions of $24,389 and deferred offering costs of $4,622. Deferred direct offering costs were capitalized and consisted of fees and expenses incurred in connection with the sale of our common stock in the IPO, including legal, accounting, printing and other offering related costs. Upon completion of the IPO, these deferred offering costs were reclassified from prepaid and other current assets to stockholders' equity and recorded against the net proceeds from the offering.
On April 6, 2021, pursuant to a partial exercise of the underwriters' over-allotment option, certain selling stockholders sold an additional 3,314,216 shares of common stock at the IPO price. The Company did not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of common stock by the selling stockholders in the IPO.
On November 18, 2021, certain selling stockholders, including certain of our principal stockholders, sold an additional 9,200,000 shares of our common stock. The Company did not sell any shares and did not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares by the selling stockholders. We incurred $1,045 in transaction costs in connection with this offering.
Additionally, on September 15, 2022, we entered into an underwriting agreement with respect to an underwritten offering by certain selling stockholders of 9,000,000 shares of our common stock. The Company did not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares. We incurred $579 in transaction costs in connection with this offering.
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company, our subsidiaries, and three immaterial variable interest entities in which we are the primary beneficiary. All intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Noncontrolling interest is presented within the equity section of the consolidated balance sheets.
We have no components of other comprehensive income (loss), and accordingly, comprehensive income (loss) is the same as the net income (loss) for all periods presented.
Subsequent to the issuance of the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021 we determined that $7,837 reflected in the accumulated deficit beginning balance as of January 1, 2019 should have been reflected as additional paid-in capital. As such, the balances at December 31, 2019 in the Consolidated Statement of Stockholders' Equity were corrected resulting in an increase in accumulated deficit and
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additional paid-in capital for the corresponding amount. Management has concluded that the correction is not material to the previously issued consolidated financial statements.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of the consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements. Our significant estimates include, but are not limited to, the determination of medical expenses payable; the impact of risk adjustment provisions related to our Medicare contracts; collectability of receivables; right of use (“ROU”) assets and lease liabilities valuation; valuation of related impairment recognition of long-lived assets, including goodwill and intangible assets; equity-based compensation expense; and contingent liabilities. Estimates and judgments are based upon historical information and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates and the impact of any change in estimates is included in earnings in the period in which the estimate is adjusted.
Segments
We have determined that our chief executive officer is the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) who regularly reviews financial operating results on a consolidated basis for purposes of allocating resources and evaluating financial performance. We operate and manage the business as one reportable segment and one operating segment, which is to provide healthcare services to our seniors. Factors used in determining the reportable segment include the nature of operating activities, our organizational and reporting structure, and the type of information reviewed by the CODM to allocate resources and evaluate financial performance. All of our assets are located in the United States.
Fair Value Measurements
Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Our current assets and current liabilities approximate fair value because of the short-term nature of these financial instruments. Financial instruments measured at fair value on a recurring basis were based upon a three-tier hierarchy as follows:
Level 1 - Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities
Level 2 - Other inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability
Level 3 - Unobservable inputs that reflect management’s best estimate of what market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date
The fair value of cash and restricted cash was determined based on Level 1 inputs. The fair value of U.S. Treasury bills and certificate of deposits, which were included in other assets in the consolidated balance sheets, was determined based on Level 2 inputs. There were no assets or liabilities measured at fair value using Level 3 inputs as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021. Our long-term debt was reported at carrying value.
Revenue and Accounts Receivable
Earned premium revenue consisting of premium revenue and capitation revenue for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020 were as follows:
Year EndedDecember 31,
Premium revenue is derived monthly from the federal government based on our contracts with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”). In accordance with these arrangements, we assume the responsibility for the outcomes and the economic risk of funding our members’ health care, supplemental benefits and related administration costs. We recognize premium revenue in the month that members are entitled to receive health care services, and premiums collected in advance are deferred. The monthly reimbursement includes a fixed payment per member per month (“PMPM”), which is adjusted based on certain risk factors derived from medical diagnoses and conditions of our members. The adjustments are estimated by projecting the ultimate annual premium and are recognized ratably during the year, with adjustments each period to reflect changes in the estimated ultimate premium. Premiums are also recorded net of estimated uncollectible amounts and retroactive membership adjustments.
Capitation revenue consists primarily of capitated fees for medical care services provided by us under arrangements with third-party payors and from CMS related to our Direct Contracting Entity ("DCE").
Under those arrangements with third-party payors, we receive a PMPM payment for a defined member population, and we are responsible for providing health care services to the member population over the contract period. We are solely responsible for the cost of health care services related to the member population and in some cases, we are financially responsible for the supplemental benefits provided by us to the members. We act as a principal in arranging for and controlling the services provided by our provider network and we are at risk for arranging and providing health care services.
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The premium and capitation payments we receive monthly from CMS for our members are determined from our annual bid or similarly from third-party payors under our capitation arrangement. These payments represent revenues for providing health care coverage, including Medicare Part D benefits. Under the Medicare Part D program, our members and the members of the third-party payors receive standard drug benefits. We may also provide enhanced benefits at our own expense. We recognize premium or capitation revenue for providing this insurance coverage in the month that members are entitled to receive health care services and any premium or capitation collected in advance is deferred. Our CMS payment related to Medicare Part D is subject to risk sharing through the Medicare Part D risk corridor provisions.
