cvs-20221231
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
☑ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022
or
☐TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from _________ to_________
Commission file number: 001-01011
CVS HEALTH CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
One CVS Drive, Woonsocket, Rhode Island 02895
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (401) 765-1500
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share CVS New York Stock Exchange
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Large accelerated filer ☒ Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐
Emerging growth company ☐
The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates was approximately $121,258,020,752 as of June 30, 2022, based on the closing price of the common stock on the New York Stock Exchange. For purposes of this calculation, only executive officers and directors are deemed to be affiliates of the registrant.
As of February 1, 2023, the registrant had 1,284,111,667 shares of common stock outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
The following materials are incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K:
Information contained in the definitive proxy statement for CVS Health Corporation’s 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 (the “Proxy Statement”), is incorporated by reference in Parts III and IV to the extent described therein.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Part I
Item 1: Business 2
Item 1A: Risk Factors 34
Item 1B: Unresolved Staff Comments 62
Item 2: Properties 62
Item 3: Legal Proceedings 63
Item 4: Mine Safety Disclosures 63
Information about our Executive Officers 64
Part II
Item 6: Reserved 68
Item 7A: Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 102
Item 8: Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 105
Item 9A: Controls and Procedures 182
Item 9B: Other Information 182
Item 9C: Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 183
Part III
Item 10: Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 183
Item 11: Executive Compensation 183
Item 14: Principal Accountant Fees and Services 184
Part IV
Item 15: Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 185
Unless the context otherwise requires, references to the terms “we,” “our” or “us” used throughout this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “10-K”) refer to CVS Health Corporation (a Delaware corporation), together with its subsidiaries (collectively, “CVS Health” or the “Company”). References to competitors and other companies throughout this 10-K, including the information incorporated herein by reference, are for illustrative or comparison purposes only and are not identifying that these companies are the only competitors or closest competitors of the Company or any of the Company’s businesses, products, or services.
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Reform Act”) provides a “safe harbor” for forward-looking statements, so long as (1) those statements are identified as forward-looking, and (2) the statements are accompanied by meaningful cautionary statements that identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the statement. We are taking advantage of these safe harbor provisions.
Certain information contained in this 10-K is forward-looking within the meaning of the Reform Act or SEC rules. This information includes, but is not limited to: “Outlook for 2023” of Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) included in Item 7, “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk” included in Item 7A, “Government Regulation” included in Item 1, and “Risk Factors” included in Item 1A. In addition, throughout this 10-K and our other reports and communications, we use the following words or variations or negatives of these words and similar expressions when we intend to identify forward-looking statements:
· Anticipates · Believes · Can · Continue · Could
· Estimates · Evaluate · Expects · Explore · Forecast
· Guidance · Intends · Likely · May · Might
· Outlook · Plans · Potential · Predict · Probable
· Projects · Seeks · Should · View · Will
All statements addressing the future operating performance of CVS Health or any segment or any subsidiary and/or future events or developments, including statements relating to the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) and any new variants or viruses on the Company’s businesses, investment portfolio, operating results, cash flows and/or financial condition, statements relating to corporate strategy, statements relating to future revenue, operating income or adjusted operating income, earnings per share or adjusted earnings per share, Health Care Benefits segment business, sales results and/or trends, medical cost trends, medical membership, Medicare Part D membership, medical benefit ratios and/or operations, Pharmacy Services segment business, sales results and/or trends and/or operations, Retail/LTC segment business, sales results and/or trends and/or operations, incremental investment spending, interest expense, effective tax rate, weighted-average share count, cash flow from operations, net capital expenditures, cash available for debt repayment, statements related to possible, proposed or pending acquisitions, joint ventures, investments or combinations that involve, among other things, the timing or likelihood of receipt of regulatory approvals, the timing of completion, integration synergies, net synergies and integration risks and other costs, including those related to CVS Health’s proposed acquisition of Oak Street Health, Inc. (“Oak Street Health”) and pending acquisition of Signify Health, Inc. (“Signify Health”), enterprise modernization, transformation, leverage ratio, cash available for enhancing shareholder value, inventory reduction, turn rate and/or loss rate, debt ratings, the Company’s ability to attract or retain customers and clients, store development and/or relocations, new product development, and the impact of industry and regulatory developments, as well as statements expressing optimism or pessimism about future operating results or events, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Reform Act.
Forward-looking statements rely on a number of estimates, assumptions and projections concerning future events, and are subject to a number of significant risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those statements. Many of these risks and uncertainties and other factors are outside our control.
Certain of these risks and uncertainties and other factors are described under “Risk Factors” included in Item 1A of this 10-K; these are not the only risks and uncertainties we face. There can be no assurance that the Company has identified all the risks that may affect it. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to the Company or that the Company currently believes to be immaterial also may adversely affect the Company’s businesses. If any of those risks or uncertainties develops into actual events, those events or circumstances could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s businesses, operating results, cash flows, financial condition and/or stock price, among other effects.
You should not put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this 10-K, and we disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, uncertainties or otherwise.
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Table of Contents
PART I
Item 1. Business.
Overview
CVS Health Corporation, together with its subsidiaries (collectively, “CVS Health,” the “Company,” “we,” “our” or “us”), is a leading diversified health solutions company reshaping health care to help make healthier happen for more Americans. In an increasingly connected and digital world, CVS Health is meeting people wherever they are and changing health care to meet their needs. The Company has more than 9,000 retail locations, more than 1,100 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with over 110 million plan members with expanding specialty pharmacy solutions and a dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving more than one million patients per year. The Company also serves an estimated 35 million people through traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including expanding Medicare Advantage offerings and a leading standalone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan (“PDP”). The Company believes its integrated health care model increases access to quality care, delivers better health outcomes and lowers overall health care costs.
The Company has four reportable segments: Health Care Benefits, Pharmacy Services, Retail/LTC and Corporate/Other.
Business Strategy
The Company seeks to reimagine the consumer healthcare experience to make it easier and more affordable to live a healthier life. This means delivering solutions that are more personalized, simpler to use, and increasingly digital so that consumers can receive care when, where and how they desire. CVS Health is also shifting from transaction-based care to addressing holistic health – physical, emotional, social, economic – which will lead to higher quality care and lower medical costs. The Company is a leader in key segments of health care through its foundational businesses and is seeking to create new sources of value by expanding into next generation care delivery and health services, with a goal of improving satisfaction levels for both providers and consumers. The Company believes its consumer-centric strategy will drive sustainable long-term growth and deliver value for all stakeholders.
COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic and its emerging new variants continue to impact the U.S. and other countries around the world. Our strong local presence and scale in communities across the country has enabled us to play an indispensable role in the national response to COVID-19, as well as provide seamless support for our customers wherever they need us: in our CVS locations, in their homes, and virtually.