On April 1, 2021, we began participating in the CMS Innovation’s Direct Contracting Model. CMS serves as the claim adjudicator for institutional and specialists care, and directly pays for such fee for service claims. The DCE is responsible for the cost of health care services related to the patient population attributed to the DCE by participating in 100% savings/losses via the risk share model and in some cases, are financially responsible for the supplemental benefits provided to the patients. The DCE acts as a principal in arranging for and controlling services provided directly by its contracts with primary care physicians, as well as services provided by preferred institutional care providers and specialists. Capitation payments for the DCE program are determined from an annual benchmark established by CMS. These payments, which are adjusted for variable considerations, represent revenue for providing health care service, including primary care as well as institutional and specialist care. The DCE recognizes capitation revenue for providing these services in the period in which the performance obligations are satisfied by transferring services to the members. Revenue recognized by the DCE for the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 was $50,946 and $37,737, respectively. CMS has announced it is replacing the DCE program with the “ACO Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health Model” or “ACO REACH” model, which became effective January 1, 2023.
Revenue Adjustments
Payments by CMS to health plans are determined via a competitive bidding process with CMS and are based upon the cost of care in a local market and the average utilization of services by the member enrolled. These payments are subject to periodic adjustments under CMS’ “risk adjustment model,” which compensates health plans based on the health severity and certain demographic factors of each individual member. Members diagnosed with certain conditions are paid at a higher monthly payment than members who are healthier. Under this risk adjustment model, CMS calculates the risk adjustment payment using diagnosis data from hospital inpatient, hospital outpatient, and physician treatment settings. The Company and health care providers collect, capture, and submit the necessary and available diagnosis data to CMS within prescribed deadlines. Both premium and capitation revenues (including Medicare Part D) are subject to adjustments under the risk adjustment model.
Throughout the year, we estimate risk adjustment payments based upon the diagnosis data submitted and expected to be submitted to CMS. Those estimated risk adjustment payments are recorded as an adjustment to premium and capitation revenue. Our risk adjustment data is also subject to review by the government, including audit by regulators. Estimated receivables related to risk adjustment payments are recorded as government receivables reported within accounts receivable on the consolidated balance sheet. We also estimate capitation payable reported within medical expense payable on the consolidated balance sheet, related to additional estimated premiums which increase capitation payments to certain providers.
Our recognized premium revenue for our Medicare Advantage Plans in California, North Carolina, Nevada, and Arizona are each subject to a minimum annual medical loss ratio (“MLR”) of 85%. The MLR represents medical costs as a percentage of premium revenue. The Code of Federal Regulations defines what constitutes medical costs and premium revenue, including certain additional expenses related to improving the quality of care provided, and the exclusion of certain taxes and fees, in each case as permitted or required by CMS and applicable regulatory requirements. If the minimum MLR is not met, we are required to remit a portion of the premiums back to the federal government. The amount remitted, if any, is recognized as an adjustment to premium revenues in the consolidated statements of operations. The amounts payable under this provision were immaterial at December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021.
Medicare Part D payments are also subject to a federal risk corridor program, which limits a health plan’s overall losses or profit if actual spending for basic Medicare Part D benefits is much higher or lower than what was anticipated. Risk corridor is recorded within premium revenue. The risk corridor provisions compare costs targeted in our bids or third-party payors’ bids to actual prescription drug costs, limited to actual costs that would have been incurred under the standard coverage as defined by CMS. Variances exceeding certain thresholds may result in CMS or third-party payors making additional payments to us or require us to refund a portion of the premiums we received. We estimate and recognize an adjustment to premium revenue related to these provisions based upon pharmacy claims experience. We record a receivable or payable at the contract level and classify the amount as current or long-term in our consolidated balance sheet based on the timing of expected settlement.
Variable consideration estimates related to DCE contract revenue are based on the most likely outcome method and that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognized would not occur.
Receivables, including risk adjusted premium due from the government or through third-party payors, pharmacy rebates, and other receivables, are shown net of allowances for credit losses and retroactive membership adjustments.
Cash
Cash includes currency on hand with banks and financial institutions. We consider short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. Carrying value approximates fair value due to the short-term maturity of the investments.
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, cash equivalents were $50 and $50, respectively.
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Restricted and Other Long-Term Assets
Restricted assets are composed of restricted cash and investments in US Treasury bills and certificate of deposits. The Company intends to hold its investments until maturity; therefore, these investments are stated at amortized cost. Premiums and discounts, if any, are amortized or accreted as interest expense or income over the life of the related asset using the effective interest method. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, all investments had maturities with less than 12 months.
Restricted assets are required to be maintained at a financial institution within certain states. Due to the nature of the state’s requirements, these assets are classified as noncurrent assets regardless of the contractual maturity date.
Property and Equipment—Net
Property and equipment are carried at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance that do not improve or extend the life of the assets are expensed when incurred. Costs and the related accumulated depreciation are removed when property and equipment are sold or otherwise disposed of, and any resulting gains or losses are reflected in the consolidated statement of operations.
Software development activities typically consist of three phases: (1) planning, (2) application and infrastructure development, and (3) postimplementation. Costs incurred in the planning and postimplementation phases, including post-configuration training and repairs and maintenance, are expensed as incurred. Costs incurred in the application and infrastructure development phases, including significant enhancements and upgrades, are capitalized once the planning phase is completed and management authorizes the project to commence. Those costs include, but are not limited to, salaries and benefit expenses for employees who are directly associated with the development projects and outside contractor expenses. Software development costs that do not qualify for capitalization are expensed as incurred.
Depreciation expense is computed using the straight-line method generally based on the following estimated useful lives:
Description Estimated Service Lives (years)
Computer and equipment 5
Office equipment and furniture 5-7
Software 3-5
Leasehold improvements 15 (or lease term, if shorter)
Depreciation expense related to property and equipment used to service our members or at our clinics are included within medical expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.
Leases
We determine if an arrangement is a lease at inception and evaluate each lease arrangement to determine whether the lease is an operating or financing leases. ROU assets and lease liabilities are recognized at commencement date based on the present value of the future minimum lease payments over the lease term. ROU assets include upfront payments, if any, and excludes lease incentives. The lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise that option.
We utilize our incremental borrowing rate to determine the present value of the lease payments if an interest rate is not implicit in the lease. Expenses for our operating and finance leases are recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term and are recorded as selling, general and administrative expenses for operating leases and as depreciation expense and interest expense for finance leases.
We elected practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance, which allowed the carryforward of historical lease classification, assessment on whether a contract was or contains a lease and allowed for a cumulative-effect adjustment as of January 1, 2020 and did not restate previously reported results in the comparative periods. We also elected to account for lease and non-lease components as a single lease component. Leases with an initial term of 12 months are not included within the ROU assets and lease liabilities and the associated lease payments are recognized in the consolidated statements of income on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Operating leases are included in ROU assets and lease liabilities are included in accounts payable and accrued expenses and long-term portion of lease liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Intangible assets are classified into three categories: (1) goodwill, (2) indefinite-lived intangible assets, and (3) definite-lived intangible assets.
Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized. For definite-lived intangible assets, we determine the useful lives of intangible assets after considering each asset’s specific facts and circumstances. Intangible assets that are determined to have definite lives are amortized on a
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straight-line basis over their useful lives.
Impairment
Goodwill and indefinite-lived assets are tested for impairment on an annual basis and more frequently if indicators of impairment are present. Impairment tests are performed, at a minimum, in the fourth quarter of each year supported by our long-range business plan and annual planning process.
When testing goodwill for impairment, we first perform a qualitative assessment. If the qualitative assessment indicates that it is more likely than not that the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds the estimated fair value, then a quantitative assessment is performed. We may elect to bypass the qualitative assessment and proceed directly to the quantitative assessment.
If the quantitative test is needed, we determine an appropriate valuation technique to estimate the fair value of the reporting unit as of the testing date. We utilize the income approach and the market approach to assess the most appropriate fair value for the reporting unit. Changes in economic and operating conditions impacting assumptions used in our analyses could result in goodwill impairment in future periods.
When testing indefinite-lived intangible assets other than goodwill for impairment, we first perform a qualitative analysis to determine whether it is more likely than not that an asset has been impaired. If it is more likely than not that an asset has been impaired, an impairment is evaluated by comparing the estimated fair value of the asset to its carrying value. An impairment charge is recognized if the asset’s estimated fair value is less than its carrying value.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
Long-lived assets consist of property and equipment and other finite-lived intangible assets. These assets are depreciated or amortized over their estimated useful life and are subject to impairment reviews. We periodically review long-lived assets whenever adverse events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of the asset may not be recoverable.
We review these assets for impairment by comparing the sum of the expected future cash flows (undiscounted and without interest charges) to the carry value. If the sum of the estimated undiscounted future cash flows is less than the carrying value, an impairment determination is required. The amount of impairment is calculated by subtracting the fair value of the asset from the carrying value. An impairment charge, if any, is recognized within earnings from operations.
Medical Expenses
Medical expenses include claim payments, capitation payments, pharmacy costs net of rebates, allocations of certain centralized expenses, internal care delivery expenses and various other costs incurred to provide health insurance coverage and care to members, as well as estimates of future payments to hospitals and others for medical care and other supplemental benefits provided.
We have contracts with a network of hospitals, physicians, and other providers and compensate those providers and ancillary organizations based on contractual arrangements or CMS Medicare compensation guidelines. We pay these contracting providers either through fee-for-service arrangement in which the provider is paid negotiated rates for specific services provided or a capitation payment, which represent monthly contractual fees disbursed for each member regardless of medical services provided to the member. We are responsible for the entirety of the cost of health care services related to the member population, in addition to supplemental benefits provided by us to our seniors. We also record claims expenses related to our institutional and specialist care related to our DCE program with CMS as we act as the principal in the transaction.
Capitation-related expenses are recorded on an accrual basis during the coverage period. Expenses related to fee-for-service contracts are recorded in the period in which the related services are dispensed.
Pharmacy costs represent payments for members’ prescription drug benefits, net of rebates from drug manufacturers. Receivables for such pharmacy rebates are included in accounts receivable in the consolidated balance sheet.
In August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act ("IRA") was signed into law. The law intends to increase tax revenue and reduce Medicare costs through lower prescription drug prices, inflation rebates, and capping annual Medicare Part D out of pocket expenses. The provisions of the law are set to take effect over the next seven years. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact the IRA will have on its business.
Medical Expenses Payable
Medical expenses payable includes estimates of our obligations for medical care services that have been rendered on behalf of our members and the members of the third-party payors, but for which claims have either not yet been received or processed, loss adjustment expense reserve for the expected costs of settling these claims, and for liabilities related to physician, hospital, and other medical cost disputes.
We develop estimates for medical expenses incurred but not yet paid (“IBNP”), which includes an estimate for claims incurred but not reported (“IBNR”) and a payable for adjudicated claims. IBNR is estimated using an actuarial process that is consistently applied and centrally controlled. Medical expenses payable also includes an estimate for the costs necessary to process unpaid claims at the end of each period. We estimate the IBNR liability using actuarial methods that are commonly used by health insurance actuaries and meet Actuarial Standards of Practice. These actuarial methods consider factors, such as cost trends and completion factors that are assessed based on historical data for payment patterns, product mix,
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seasonality, utilization of health care services, and other relevant factors. Each period, we re-examine previously established IBNR estimates based on actual claim submissions and other changes in facts and circumstances. As the IBNR estimates recorded in prior periods develop, we adjust the amount of the estimates and include the changes in estimates in medical expenses in the period in which the change is identified.