The Company offered COVID-19 diagnostic testing at more than 4,700 CVS pharmacy locations, at community-based testing sites in underserved areas and through its Return ReadySM solution as of December 31, 2022. During 2021, the Company also began selling over-the-counter (“OTC”) test kits in its retail locations and online. The Company began administering COVID-19 vaccinations in long-term care facilities and in certain of its retail pharmacies during December 2020 and February 2021, respectively, and began the administration of COVID-19 boosters and pediatric vaccines during the fourth quarter of 2021. The Company offered COVID-19 vaccinations at more than 9,000 CVS pharmacy locations as of December 31, 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company administered more than 15 million COVID-19 tests and nearly 28 million COVID-19 vaccines and sold more than 63 million OTC test kits. The Company expects to continue to play a significant role in COVID-19 testing and vaccine administration in the future, while maintaining a strong commitment to testing and vaccine equity by optimizing site locations and targeting outreach initiatives to reach vulnerable populations.
The impact of COVID-19 on the Company’s businesses, operating results, cash flows and financial condition in the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, as well as information regarding certain expected impacts of COVID-19 on the Company, is discussed throughout this 10-K.
Health Care Benefits Segment
The Health Care Benefits segment operates as one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits providers, serving an estimated 35 million people as of December 31, 2022. The Health Care Benefits segment has the information and resources to help members, in consultation with their health care professionals, make more informed decisions about their health care. The Health Care Benefits segment offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products
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and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental and behavioral health plans, medical management capabilities, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans, PDPs, Medicaid health care management services, and health information technology (“HIT”) products and services. The Health Care Benefits segment also provided workers’ compensation administrative services through its Coventry Health Care Workers’ Compensation business (“Workers’ Compensation business”) prior to the sale of this business on July 31, 2020. The Health Care Benefits segment’s customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers (“providers”), governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates.
Health Care Benefits Products and Services
The Company refers to insurance products (where it assumes all or a majority of the risk for medical and dental care costs) as “Insured” and administrative services contract products (where the plan sponsor assumes all or a majority of the risk of medical and dental care costs) as “ASC.” Health Care Benefits products and services consist of the following:
•Commercial Medical: The Health Care Benefits segment offers point-of-service (“POS”), preferred provider organization (“PPO”), health maintenance organization (“HMO”) and indemnity benefit (“Indemnity”) plans. Commercial medical products also include health savings accounts (“HSAs”) and consumer-directed health plans that combine traditional POS or PPO and/or dental coverage, subject to a deductible, with an accumulating benefit account (which may be funded by the plan sponsor and/or the member in the case of HSAs). With the launch of Aetna Virtual Primary CareTM in 2021, eligible members now have access to health services remotely, paired with access to in-person visits with providers in the Company’s network, including at MinuteClinic® locations. Principal products and services are targeted specifically to large multi-site national, mid-sized and small employers, individual insureds and expatriates. The Company offers medical stop loss insurance coverage for certain employers who elect to self-insure their health benefits. Under medical stop loss insurance products, the Company assumes risk for costs associated with large individual claims and/or aggregate loss experience within an employer’s plan above a pre-set annual threshold. The segment also has a portfolio of additional health products and services that complement its medical products such as dental plans, behavioral health and employee assistance products, provider network access and vision products.
•Government Medical: In select geographies, the Health Care Benefits segment offers Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare Supplement plans and prescription drug coverage for Medicare beneficiaries; participates in Medicaid and subsidized Children’s Health Insurance Programs (“CHIP”); and participates in demonstration projects for members who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid (“Duals”). These Government Medical products are further described below:
•Medicare Advantage: Through annual contracts with the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”), the Company offers HMO and PPO products for eligible individuals in certain geographic areas through the Medicare Advantage program. Members typically receive enhanced benefits over traditional fee-for-service Medicare coverage (“Original Medicare”), including reduced cost-sharing for preventive care, vision and other services. The Company offered network-based HMO and/or PPO plans in 46 states and Washington, D.C. in 2022. For certain qualifying employer groups, the Company offers Medicare PPO products nationally. When combined with the Company’s PDP product, these national PPO plans form an integrated national Insured Medicare product for employers that provides medical and pharmacy benefits.
•Medicare PDP: The Company is a national provider of drug benefits under the Medicare Part D prescription drug program. All Medicare eligible individuals are eligible to participate in this voluntary prescription drug plan. Members typically receive coverage for certain prescription drugs, usually subject to a deductible, co-insurance and/or co-payment. The Company offered PDP plans in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. in 2022.
•Medicare Supplement: For certain Medicare eligible members, the Company offers supplemental coverage for certain health care costs not covered by Original Medicare. The products included in the Medicare Supplement portfolio help to cover some of the gaps in Original Medicare, and include coverage for Medicare deductibles and coinsurance amounts. The Company offered a wide selection of Medicare Supplement products in 49 states and Washington, D.C. in 2022.
•Medicaid and CHIP: The Company offers health care management services to individuals eligible for Medicaid and CHIP under multi-year contracts with government agencies in various states that are subject to annual appropriations. CHIP are state-subsidized insurance programs that provide benefits for families with uninsured children. The Company offered these services on an Insured or ASC basis in 16 states in 2022.
•Duals: The Company provides health coverage to beneficiaries who are dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid coverage. These members must meet certain income and resource requirements in order to qualify for this coverage. The Company coordinates 100% of the care for these members and may provide them with additional services in order to manage their health care costs.
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The Company also has a portfolio of transformative products and services aimed at creating a holistic and integrated approach to individual health and wellness. These products and services complement the Commercial Medical and Government Medical products and aim to provide innovative solutions, create integrated experience offerings and enable enhanced care delivery to customers.
Health Care Benefits Provider Networks
The Company contracts with physicians, hospitals and other providers for services they provide to the Company’s members. The Company uses a variety of techniques designed to help encourage appropriate utilization of medical services (“utilization”) and maintain affordability of quality coverage. In addition to contracts with providers for negotiated rates of reimbursement, these techniques include creating risk sharing arrangements that align economic incentives with providers, the development and implementation of guidelines for the appropriate utilization and the provision of data to providers to enable them to improve health care quality. At December 31, 2022, the Company’s underlying nationwide provider network had approximately 1.6 million participating providers. Other providers in the Company’s provider networks also include laboratory, imaging, urgent care and other freestanding health facilities.
Health Care Benefits Quality Assessment
CMS uses a 5-star rating system to monitor Medicare health care and drug plans and ensure that they meet CMS’s quality standards. CMS uses this rating system to provide Medicare beneficiaries with a tool that they can use to compare the overall quality of care and level of customer service of companies that provide Medicare health care and drug plans. The rating system considers a variety of measures adopted by CMS, including quality of preventative services, chronic illness management and overall customer satisfaction. See “Health Care Benefits Pricing” below in this Item 1 for further discussion of star ratings. The Company seeks Health Plan accreditation for Aetna Inc. (“Aetna”) HMO plans from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (“NCQA”), a private, not-for-profit organization that evaluates, accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. Health care plans seeking accreditation must pass a rigorous, comprehensive review and must annually report on their performance.
Aetna Life Insurance Company (“ALIC”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, has received nationwide NCQA PPO Health Plan accreditation. As of December 31, 2022, all of the Company’s Commercial HMO and all of ALIC’s PPO members who were eligible participated in HMOs or PPOs that are accredited by the NCQA.
The Company’s provider selection and credentialing/re-credentialing policies and procedures are consistent with NCQA and URAC, a health care accrediting organization that establishes quality standards for the health care industry, as well as state and federal, requirements. In addition, the Company is certified under the NCQA Credentials Verification Organization (“CVO”) certification program for all certification options and has URAC CVO accreditation.