Actuarial Standards of Practice generally require that the IBNP estimates be adequate to cover obligations under moderately adverse conditions. Moderately adverse conditions are situations in which the actual claims are expected to be higher than the otherwise estimated value of such claims at the time of estimate. In many situations, the claims amount ultimately settled will be different than the estimate that satisfies the Actuarial Standards of Practice. We include in our IBNP an estimate for medical claims liability under moderately adverse conditions, which represents the risk of adverse deviation of the estimates in our actuarial method of reserving. We believe that medical expenses payable is adequate to cover future claims payments required. However, such estimates are based on knowledge of current events and anticipated future events. Therefore, the actual liability could differ materially from the amounts provided.
We reassess the profitability of contracts for providing coverage to members when current operating results or forecasts indicate probable future losses. A premium deficiency reserve is established in current operations to the extent that the sum of expected future costs, claim adjustment expenses, and maintenance costs exceed related future premiums under contracts without consideration of investment income. For purposes of determining premium deficiencies, contracts are grouped in a manner consistent with the method of acquiring, servicing, and measuring the profitability of such contracts. Losses recognized as a premium deficiency result in a beneficial effect in subsequent periods as operating losses under these contracts are charged to the liability previously established.
Part D Subsidies
We also receive advance payments each month from CMS related to Catastrophic Reinsurance, Coverage Gap Discount, and the Low-Income Member Cost Sharing Subsidy (“Subsidies”). Reinsurance subsidies represent funding from CMS for our portion of prescription drug costs, which exceed the member’s out-of-pocket threshold or the catastrophic coverage level. Low-income cost subsidies represent funding from CMS for all or a portion of the deductible, the coinsurance and co-payment amounts above the out-of-pocket threshold for low-income beneficiaries. Additionally, the Health Care Reform Law mandates consumer discounts of 75% on brand-name prescription drugs for Part D plan participants in the coverage gap. The majority of the discounts are funded by the pharmaceutical manufacturers, while we fund a smaller portion and administer the application of the total discount. These Subsidies represent cost reimbursements under the Medicare Part D program and are recorded as deposits or payables.
These Subsidies received in excess of, or less than, actual subsidized benefits paid are refundable to or recoverable from CMS through an annual reconciliation process following the end of the contract year. The amounts refundable to or recoverable from CMS, including risk corridor as discussed above, were recorded in the following accounts within the consolidated balance sheets:
Risk Corridor CMS Subsidies Risk Corridor CMS Subsidies
Current assets:
Accounts receivable $ 339 $ — $ 113 $ —
Prepaid expenses and other current assets — 18,959 — 16,323
Current liabilities:
Shared Risk Reserve Arrangements
We established a fund (also referred to as “a pool”) for risk and profit-sharing with various independent physician associations (“IPAs”). The pool enables us and our IPAs to share in the financial responsibility and/or upside associated with providing covered medical expenses to our members. The risk pool is based on a contractually agreed upon medical budget, typically based upon a percentage of revenue. If actual medical expenses are less than the budgeted amount, this results in a surplus. Conversely, if actual medical expenses are greater than the budgeted amount, this results in a deficit. We will distribute the surplus, or a portion thereof, to each IPA based upon contractual terms. Deficits are charged to shared risk providers’ risk pool as per the contractual term and evaluated for collectability at each reporting period.
We record risk-sharing receivables and payables on a gross basis on the consolidated balance sheet. Throughout the year, we evaluate expected losses on risk-sharing receivables and record the resulting expected losses to the reserve. We systematically build and release reserves based on adequacy and its assessment of expected losses on a monthly basis. Credit loss associated with risk share deficit receivables are recorded within medical expense in the consolidated statements of operations. As of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we recorded a valuation allowance for all of the risk-sharing receivable balance due to collection risk related to the balance. The risk-sharing payable is included within medical expenses payable on the consolidated balance sheet.
Concentrations of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject us to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash deposits and restricted investments with financial institutions. Accounts at each financial institution are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) up to certain limits. At December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, there was $408,047and $465,824, respectively, in excess of FDIC-insured limits.
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Industry Tax
Section 9010 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act imposes an annual, nondeductible insurance industry tax (“Industry Tax”), which is levied proportionately across the insurance industry for risk-based products. The Industry Tax was estimated based on a ratio of our net premiums written compared to the US Health insurance total net premiums. The Industry Tax was $0 and $12,286 for the years ended December 31, 2021, and 2020, respectively, and was reported as selling, general and administrative expenses. The Industry Tax has been repealed for calendar years beginning after December 31, 2020.
Income Taxes
We account for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on temporary differences between the bases used for financial reporting and income tax reporting purposes based on the enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect at the time such temporary differences are expected to reverse.
The recognition of deferred tax assets requires an assessment to determine the realization of such assets. Realization refers to the incremental benefits achieved through the reductions in future taxes payable or refunds receivable from the deferred tax assets, assuming that the underlying deductible differences and carryforwards are the last items to enter into the determination of future taxable income. We establish a valuation allowance for tax assets when it is more likely than not that they will not be realized, based on all available positive and negative evidence.
We account for uncertainty in income taxes using a “more-likely-than-not” recognition threshold. We consider many factors when evaluating and estimating our tax positions and tax benefits, which may require periodic adjustments, and which may not accurately reflect actual outcomes. Interest and penalties related to uncertain tax benefits are recognized as a component of interest expense and income tax expense, respectively, in the consolidated statement of operations.
Member Acquisition Costs
Member acquisition costs primarily relate to internal and external broker commission costs. These member acquisition costs related to our health services contract with our members are expensed as incurred and are recorded as selling, general and administrative expenses. These short-term health services contract typically have a one-year term and may be canceled by the member.
Advertising Expenses
The Company expenses the costs of advertising as incurred. Advertising expenses were $7,958, $3,581, and $1,505, for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020, respectively, and were reported as selling, general and administrative expenses.
Equity-Based Compensation
Equity-based compensation expense is measured and recognized based on the grant date fair value of the awards. The grant date fair value of stock options is estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The grant date fair value of restricted stock units (“RSUs”) and restricted stock awards (“RSAs”) is estimated based on the fair value of our underlying common stock.
The Black-Scholes option pricing model requires the use of highly subjective assumptions, including the award’s expected term, the fair value of the underlying common stock, the expected volatility of the price of the common stock, risk-free interest rates, and the expected dividend yield of the common stock. The assumptions used to determine the fair value of the stock-based awards are management’s best estimates and involve inherent uncertainties and the application of judgment. The expected term represents the period the stock-based awards are expected to be outstanding. As we do not have sufficient historical experience for determining the expected term of the stock option awards granted, we utilize the simplified method available under U.S. GAAP. As we do not have a substantial trading history, volatility assumptions were developed using a combination of the Company's historical volatility and the historical volatilities of a set of peer companies, adjusted for debt-equity leverage. Equity-based compensation expense for awards with service-based vesting only is recognized on a graded vesting schedule over the requisite service period of the awards, which is generally four years. We account for forfeitures as they occur.
Additionally, prior to the IPO, the Parent had granted its Class B and Class C units to certain of our executives and board members ("Incentive Units") and had also approved the Company’s Stock Appreciation Rights (“SARs”) Plan. Upon the IPO, SARs were modified and concurrently were partially settled in cash and partially settled with issuance of common stock, a portion of which is restricted as discussed in Note 10 below.
During March of 2021, we also amended certain of our contracts with third-party business partners and agreed to issue shares of common stock at the IPO price, in consideration for the discharge of certain contingent payment obligations under such agreements ("Stock Payment") as discussed in Note 10.
Equity-based compensation is recorded within selling, general and administrative expenses, and medical expenses based on the function of the applicable employee and non-employee.
Noncontrolling interest
Noncontrolling interest represents the portion of equity ownership in a subsidiary that is not attributable to Alignment Healthcare, Inc. The noncontrolling interest in a subsidiary was initially recognized at estimated fair value on April 1, 2021 and is presented within total equity in the Company's consolidated balance sheets. There was no net loss attributable to this noncontrolling interest for the years ended December 31, 2022 and
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December 31, 2021 as the Company was responsible for 100% of the net loss of that subsidiary. During the three months ended June 30, 2022, the Company purchased the noncontrolling interest and owns 100% of that subsidiary as of December 31, 2022.
In October 2022, the Company acquired a subsidiary and recorded a noncontrolling interest for the portion of equity ownership not attributable to Alignment Healthcare, Inc. The noncontrolling interest in the subsidiary was initially recognized at estimated fair value on October 1, 2022 and is presented within total equity in the Company's consolidated balance sheet. The net loss attributable to this noncontrolling interest was $92 for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Net Loss per Share
Net loss per share is calculated based on net loss attributable to Alignment Healthcare, Inc.'s shareholders. The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted net loss per share for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020:
Year EndedDecember 31,
Numerator:
Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests 92 - -
Denominator:
Net loss per share:
Basic net loss per share is the same as diluted net loss per share for periods presented as the inclusion of all potentially dilutive shares would have been anti-dilutive.
In addition to the restricted shares of common stock, we also excluded the following potential common shares, presented based on amounts outstanding at each period end, from the computation of diluted net loss per share as of December 31, 2022, 2021, 2020:
December 31,
Recent Accounting Pronouncements Issued
In November 2021, the FASB issued a new accounting standard around the recognition and measurement of contract assets and contract liabilities from revenue contracts with customers acquired in a business combination. The new standard clarifies that contract assets and contract liabilities acquired in a business combination from an acquiree should initially be recognized by applying revenue recognition principles and not at fair value. The standard is effective for interim and annual periods beginning on January 1, 2023, and early adoption was permitted. The impact of this standard will depend on the facts and circumstances of future transactions.
From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") or other standard setting bodies that are adopted by the Company as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, the Company believes that the impact of recently issued standards that are not yet effective will not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position or results of operations upon adoption.
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3. Fair Value
U.S. Treasury bills and certificate of deposits are reported at amortized costs which is equivalent to fair value. The following tables present the carrying value and fair value of these financial instruments as of December 31, 2022 and 2021:
Fair Value
CarryingValue Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
US Treasury bills $ 1,383 $ — $ 1,383 $ —
Fair Value
CarryingValue Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
U.S. Treasury bills $ 1,375 $ — $ 1,375 $ —
The carrying value of long-term debt represents the outstanding balance, net of unamortized debt issuance costs. As of December 31, 2022, the fair value of our long-term debt approximates the carrying value. As of December 31, 2021, the carrying value and fair value of our long-term debt was $150,620 and $154,367, respectively.
The fair value of our long-term debt is classified as a Level 3 financial instrument because certain inputs used to determine its fair value are not observable. The fair value was estimated using a discounted cash flow (“DCF”) methodology. The discount rate used in the DCF model was estimated based on a synthetic credit rating analysis for us, and a screening of market data to identify market yields of instruments within the range of identified credit ratings and with otherwise similar features.