Quality assessment programs for contracted providers who participate in the Company’s networks begin with the initial review of health care practitioners. Practitioners’ licenses and education are verified, and their work history is collected by the Company or in some cases by the practitioner’s affiliated group or organization. The Company generally requires participating hospitals to be certified by CMS or accredited by The Joint Commission, the American Osteopathic Association, or Det Norske Veritas Healthcare.
The Company also offers quality and outcome measurement programs, quality improvement programs, and health care data analysis systems to providers and purchasers of health care services.
Health Care Benefits Information Systems
The Health Care Benefits segment currently operates and supports an end-to-end suite of information technology platforms to support member engagement, enrollment, health benefit administration, care management, service operations, financial reporting and analytics. The multiple platforms are supported by an integration layer to facilitate the transfer of real-time data. There is continued focus and investment in enterprise data platforms, cloud capabilities, digital products to offer innovative solutions and a seamless experience to the Company’s members through mobile and web channels. The Company is making concerted investments in emerging technology capabilities such as voice, artificial intelligence and robotics to further automate, reduce cost and improve the experience for all of its constituents. The Health Care Benefits segment is utilizing the full breadth of the Company’s assets to build enterprise technology that will help guide our members through their health care
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journey, provide them a high level of service, enable healthier outcomes and encourage them to take next best actions to lead healthier lives.
Health Care Benefits Customers
Medical membership is dispersed throughout the United States, and the Company also serves medical members in certain countries outside the United States. The Company offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, many of which are available nationwide. Depending on the product, the Company markets to a range of customers, including employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For additional information on medical membership, see “Health Care Benefits Segment” in the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (the “MD&A”) included in Item 7 of this 10-K.
The Company markets both Commercial Insured and ASC products and services primarily to employers that sponsor the Company’s products for the benefit of their employees and their employees’ dependents. Frequently, larger employers offer employees a choice among coverage options from which the employee makes his or her selection during a designated annual open enrollment period. Typically, employers pay all of the monthly premiums to the Company and, through payroll deductions, obtain reimbursement from employees for a percentage of the premiums that is determined by each employer. Some Health Care Benefits products are sold directly to employees of employer groups on a fully employee-funded basis. In some cases, the Company bills the covered individual directly. In addition, effective January 2022, the Company entered the individual public health insurance exchanges (“Public Exchanges”) in eight states through which it sells Insured plans directly to individual consumers. The Company entered Public Exchanges in four additional states effective January 2023.
The Company offers Insured Medicare coverage on an individual basis as well as through employer groups to their retirees. Medicaid and CHIP members are enrolled on an individual basis. The Company also offers Insured health care coverage to members who are dually-eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.
Health Care Benefits products are sold through: the Company’s sales personnel; independent brokers, agents and consultants who assist in the production and servicing of business; as well as private health insurance exchanges (“Private Exchanges”) and Public Exchanges (together with Private Exchanges, “Insurance Exchanges”). For large employers or other entities that sponsor the Company’s products (“plan sponsors”), independent consultants and brokers are frequently involved in employer health plan selection decisions and sales. In some instances, the Company may pay commissions, fees and other amounts to brokers, agents, consultants and sales representatives who place business with the Company. In certain cases, the customer pays the broker for services rendered, and the Company may facilitate that arrangement by collecting the funds from the customer and transmitting them to the broker. The Company supports marketing and sales efforts with an advertising program that may include television, radio, billboards, print media and social media, supplemented by market research and direct marketing efforts.
The U.S. federal government is a significant customer of the Health Care Benefits segment through contracts with CMS for coverage of Medicare-eligible individuals and federal employee-related benefit programs. Other than the contracts with CMS, the Health Care Benefits segment is not dependent upon a single customer or a few customers the loss of which would have a significant effect on the earnings of the segment. The loss of business from any one or a few independent brokers or agents would not have a material adverse effect on the earnings of the Health Care Benefits segment. In 2022, 2021 and 2020, Health Care Benefits segment revenues from the federal government accounted for 14%, 14% and 13%, respectively, of the Company’s consolidated total revenues. Contracts with CMS for coverage of Medicare-eligible individuals in the Health Care Benefits segment accounted for approximately 74%, 79% and 78%, respectively, of the Company’s consolidated revenues from the federal government in 2022, 2021 and 2020.
Health Care Benefits Pricing
For Commercial Insured plans, contracts containing the pricing and other terms of the relationship are generally established in advance of the policy period and typically have a duration of one year. Fees under ASC plans are generally fixed for a period of one year.
Generally, a fixed premium rate is determined at the beginning of the policy period for Commercial Insured plans. The Company typically cannot recover unanticipated increases in health care and other benefit costs in the current policy period; however, it may consider prior experience for a product in the aggregate or for a specific customer, among other factors, in determining premium rates for future policy periods. Where required by state laws, premium rates are filed and approved by
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state regulators prior to contract inception. Future operating results could be adversely affected if the premium rates requested are not approved or are adjusted downward or their approval is delayed by state or federal regulators.
The Company has Medicare Advantage and PDP contracts with CMS to provide HMO, PPO and prescription drug coverage to Medicare beneficiaries in certain geographic areas. Under these annual contracts, CMS pays the Company a fixed per member (or “capitation”) payment and/or a portion of the premium, both of which are based on membership and adjusted for demographic and health risk factors. CMS also considers inflation, changes in utilization patterns and average per capita fee-for-service Medicare costs in the calculation of the fixed capitation payment or premium. PDP contracts also provide a risk-sharing arrangement with CMS to limit the Company’s exposure to unfavorable expenses or benefit from favorable expenses. Amounts payable to the Company under the Medicare arrangements are subject to annual revision by CMS, and the Company elects to participate in each Medicare service area or region on an annual basis. Premiums paid to the Company for Medicare products are subject to federal government reviews and audits, which can result, and have resulted, in retroactive and prospective premium adjustments and refunds to the government and/or members. In addition to payments received from CMS, some Medicare Advantage products and all PDP products require a supplemental premium to be paid by the member or sponsoring employer. In some cases, these supplemental premiums are adjusted based on the member’s income and asset levels. Compared to Commercial Medical products, Medicare contracts generate higher per member per month revenues and higher health care and other benefit costs.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively, the “ACA”) ties a portion of each Medicare Advantage plan’s reimbursement to the plan’s “star ratings.” Plans must have a star rating of 4 or higher (out of 5) to qualify for bonus payments. CMS released the Company’s 2023 star ratings in October 2022. The Company’s 2023 star ratings will be used to determine which of the Company’s Medicare Advantage plans have ratings of four stars or higher and qualify for bonus payments in 2024. Based on the Company’s membership at December 31, 2022, 21% of the Company’s Medicare Advantage members were in plans with 2023 star ratings of at least 4.0 stars, compared to 87% of the Company’s Medicare Advantage members being in plans with 2022 star ratings of at least 4.0 stars based on the Company’s membership at December 31, 2021. Refer to “Medicare Star Ratings” within the “Government Regulation” section of this Item 1 for further discussion of the decrease in the Company’s star ratings.
Rates for Medicare Supplement products are regulated at the state level and vary by state and plan.
Under Insured Medicaid contracts, state government agencies pay the Company fixed monthly rates per member that vary by state, line of business and demographics; and the Company arranges, pays for and manages the health care services provided to Medicaid beneficiaries. These rates are subject to change by each state, and, in some instances, provide for adjustment for health risk factors. CMS requires these rates to be actuarially sound. The Company also receives fees from customers where it provides services under ASC Medicaid contracts. ASC Medicaid contracts generally are for periods of more than one year, and certain of them contain performance incentives and limited financial risk sharing with respect to certain medical, financial and operational metrics. Under these arrangements, performance is evaluated annually, with associated financial incentive opportunities, and financial risk share obligations are typically limited to a percentage of the fees otherwise payable to the Company. Payments to the Company under Medicaid contracts are subject to the annual appropriation process in the applicable state.
Under Duals contracts, the rate setting process is generally established by CMS in partnership with the state government agency participating in the demonstration project. Both CMS and the state government agency may seek premium and other refunds under certain circumstances, including if the Company fails to comply with CMS regulations or other contractual requirements.
The Company offers HMO and consumer-directed medical and dental plans to federal employees under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (“FEHB”) Program and the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program. Premium rates and fees for those plans are subject to federal government review and audit, which can result, and have resulted, in retroactive and prospective premium and fee adjustments and refunds to the government and/or members.
Beginning in 2014, the ACA imposed significant new industry-wide fees, assessments and taxes, including an annual levy known as the health insurer fee (the “HIF”). In December 2019, the HIF was repealed for calendar years after 2020. For additional information on the ACA fees, assessments and taxes, see Note 1 ‘‘Significant Accounting Policies’’ included in Item 8 of this 10-K. The Company’s goal is to collect premiums and fees where possible, or solve for, all of the ACA-related fees, assessments and taxes.
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Health Care Benefits Seasonality
The Health Care Benefits segment’s quarterly operating income progression is impacted by (i) the seasonality of benefit costs which generally increase during the year as Insured members progress through their annual deductibles and out-of-pocket expense limits and (ii) the seasonality of operating expenses, which are generally the highest during the fourth quarter due primarily to spending to support readiness for the start of the upcoming plan year and marketing associated with Medicare annual enrollment.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, the impact of COVID-19 within the Health Care Benefits segment has generally stabilized as a result of the Company’s ability to capture COVID-19 related medical costs in pricing, and the segment has experienced a return to a more normal seasonality pattern, as described above.
During the year ended December 31, 2021, the customary quarterly operating income progression was impacted by COVID-19. While overall medical costs in the first quarter were generally consistent with historical baseline levels in the aggregate, the segment experienced increased COVID-19 testing and treatment costs and lower Medicare risk-adjusted revenue. During the second quarter, COVID-19 testing and treatment costs persisted, however at levels significantly lower than those observed during the first quarter. Beginning in the third quarter, medical costs once again increased primarily driven by the spread of the emerging new variants of COVID-19, which resulted in increased testing and treatment costs that continued throughout the fourth quarter.
During the year ended December 31, 2020, the customary quarterly operating income progression was also impacted by COVID-19. Beginning in mid-March, the health care system experienced a significant reduction in utilization that is discretionary and the cancellation of elective medical procedures. Utilization remained below historical levels through April 2020, began to recover in May and June 2020 and reached more normal levels in the third and fourth quarters of 2020, with select geographies impacted by COVID-19 waves.
Health Care Benefits Competition
The health care benefits industry is highly competitive, primarily due to a large number of for-profit and not-for-profit competitors, competitors’ marketing and pricing and a proliferation of competing products, including new products that are continually being introduced into the marketplace. New entrants into the marketplace, as well as consolidation within the industry, have contributed to and are expected to intensify the competitive environment. In addition, the rapid pace of change as the industry evolves towards a consumer-focused retail marketplace, including Insurance Exchanges, and the increased use of technology to interact with members, providers and customers, increase the risks the Company faces from new entrants and disruptive actions by existing competitors compared to prior periods.
The Company believes that the significant factors that distinguish competing health plans include the perceived overall quality (including accreditation status), quality of service, comprehensiveness of coverage, cost (including premium rates, provider discounts and member out-of-pocket costs), product design, financial stability and ratings, breadth and quality of provider networks, ability to offer different provider network options, providers available in such networks, and quality of member support and care management programs. The Company believes that it is competitive on each of these factors. The Company’s ability to increase the number of persons covered by its health plans or to increase Health Care Benefits segment revenues is affected by its ability to differentiate itself from its competitors on these factors. Competition may also affect the availability of services from providers, including primary care physicians, specialists and hospitals.
Insured products compete with local and regional health care benefits plans, health care benefits and other plans sponsored by other large commercial health care benefit insurance companies, health system owned health plans, new entrants into the marketplace and numerous for-profit and not-for-profit organizations operating under licenses from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. The largest competitor in Medicare products is Original Medicare. Additional Health Care Benefits segment competitors include other types of medical and dental provider organizations, various specialty service providers (including pharmacy benefit management (“PBM”) services providers), health care consultants, financial services companies, integrated health care delivery organizations (networks of providers who also coordinate administrative services for and assume insurance risk of their members), third party administrators (“TPAs”), HIT companies and, for certain plans, programs sponsored by the federal or state governments. Emerging competitors include start up health care benefits plans, technology companies, provider-owned health plans, new joint ventures (including not-for-profit joint ventures among firms from multiple industries), financial services firms that are distributing competing products on their proprietary Private Exchanges, and consulting firms that are distributing competing products on their proprietary Private Exchanges, as well as non-
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traditional distributors such as retail companies. The Company’s ability to increase the number of persons enrolled in Insured Commercial Medical products also is affected by the desire and ability of employers to self-fund their health coverage.
The Health Care Benefits segment’s ASC plans compete primarily with other large commercial health care benefit companies, numerous for-profit and not-for-profit organizations operating under licenses from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and TPAs.
The provider solutions and HIT marketplaces and products are evolving rapidly. The Company competes for provider solutions and HIT business with other large health plans and commercial health care benefit insurance companies as well as information technology companies and companies that specialize in provider solutions and HIT. Many information technology product competitors have longer operating histories, better brand recognition, greater marketplace presence and more experience in developing innovative products.
In addition to competitive pressures affecting the Company’s ability to obtain new customers or retain existing customers, the Health Care Benefits segment’s medical membership has been and may continue to be adversely affected by adverse and/or uncertain economic conditions and reductions in workforce by existing customers due to adverse and/or uncertain general economic conditions, especially in the United States and industries where such membership is concentrated.
Health Care Benefits Reinsurance
The Companycurrently hasseveral reinsurance agreements with non-affiliated insurers that relate to Health Care Benefits insurance policies. The Company entered into these contracts to reduce the risk of catastrophic losses which in turn reduces capital and surplus requirements. The Company frequently evaluates reinsurance opportunities and refines its reinsurance and risk management strategies on a regular basis.