Our nonfinancial assets and liabilities, which include goodwill, intangible assets, property, and equipment, are not required to be measured at fair value on a recurring basis. However, on a periodic basis, or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying value may not be recoverable, we assess these assets for impairment. No such impairment resulted during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020.
4. Accounts Receivable
Accounts receivable consisted of the following as of December 31, 2022 and 2021:
Allowance for credit losses — (111 )
The allowance for expected credit losses for accounts receivable is based primarily on past collections experience relative to the length of time receivables are past due. However, when available evidence reasonably supports an assumption that future economic conditions will differ from current and historical payment collections, an adjustment is reflected in the allowance for expected credit losses. We record pharmacy rebates and other receivables based on contractual terms and expected collections and our estimation process for contractual allowances for such balances generally results in an allowance for balances outstanding greater than 90 days or if expected credit risks are known.
Receivables and any associated allowance are written off only when all collection attempts have failed and such amounts are determined unrecoverable. We regularly review the adequacy of these allowances based on a variety of factors, including age of the outstanding receivable and collection history. When circumstances related to specific collection patterns change, estimates of the recoverability of receivables are adjusted. Because substantially all of our receivable amounts are readily determinable and a large portion of our creditors are governmental authorities, our allowance for credit losses is insignificant.
We recorded credit losses related to accounts receivable of $150, $111, and $118 during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020, respectively. The amounts were recorded in selling general, and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.
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5. Property and Equipment
Property and equipment consisted of the following as of December 31, 2022 and 2021:
Office equipment and furniture 4,470 4,416
Depreciation expense for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $17,100, of which $213 was included in medical expenses. Depreciation expense for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 was $15,671and $15,134, respectively, of which $220 and $366, respectively, was included in medical expenses.
6. Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Intangible assets consisted of the following as of December 31, 2022 and 2021:
License (indefinite lived) 4,967 — 4,967 —
License (indefinite lived) 4,917 — 4,917 —
Amortization expense relating to intangible assets for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020, was $386, $362, and $327, respectively. Estimated amortization expense relating to intangible assets for each of the next five years ending December 31, is as follows:
Thereafter 23
There were no impairment charges related to goodwill and intangible assets for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020.
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7. Medical Expenses Payable
The following table is a detail of medical expenses payable as of December 31, 2022 and 2021:
Each period, we re-examine previously established outstanding claims reserve estimates based on actual claims submissions and other changes in facts and circumstances. As more complete claim information becomes available, we adjust the amount of the estimates and include the changes in estimates in claim costs in the period in which the change is identified. Substantially, all of the total claims paid by us are known and settled within the first year from the date of service, and substantially, all remaining claim amounts are paid within a three-year period.
The following table presents components of the change in medical expenses payable as of December 31 2022, 2021, and 2020 :
Incurred related to:
Payments related to:
In March 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic. The COVID-19 virus disproportionately impacts older adults, especially those with chronic illnesses, which describes many of the seniors we serve. For the three months ended March 31, 2021, we experienced higher claims costs due to COVID-19 related inpatient admissions. However, for the remainder of 2021 we saw a decline in COVID-related utilization (compared to the first quarter of 2021) as vaccination rates improved across our senior population. The Delta and Omicron variants caused a rebound in COVID-related inpatient utilization during the second half of 2021 and first quarter of 2022, however, the increase in utilization did not reach first quarter of 2021 levels. While COVID had a less significant impact on fiscal year 2022, we remain cautious of the potential impact of the COVID-19 in the future. The ultimate impact of COVID-19 to us and our financial condition is presently unknown, and we continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on our claims reserve estimate.
We re-examine previously established outstanding claims reserve estimates based on actual claims submissions and other changes in facts and circumstances. We recognized a favorable prior year development, excluding provision for adverse deviation, of $11,179, $4,166, and $14,552 for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020, respectively. The favorable prior year development incurred in 2022, 2021 and 2020 was primarily due to better-than-expected claims recoveries and actual claims expense being less than expected.
The following tables provide information about incurred and paid claims development as of December 31, 2022:
Cumulative Incurred Claims, Net of Reinsurance For the Years Ended December 31,
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Substantially all of the claims incurred but not paid as of December 31, 2022 relate to the current year.
There is no single or common claim frequency metric used in the health care industry. We believe a relevant metric for our health insurance business is the cumulative number of claims paid for each incurred year. Claims that did not result in a liability are not included in the frequency metric.
8. Long-Term Debt
Long-term debt is recorded at carrying value in the consolidated balance sheets. The carrying value of long-term debt outstanding, net of unamortized debt issuance costs, consisted of the following as of December 31, 2022 and 2021:
Less unamortized debt issuance costs (4,098 ) (3,492 )
Less current portion of long-term debt — —
CRG Term Loan
In August 2018, we entered into a term loan with CR Group ("CRG") for $80,000, with an option to borrow up to an additional $20,000. In April 2019, we amended the term loan to increase our borrowing capacity by $75,000. The terms and conditions in the term loan remained the same unless otherwise stated in the amendment. The term loan was subject to a commitment fee of $6,750 and we incurred debt issuance costs of $3,625. Debt issuance costs related to attorney fees, other third-party costs, and commitment fees that represent 5% of the amount borrowed. We were required to pay the commitment fees when the term loan was repaid, as noted below. Debt issuance costs were deferred and were amortized to interest expense over the debt term using the effective interest method. Debt issuance costs were presented in the consolidated balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying value of the term loan. The term loan (including the related amendment) bore interest at a rate of 10.25% payable on a quarterly basis. We had the option to pay a portion of the interest rate in cash, and the remaining portion of the interest rate was added to the debt principal balance as a payment-in-kind. The payment-in-kind was also subject to a commitment fee of 5%. The cash and payment-in-kind interest rates were 7.75% and 2.5%, respectively, through April 2019 and converted to 7.50% and 2.75%, respectively, for the remainder of the term. In 2022 and 2021, we utilized our option to pay the quarterly interest payments in both cash and payment-in-kind.
In connection with the new credit facility with Oxford Finance, as noted below, we repaid all amounts outstanding under the term loan with CRG. This included the principal balance of $135,000, the commitment fee of $6,750, the payment-in-kind commitment fee of $706, and the payment-in-kind interest balance of $14,122. The amount paid also included $1,999 related to interest for the three months ended September 30, 2022. Additionally, we recorded a loss on debt extinguishment of $2,196 due to the write off of the remaining unamortized debt issuance costs and unamortized commitment fees.
Oxford Term Loan
On September 2, 2022 (the "Effective Date"), we entered into a senior secured term loan agreement (the “Oxford Loan Agreement”) with Oxford Finance LLC (“Oxford”), as administrative agent, collateral agent and a lender, and the other lenders from time to time party thereto (collectively, the “Lenders”), pursuant to which the Lenders have agreed to lend an aggregate principal amount of up to $250,000 in a series of term loans (the “Term Loans”). Pursuant to the Oxford Loan Agreement, we received an initial Term Loan of $165,000 on the Effective Date (the “Initial Term Loan”) and may borrow up to an additional $85,000 of Term Loans at our option (such additional Term Loans, the “Delayed Draw Term Loans”). Interest on the Term Loans is a variable rate equal to (i) the secured overnight financing rate ("SOFR") administered by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for a one-month tenor, subject to a floor of 1.00%, plus (ii) an applicable margin of 6.50%. All unpaid principal and accrued and unpaid interest with respect to each Term Loan is due and payable in full on September 1, 2027. The interest rate applied during the month ended September 30, 2022 through the month ended December 31, 2022 ranged from 9.02% to 10.63%.
The aggregate proceeds of the Delayed Draw Term Loans drawn on or prior to June 30, 2024 may not exceed $50,000 unless used for permitted acquisitions and may not exceed $35,000 drawn on or after July 1, 2024.
The term loan was subject to a commitment fee of $1,650 and an origination fee of $1,650. The Delayed Draw Term Loans are subject to a commitment fee of $850. We incurred additional debt issuance costs of $1,096 related to attorney fees and other third-party costs. The commitment and origination fees are included within debt issuance costs and were deferred and will be amortized to interest expense over the debt term using the straight line method, which is materially consistent with the effective interest method. The debt issuance costs related to the term loan are presented in the
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consolidated balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying value of the term loan. The debt issuance costs related to the delayed draw term loan are presented in the consolidated balance sheet as other assets.
Substantially all of the proceeds from the Initial Term Loan were used to repay in full the $159,300 aggregate principal amount, accrued interest (including “payment in kind” interest) and fees related to the CRG Term Loan, as well as certain fees and expenses payable to Oxford.
The Term Loans are guaranteed by certain of our wholly owned subsidiaries and collateralized by all unrestricted assets.
For certain prepayments of the Term Loans prior to the second anniversary of the Effective Date, we will be required to pay a prepayment fee ranging from 1.00% to 2.00% of the principal amount of the Term Loans being prepaid.
The Oxford Loan Agreement includes customary events of default, including, among others, payment defaults, breach of representations and warranties, covenant defaults, judgment defaults, insolvency and bankruptcy defaults, and change of control. The occurrence of an event of default could result in the acceleration of the obligations under the Loan Agreement, termination of the Term Loan commitments and the right to foreclose on the collateral securing the obligations. During the existence of an event of default, the outstanding Term Loans will accrue interest at a rate per annum equal to 2.00% plus the otherwise applicable interest rate. Additionally, in the event of any contemplated asset sale or series of asset sales yielding net proceeds in excess of $2,500, except those excluded per the Loan Agreement, we are required to prepay the aggregate outstanding principal balance of the Term Loans in an amount equal to the entire amount of the asset sale net proceeds, plus any accrued and unpaid interest.
The Oxford Loan Agreement includes financial covenants that require the Borrower Parties to (i) maintain minimum liquidity, as defined in the Loan Agreement, of $23.0 million and (ii) satisfy a maximum permitted ratio of debt to trailing twelve-month revenue, as set forth in the Loan Agreement. As of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we were in compliance with the Oxford and CRG financial covenants, respectively.
Future maturities under the term loan as of December 31, 2022 are as follows:
Period Ending December 31, Amount
9. Income Taxes
The reconciliation of income tax expense recorded in the consolidated statement of operations and amounts computed at the statutory federal income tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, were as follows:
Amount Percentage Amount Percentage Amount Percentage
Equity-based compensation — — 621 (0.3 ) 446 (1.9 )
ACA Health insurer fee — — — — 2,580 (11.3 )
Nondeductible executive compensation 8,001 (5.4 ) 8,316 (4.3 ) — —
Net income tax expense $ 339 (0.2)% $ — — $ — —
The components of deferred income taxes as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, were as follows:
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Deferred tax assets:
Federal and state net operating loss carryforwards $ 141,278 $ 97,039
Deferred tax liabilities:
Gross deferred tax liabilities (5,083 ) (2,313 )
Net deferred taxes $ — $ —
Valuation allowances are provided when it is considered more likely than not that deferred tax assets will not be realized. The valuation allowances primarily relate to future tax benefits on certain federal and state net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforwards. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, federal NOL carryforwards were $426,440 and $343,323, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, state NOL carryforwards were $454,522 and $374,006, respectively, and $234,742 of the total federal net operating loss carryforwards have an indefinite life while the remaining federal and state net operating loss carryforwards begin to expire in 2033 if not utilized.