Pharmacy Services Segment
The Pharmacy Services segment provides a full range of PBM solutions, including plan design offerings and administration, formulary management, retail pharmacy network management services and mail order pharmacy. In addition, through the Pharmacy Services segment, the Company provides specialty pharmacy and infusion services, clinical services, disease management services, medical spend management and pharmacy and/or other administrative services for providers and federal 340B drug pricing program covered entities (“Covered Entities”). The Company operates a group purchasing organization that negotiates pricing for the purchase of pharmaceuticals and rebates with pharmaceutical manufacturers on behalf of its participants. The Company also provides various administrative, management and reporting services to pharmaceutical manufacturers. The Pharmacy Services segment’s clients are primarily employers, insurance companies, unions, government employee groups, health plans, PDPs, Medicaid managed care (“Managed Medicaid”) plans, plans offered on Insurance Exchanges and other sponsors of health benefit plans throughout the United States and Covered Entities. The Pharmacy Services segment operates retail specialty pharmacy stores, specialty mail order pharmacies, mail order dispensing pharmacies, compounding pharmacies and branches for infusion and enteral nutrition services. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company’s PBM filled or managed 2.3 billion prescriptions on a 30-day equivalent basis.
PBM Services
The Company dispenses prescription drugs directly through its mail order dispensing and specialty mail order pharmacies and through pharmacies in its retail network. All prescriptions processed by the Company are analyzed, processed and documented by the Company’s proprietary prescription management systems. These systems provide essential features and functionality to allow plan members to utilize their prescription drug benefits. These systems also streamline the process by which prescriptions are processed by staff and network pharmacists by enhancing review of various items through automation, including plan eligibility, early refills, duplicate dispensing, appropriateness of dosage, drug interactions or allergies, over-utilization and potential fraud.
Plan Design Offerings and Administration
The Company assists its PBM clients in designing pharmacy benefit plans that help improve health outcomes while minimizing the costs to the client. The Company also assists PBM clients in monitoring the effectiveness of their plans through frequent, informal communications, the use of proprietary software, as well as through formal annual, quarterly and sometimes monthly performance reviews. The Company administers pharmacy benefit plans for clients who contract with it to facilitate prescription drug coverage and claims processing for their eligible plan members. The Company also provides administrative services for Covered Entities.
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The Company makes recommendations to help PBM clients design benefit plans that promote the use of lower cost, clinically appropriate drugs and helps its PBM clients control costs by recommending plan designs that encourage the use of generic equivalents of brand name drugs when such equivalents are available. Clients also have the option, through plan design, to further lower their pharmacy benefit plan costs by setting different member payment levels for different products on their drug lists or “formularies,” which helps guide members to choose lower cost alternatives through appropriate financial incentives.
Formulary Management
The Company utilizes an independent panel of doctors, pharmacists and other medical experts, referred to as the CVS Caremark National Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, to review and approve the selection of drugs that meet the Company’s standards of safety and efficacy for inclusion on one of the Company’s template formularies. The Company’s formularies provide recommended products in numerous drug classes to help ensure member access to clinically appropriate drugs with alternatives within a class under the client’s pharmacy benefit plan, while helping to drive the lowest net cost for clients that select one of the Company’s formularies. To help improve clinical outcomes for members and clients, the Company conducts ongoing, independent reviews of all drugs, including those appearing on the formularies and generic equivalent products. Many of the Company’s clients choose to adopt a template formulary offering as part of their plan design. PBM clients are given capabilities to offer real time benefits information for a member’s specific plan design, provided digitally at the point of prescribing, at the CVS pharmacy and directly to members.
Retail Pharmacy NetworkManagement Services
The Company maintains a national network of approximately 66,000 retail pharmacies, consisting of approximately 40,000 chain pharmacies (which include CVS pharmacy locations) and approximately 26,000 independent pharmacies, in the United States, including Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. When a customer fills a prescription in a retail pharmacy, the pharmacy sends prescription data electronically to the Company from the point-of-sale. This data interfaces with the Company’s proprietary prescription management systems, which verify relevant plan member data and eligibility, while also performing a drug utilization review to help evaluate clinical appropriateness and safety and confirming that the pharmacy will receive payment for the prescription.
Mail Order Pharmacy Services
The Pharmacy Services segment operates mail order dispensing pharmacies in the United States. Plan members or their prescribers submit prescriptions or refill requests, primarily for maintenance medications, to these pharmacies, and staff pharmacists review these prescriptions and refill requests with the assistance of the Company’s prescription management systems. This review may involve communications with the prescriber and, with the prescriber’s approval when required, can result in generic substitution, therapeutic interchange or other actions designed to help reduce cost and/or improve quality of treatment. The Company’s mail order dispensing pharmacies have been awarded Mail Service Pharmacy accreditation from URAC.
Specialty Pharmacy and Infusion Services
The Pharmacy Services segment operates specialty mail order pharmacies, retail specialty pharmacy stores and branches for infusion and enteral nutrition services in the United States. The specialty mail order pharmacies are used for delivery of advanced medications to individuals with chronic or genetic diseases and disorders. The Company’s specialty mail order pharmacies have been awarded Specialty Pharmacy accreditation from URAC. Substantially all of the Company’s specialty mail order pharmacies also have been accredited by The Joint Commission and the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (“ACHC”), which are independent, not-for-profit organizations that accredit and certify health care programs and organizations in the United States. The ACHC accreditation includes an additional accreditation by the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board, which certifies compliance with the highest level of pharmacy compounding standards.
Clinical Services
The Company offers multiple clinical programs and services to help clients manage overall pharmacy and health care costs in a clinically appropriate manner. These programs are primarily designed to promote better health outcomes and to help target inappropriate medication utilization and non-adherence to medication, each of which may result in adverse medical events that negatively affect member health and client pharmacy and medical spend. These programs include utilization management (“UM”), medication management, quality assurance, adherence and counseling programs to complement the client’s plan design and clinical strategies. To help address prescription opioid abuse and misuse, the Company introduced an industry-leading UM approach that limits to seven days the supply of opioids dispensed for certain acute prescriptions for patients who are new to therapy, limits the daily dosage of opioids dispensed based on the strength of the opioid and requires the use of immediate-release formulations of opioids before extended-release opioids are dispensed. The Company’s Pharmacy Advisor® program facilitates pharmacist counseling, both face-to-face and over the telephone, to help participating plan members with
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certain chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular conditions, to identify gaps in care, adhere to their prescribed medications and manage their health conditions. The Company also has digital connectivity that helps to lower drug costs for patients by providing expanded visibility to lower cost alternatives through enhanced analytics and data sharing.
Disease Management Programs
The Company’s clinical programs and services utilize advanced protocols and offer clients convenience in working with providers and other third parties. The Company’s care management program covers diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis and is accredited by the NCQA. The Company’s UM program covers similar diseases and is accredited by the NCQA and URAC.
Medical Benefit Management
The Company’s NovoLogix® online preauthorization tool helps identify and capture cost savings opportunities for specialty drugs billed under the medical benefit by identifying outliers to appropriate dosages and costs, and helps to ensure clinically appropriate use of specialty drugs.
Group Purchasing Organization Services
The Company operates a group purchasing organization that negotiates pricing for the purchase of pharmaceuticals and rebates with pharmaceutical manufacturers on behalf of its participants. The Company also provides various administrative, management and reporting services to pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Pharmacy Services Information Systems
The Pharmacy Services segment’s claim adjudication platform incorporates architecture that centralizes the data generated from filling mail order prescriptions, adjudicating retail pharmacy claims and delivering other solutions to PBM clients. The Health Engagement Engine® technology and proprietary clinical algorithms help connect various parts of the enterprise and serve an essential role in cost management and health improvement, leveraging cloud-native technologies and practices. This capability transforms pharmacy data into actionable interventions at key points of care, including in retail, mail and specialty pharmacies as well as in customer care call center operations, leveraging our enterprise data platform to improve the quality of care. The technology leverages assisted artificial intelligence to deliver insights to the business and bring automation to otherwise manual tasks. Specialty services also connects with our claim adjudication platform and various health plan adjudication platforms with a centralized architecture servicing many clients and members. Operating services, such as Specialty Expedite®, provide an interconnected onboarding solution for specialty medications and branding solutions ranging from fulfillment to total patient management. These services are managed through our new innovative specialty workflow and web platform.
Pharmacy Services Clients
The Company’s Pharmacy Services clients are primarily employers, insurance companies, unions, government employee groups, health plans, PDPs, Managed Medicaid plans, plans offered on Insurance Exchanges, other sponsors of health benefit plans throughout the United States and Covered Entities. Pharmaceuticals are provided to eligible members in benefit plans maintained by clients and utilize the Company’s information systems, among other things, to help perform safety checks, drug interaction screening and identify opportunities for generic substitution. Substantially all of the Pharmacy Services segment’s revenues are generated from dispensing and managing prescription drugs to eligible members in benefit plans maintained by clients.
Pharmacy Services Seasonality
The majority of Pharmacy Services segment revenues are not seasonal in nature.
Pharmacy Services Competition
The Company believes the primary competitive factors in the pharmacy services industry include: (i) the ability to negotiate favorable discounts from drug manufacturers as well as to negotiate favorable discounts from, and access to, retail pharmacy networks; (ii) the ability to identify and apply effective cost management programs utilizing clinical strategies, including the development and utilization of preferred formularies; (iii) the ability to market PBM products and services; (iv) the commitment to provide flexible, clinically-oriented services to clients and be responsive to clients’ needs; (v) the quality, scope and costs of products and services offered to clients and their members; and (vi) operational excellence in delivering services. The Pharmacy Services segment has a significant number of competitors offering PBM services, including large, national PBM companies
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(e.g., Prime Therapeutics and MedImpact), PBMs owned by large national health plans (e.g., the Express Scripts business of Cigna Corporation and the OptumRx business of UnitedHealth) and smaller standalone PBMs.
Retail/LTC Segment
The Retail/LTC segment sells prescription drugs and a wide assortment of health and wellness products and general merchandise, provides health care services through its MinuteClinic walk-in medical clinics, provides medical diagnostic testing, administers vaccinations for illnesses such as influenza, COVID-19 and shingles and conducts long-term care pharmacy (“LTC”) operations, which distribute prescription drugs and provide related pharmacy consulting and other ancillary services to long-term care facilities and other care settings. As of December 31, 2022, the Retail/LTC segment operated more than 9,000 retail locations, more than 1,100 MinuteClinic locations as well as online retail pharmacy websites, LTC pharmacies and on-site pharmacies. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Retail/LTC segment filled 1.6 billion prescriptions on a 30-day equivalent basis. For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company dispensed approximately 26.8% of the total retail pharmacy prescriptions in the United States.
Retail/LTC Products and Services
A typical retail store sells prescription drugs and a wide assortment of high-quality, nationally advertised brand name and proprietary brand merchandise. Pharmacy locations may also contract with Covered Entities under the federal 340B drug pricing program. Front store categories include over-the-counter drugs, consumer health products, beauty products and personal care products. The Company purchases merchandise from numerous manufacturers and distributors. The Company believes that competitive sources are readily available for substantially all of the products carried in its retail stores and the loss of any one supplier would not likely have a material effect on the Retail/LTC segment. LTC operations include distribution of prescription drugs and related consulting and ancillary services. The Company’s MinuteClinic locations offer a variety of health care services.
Retail/LTC revenues by major product group are as follows:
Percentage of Revenues
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(1)Pharmacy includes LTC sales and sales in pharmacies within Target Corporation (“Target”) and other retail stores.
(2)“Other” represents less than 12% of the “Front store and other” revenue category in all periods presented.
Pharmacy
Pharmacy revenues represented approximately three-fourths of Retail/LTC segment revenues in each of 2022, 2021 and 2020. The Company believes that retail pharmacy operations will continue to represent a critical part of the Company’s business due to industry demographics, e.g., an aging American population consuming a greater number of prescription drugs, prescription drugs being used more often as the first line of defense for managing illness, the introduction of new pharmaceutical products, the need for vaccinations, including the COVID-19 vaccination, and Medicare Part D growth. The Company believes the retail pharmacy business benefits from investment in both people and technology, as well as innovative collaborations with health plans, PBMs and providers. Given the nature of prescriptions, consumers want their prescriptions filled accurately by professional pharmacists using the latest tools and technology, and ready when promised. Consumers also need medication management programs and better information to help them get the most out of their health care dollars. To assist consumers with these needs, the Company has introduced integrated pharmacy health care services that provide an earlier, easier and more effective approach to engaging consumers in behaviors that can help lower costs, improve health and save lives.
Front Store
Front store revenues reflect the Company’s strategy of innovating with new and unique products and services, using innovative personalized marketing and adjusting the mix of merchandise to match customers’ needs and preferences. A key component of the front store strategy is the ExtraCare® card program, which is one of the largest and most successful retail loyalty programs in the United States. The ExtraCare program allows the Company to balance marketing efforts so it can reward its best customers by providing them with automatic sale prices, customized coupons, ExtraBucks® rewards and other benefits. The Company also offers a subscription-based membership program, CarePass®, under which members are entitled to a suite of benefits delivered over the course of the subscription period, as well as a promotional reward that can be redeemed for future
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goods and services. The Company continues to launch and enhance new and exclusive brands to create unmatched offerings in beauty products and deliver other unique product offerings, including a full range of high-quality proprietary brand products that are only available through CVS stores. The Company currently carries approximately 5,500 proprietary brand products, which accounted for approximately 21% of front store revenues during 2022.
MinuteClinic
As of December 31, 2022, the Company operated more than 1,100 MinuteClinic locations in the United States. The clinics are staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants who utilize nationally established guidelines to deliver a variety of health care services. Payors value these clinics because they provide convenient, high-quality, cost-effective care, in many cases offering an attractive alternative to more expensive sites of care. MinuteClinic also offers virtual care services to connect customers with licensed providers to provide access to health services remotely. MinuteClinic is collaborating with the Health Care Benefits and Pharmacy Services segments to help meet the needs of the Company’s health plan and client plan members by offering programs that can improve member health and lower costs. MinuteClinic also maintains relationships with leading hospitals, clinics and physicians in the communities we serve to support and enhance quality, access and continuity of care.
On-site Pharmacies
The Company also operates a limited number of pharmacies located at client sites, which provide certain health plan members and customers with a convenient alternative for filling their prescriptions and receiving vaccinations, including the COVID-19 vaccination.