Of the total NOL carryforwards, approximately $19,031 of federal and $13,221 of California NOL carryforwards relate to Alignment Health Plan, Inc. for which the utilization of the federal NOL carryforward is subject to a federal Section 382 limitation of $870 per year, and the utilization of the California NOL carryforwards is subject to a similar California annual limitation. In June 2020, California’s Governor signed into law Assembly Bill (“AB”) 85 suspending California NOL utilization for taxpayers with more than $1 million of taxable income, effective for tax years 2020, 2021, and 2022. AB 85 includes an extended carryover period for the suspended NOLs with an additional year carryforward for each year of suspension. Subsequently, on February 9, 2022, the California governor signed Senate Bill 113 (S.B. 113), which restores the NOL deduction and eliminates the $5 million annual cap on business incentive tax credits, effective for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2022.
We have cumulative NOLs as of December 31, 2022 and 2021. Given the history of losses, and after consideration for the risk associated with estimates of future taxable income, we established a full valuation allowance against net deferred tax assets at December 31, 2022 and 2021. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”), federal NOLs generated after 2017 will be carried forward indefinitely but are limited to an 80% deduction of taxable income. NOLs generated prior to 2018 have a 20-year carryforward period and can be used to offset 100% of taxable income. An exception to the TCJA federal NOL rule applies to certain of our subsidiaries and requires all NOLs generated from those entities to have a 20-year carryforward period and offset 100% of taxable income.
Additionally, an “ownership change” as defined under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code, could potentially limit the ability to utilize certain tax attributes including the Company’s substantial NOLs. Ownership change is generally defined as any significant change in ownership of more than 50% of its stock over a three-year testing period. If, as a result of current or future transactions involving our common stock, we undergo cumulative ownership changes which exceed 50% over the testing period, our ability to utilize our NOL carryforwards would be subject to additional limitations under IRC Section 382. We continue to monitor changes in ownership with respect to these income tax provisions.
The CARES Act, which was enacted on March 27, 2020, provides for deferred payment of the employer portion of social security taxes due between March 27, 2020 and December 31, 2020, with 50% due by December 31, 2021 and the remaining 50% due by December 31, 2022. We began deferring the employer portion of its social security taxes in April 2020. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the deferred portion of social security taxes amounted to $0 and $1,072, respectively.
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, there were no liabilities for unrecognized tax benefits.
10. Equity-Based Compensation
2021 Equity Incentive Plan
In connection with the IPO, on March 25, 2021, our Board of Directors adopted the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”). Under the 2021 Plan, employees, consultants and directors of our company and our affiliates that perform services for us are eligible to receive awards. The 2021 Plan provides for the grant of incentive stock options (“ISOs”), non-statutory stock options (“NSOs”), stock appreciation rights, restricted shares, performance awards, other share based awards (including restricted stock units) and other cash-based awards. ISOs may be granted only to employees, including officers. All other awards may be granted to employees, including officers, non-employee directors and consultants. The maximum number
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of shares available for issuance under the 2021 Plan may not exceed 20,744,444 shares (subject to a discretionary annual increase of up to 4% effective as of January 1 of each year for 10 years).
Equity Awards
Stock options
Our outstanding stock options generally vest 25% annually over four years and generally expire 10 years from the date of the grant. The 2021 Equity Incentive Plan provides that stock option grants will be made with an exercise price at no less than the estimated fair value of common stock at the date of the grant.
The following is a summary of the stock option transactions as of and for the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021:
Stock Options Outstanding
Balances as of December 31, 2020 — $ —
Options exercised — —
Options exercised — —
Aggregate intrinsic value represents the difference between the exercise price of the option and the closing price of our common stock. The aggregate intrinsic value of options exercised for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 was $0. The fair value of options granted during the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 was $5,685 and $85,043, respectively. As the options were all granted in 2022 and 2021 there was no related compensation expense in 2020.
The weighted-average assumptions used to determine the fair value of stock options granted during the period were as follows:
Year Ended December 31, Year Ended December 31,
Expected term (in years)(1) 6.25 6.25
Risk-free interest rate(3) 1.4% - 4.4% 0.9% - 1.4%
Dividend yield(4) 0.0 % 0.0 %
(1)
An estimated expected life of 6.25 years before exercise was used based on the midpoint of the vesting date and the full contractual term (known as the simplified method). We do not have sufficient history of exercise for similar awards.
(2)
The expected volatility for new options granted was estimated based on a combination of the historical daily price changes of our common stock and our peer companies’ common stock over the most recent period equal to the expected term of the option, adjusted for debt-equity leverage.
(3)
The risk-free interest rate for period equal to the expected term of the option was based on the rate of treasury securities with the same term as the option as of the grant date.
(4)
An expected dividend yield of 0% was used because we have not historically paid dividends.
Restricted Stock Awards
Our outstanding RSAs generally vest 25% annually over four years. RSAs converted from pre-IPO awards generally vest on the later of the fourth anniversary of the original vesting commencement date or 50% annually on the first and second anniversary of the IPO (see “Pre-IPO Equity” and "Modifications" sections below for details).
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The following is a summary of RSA transactions as of and for the year ended December 31, 2022:
Restricted Shares Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value
Unvested and outstanding as of December 31, 2020 — $ —