Medical Diagnostic Testing
The Company offers medical diagnostic testing primarily through its testing sites located at CVS pharmacy locations, in its MinuteClinic locations, at community-based testing sites in underserved areas and through its Return Readysolution.
Long-term Care Pharmacy Operations
The Retail/LTC segment provides LTC pharmacy services through the Omnicare® business. Omnicare’s customers consist of skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, independent living communities, hospitals, correctional facilities, and other health care service providers. The Company provides pharmacy consulting, including monthly patient drug therapy evaluations, to assist in compliance with state and federal regulations and provide proprietary clinical and health management programs. It also provides pharmaceutical case management services for retirees, employees and dependents who have drug benefits under corporate-sponsored health care programs.
Community Location Development
CVS Health’s community health destinations are an integral part of its ability to meet the needs of consumers and maintain its leadership position in the changing health care landscape. When paired with its rapidly expanding digital presence, the Company’s physical presence in thousands of communities across the country represents a competitive advantage by allowing it to develop deep and trusted relationships through everyday engagement in consumer health. The Company’s community health destinations have played, and will continue to play, a key role in the Company’s continued growth and success. During 2022, the Company opened approximately 40 new locations, relocated 4 locations and closed approximately 300 locations.
The Company’s continuous assessment of its national footprint is an essential component of competing effectively in the current health care environment. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates changes in population, consumer buying patterns and future health needs to assess the ability of its existing stores and locations to meet the needs of its consumers and the business. During the fourth quarter of 2021, the Company completed a strategic review of its retail business and announced its plans to reduce store density in certain locations through the closure of approximately 900 retail stores between 2022 and 2024. As of December, 31, 2022, the Company has closed approximately 300 retail stores in connection with this strategic review.
Retail/LTC Information Systems
The Company has continued to invest in information systems to enable it to deliver exceptional customer service, enhance safety and quality, and expand patient care services while lowering operating costs. The proprietary WeCARE Workflow tool supports pharmacy teams by prioritizing work to meet customer expectations, facilitating prescriber outreach, and seamlessly integrating clinical programs. This solution delivers improved efficiency and enhances customer experience, as well as provides a framework to accommodate the evolution of pharmacy practice and the expansion of clinical programs. Our Health Engagement Engine technology and data science clinical algorithms enable the Company to help identify opportunities for pharmacists to deliver face-to-face counseling regarding patient health and safety matters, including medication adherence issues, gaps in care and management of certain chronic health conditions. The Company’s digital strategy is to empower the
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consumer to navigate their pharmacy experience and manage their condition through integrated online and mobile solutions that offer utility and convenience. The Company’s LTC digital technology suite, Omniview®, improves the efficiency of customers’ operations with tools that include executive dashboards, pre-admission pricing, electronic ordering of prescription refills, proof-of-delivery tracking, access to patient profiles, receipt and management of facility bills, and real-time validation of Medicare Part D coverage, among other capabilities.
Through the collaboration of its digital and technical teams, the Company has established critical tools which enable patients to schedule diagnostic testing and vaccination appointments through CVS.com and MinuteClinic.com. Key elements of the offerings include landing pages which highlight services and answer common questions, screening capabilities to determine patient eligibility, service location locator and appointment selection tools to efficiently identify the requested service on a specified date, time, and location and registration pages to collect required patient information, accelerating the administration of the test or vaccine once at the store. Once scheduled, the tools provide the user with instructions and notifications including SMS text message and email reminders, and, following administration, also provide digital results for tests and records for vaccinations, enabling patients to view and save their medical records for convenient access at a later point.
Retail/LTC Customers
The success of the Retail/LTC segment’s businesses is dependent upon the Company’s ability to establish and maintain contractual relationships with pharmacy benefit managers and other payors on acceptable terms. Substantially all of the Retail/LTC segment’s pharmacy revenues are derived from pharmacy benefit managers, managed care organizations (“MCOs”), government funded health care programs, commercial employers and other third-party payors. No single Retail/LTC payor accounted for 10% or more of the Company’s consolidated total revenues in 2022, 2021 or 2020.
Retail/LTC Seasonality
The majority of Retail/LTC segment revenues, particularly pharmacy revenues, generally are not seasonal in nature. However, front store revenues tend to be higher during the December holiday season. In addition, both pharmacy and front store revenues are affected by the timing and severity of the cough, cold and flu season. Uncharacteristic or extreme weather conditions also can adversely affect consumer shopping patterns and Retail/LTC revenues, expenses and operating results.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, the customary quarterly operating income progression in the Retail/LTC segment continued to be impacted by COVID-19. During the first quarter, the Company saw high volumes of administration of COVID-19 vaccinations, as well as demand for OTC test kits in the front store, particularly in the beginning of the year when the Omicron variant incidence was high. In addition, the Company administered the highest quarterly volume of COVID-19 diagnostic tests of 2022 during the first quarter, however a decline compared to the prior year. During the second and third quarters, the Company continued to generate earnings from the sale of OTC test kits, as customers performed more in-home testing versus diagnostic testing, in addition to earnings from the continued administration of COVID-19 diagnostic testing and vaccinations, albeit at lower levels than those experienced in the first quarter. During the fourth quarter, the Company saw an increase in COVID-19 vaccine administration from the prior quarter related to the bivalent COVID-19 booster.
During the year ended December 31, 2021, the customary quarterly operating income progression was impacted by COVID-19. During the first quarter, the Company experienced reduced customer traffic in its retail pharmacies, which reflected the impact of a weaker cough, cold and flu season, while it administered the highest quarterly volume of COVID-19 diagnostic tests. During the second quarter, the segment generated earnings from COVID-19 vaccinations and saw improved customer traffic as vaccinated customers began more actively shopping in CVS locations. During the third and fourth quarters, emerging new variants drove the continued administration of COVID-19 vaccinations (including booster shots) and diagnostic testing, while the segment also generated earnings from the sale of OTC test kits in the front store.
During the year ended December 31, 2020, the customary quarterly operating income progression was impacted by COVID-19. During March 2020, the Company experienced increased prescription volume due to the greater use of 90-day prescriptions and early refills of maintenance medications, as well as increased front store volume as consumers prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning in the second quarter and continuing throughout the remainder of the year, the Company experienced reduced customer traffic in its retail pharmacies and MinuteClinic locations due to shelter-in-place orders as well as reduced new therapy prescriptions and decreased long-term care prescription volume as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning in the third quarter, the Company saw an increase in diagnostic testing related to the COVID-19 pandemic and in December 2020, the Company began administering COVID-19 vaccinations in long-term care facilities.
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Retail/LTC Competition
The retail pharmacy business is highly competitive. The Company believes that it competes principally on the basis of: (i) store location and convenience, (ii) customer service and satisfaction, (iii) product selection and variety, and (iv) price. In the areas it serves, the Company competes with other drugstore chains (e.g., Walgreens and Rite Aid), supermarkets, discount retailers (e.g., Walmart), independent pharmacies, restrictive pharmacy networks, internet companies (e.g., Amazon), membership clubs, retail health clinics, urgent care and primary care offices, as well as mail order dispensing pharmacies.
LTC pharmacy services are highly regional or local in nature, and within a given geographic area of operation, highly competitive. The Company’s largest LTC pharmacy competitor nationally is PharMerica. The Company also competes with numerous local and regional institutional pharmacies, pharmacies owned by long-term care facilities and local retail pharmacies. Some states have enacted “freedom of choice” or “any willing provider” requirements as part of their state Medicaid programs or in separate legislation, which may increase the competition that the Company faces in providing services to long-term care facility residents in these states.
Corporate/Other Segment
The Company presents the remainder of its financial results in the Corporate/Other segment, which primarily consists of:
•Management and administrative expenses to support the Company’s overall operations, which include certain aspects of executive management and the corporate relations, legal, compliance, human resources, information technology and finance departments, expenses associated with the Company’s investments in its transformation and enterprise modernization programs and acquisition-related integration costs; and
•Products for which the Company no longer solicits or accepts new customers such as its large case pensions and long-term care insurance products.
Generic Sourcing Venture
The Company and Cardinal Health, Inc. (“Cardinal”) each have a 50% ownership in Red Oak Sourcing, LLC (“Red Oak”), a generic pharmaceutical sourcing entity. Under this arrangement, the Company and Cardinal contributed their sourcing and supply chain expertise to Red Oak and agreed to source and negotiate generic pharmaceutical supply contracts for both companies through Red Oak. Red Oak does not own or hold inventory on behalf of either company.
Working Capital Practices
The Company funds the growth of its businesses through a combination of cash flow from operations, commercial paper and other short-term borrowings, as well as long-term borrowings. For additional information on the Company’s working capital practices, see “Liquidity and Capital Resources” in the MD&A included in Item 7 of this 10-K. Employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans (with the exception of Medicare Part D services, which are described below), labor groups and expatriates, which represent the vast majority of Health Care Benefits segment revenues, typically settle in less than 30 days. As a provider of Medicare Part D services, the Company contracts annually with CMS. Utilization of services each plan year results in the accumulation of either a receivable from or a payable to CMS. The timing of settlement of the receivable or payable with CMS takes several quarters, which impacts working capital from year to year. The majority of the Retail/LTC segment non-pharmacy revenues are paid in cash, or with debit or credit cards. Managed care organizations, pharmacy benefit managers, government funded health care programs, commercial employers and other third party insurance programs, which represent the vast majority of the Company’s consolidated pharmacy revenues, typically settle in less than 30 days. The remainder of the Company’s consolidated pharmacy revenues are paid in cash, or with debit or credit cards.
Human Capital
Overview
At CVS Health, we share a single, clear purpose: bringing our heart to every moment of your health. We devote significant time and attention to the attraction, development and retention of talent to deliver high levels of service to our customers. Our commitment to them includes a competitive rewards package and programs that support our diverse range of colleagues in rewarding and fulfilling careers. As of December 31, 2022, we employed over 300,000 colleagues primarily in the United States including in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, approximately 73% of whom were full-time.
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We believe engaged colleagues produce stronger business results and are more likely to build a career with the Company. Each year we conduct an internal engagement survey that provides colleagues with an opportunity to share their opinions and experiences with respect to their role, their team and the enterprise to help CVS Health Corporation’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) and our management identify areas where we can improve colleague experience. The survey covers a broad range of topics including development and opportunities, diversity management, recognition, performance, well-being, compliance and continuous improvement. In 2022, greater than 80% of our colleagues participated in the engagement survey, of which greater than 75% responded that they were actively engaged.
The Board, our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and our Chief People Officer provide oversight of our human capital strategy, which consists of the following categories: total rewards; diversity, equity and inclusion; colleague development; and health and safety.
Total Rewards
We recognize how vital our colleagues are to our success and strive to offer comprehensive and competitive wages and benefits to meet the varying needs of our colleagues and their families. The benefits and programs include annual bonuses, 401(k) plans, stock awards, an employee stock purchase plan, health care and insurance benefits, paid time off, flexible work schedules, family leave, dependent care resources, colleague assistance programs and tuition assistance, among many others, depending on eligibility.
In recognition of the critical role that the attraction and retention of talent plays in the success of our business, during 2021, we also announced a significant investment in our employees through an increase in the Company’s minimum hourly wage to $15.00 an hour effective July 2022, with incremental increases to the Company’s competitive hourly rates beginning in August 2021. The new wage structure also incorporates additional increases beyond the $15.00 minimum, with higher starting hourly rates for roles such as pharmacy technicians and call center representatives. In addition, during 2021 we awarded incremental bonuses to select colleague groups in recognition of their ongoing contributions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the most significant of which included bonuses to our pharmacist and distribution center colleagues. In 2022, we awarded incremental bonuses to select colleague groups including our front-line retail store, pharmacy and MinuteClinic colleagues.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
We believe that a diverse workforce creates a healthier, stronger and more sustainable company. We aim to attract, develop, retain and support a diverse workforce that reflects the many customers, patients, members and communities we serve. Our Diversity Management Leadership Council, a cross-functional group of senior leaders appointed by our CEO, works with our Strategic Diversity Management leadership team to intentionally embed diversity across all facets of our business. For our efforts, we have been recognized as a DiversityInc Top 50 Company, one of Seramount’s Best Companies for Multicultural Women and earned a 100 percent score on both the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index as well as the Disability Equality Index, meaning the company is recognized as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion.” The Company discloses information on our diversity, equity and inclusion strategy and programs in our annual Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) Report.
As a foundation of diversity and inclusion, we continuously focus on increasing underrepresented populations across our business. In 2022, 70% of our total colleague population and 55% of our colleagues at the manager level and above self-reported as female. In addition, in 2022 our colleagues reported their race/ethnicity as: White (49%), Black/African American (18%), Hispanic/Latino (16%), Asian (11%) and Other (6%). The appendix to our ESG Report, our Strategic Diversity Management Report and our EEO-1 Employer Information Report include additional information on the diversity of our workforce.
Our diversity management strategy emphasizes workplace representation, inclusion and belonging, talent acquisition and management and a diverse marketplace. Beginning in 2021, we incorporated a diversity metric into our annual cash incentive program for our most senior leaders who have the greatest ability to influence the overall hiring, development and promotion of our colleagues. We also continued the deployment of conscious inclusion training for colleagues designed to enhance awareness of biases and rolled out our INCLUDE program to activate inclusive behaviors. Our ESG Report and Strategic Diversity Management Report include additional information with respect to our conscious inclusion training. We support 16 Colleague Resource Groups (“CRGs”) that include more than 28,000 colleagues across the enterprise. These groups represent a wide range of professional, cultural, ethical and personal affinities and interests, as well as formal mentoring programs. Our
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CRGs provide our colleagues with an opportunity to connect and network with one another through a particular affinity, culture or interest. Each of our CRGs is sponsored by a senior leader.
Colleague Development
The Company offers a number of resources and programs that attract, engage, develop, advance and retain colleagues. Training and development provides colleagues the support they need to perform well in their current role while planning and preparing for future roles. We offer an online orientation program that pairs new hires with seasoned colleagues and the training continues throughout a colleague’s career through in-person, virtual and self-paced learning at all levels. We also provide mentoring, tools and workshops for colleagues to manage their career development. We offer a variety of management and leadership programs that develop incumbent diverse and other high potential colleagues. Our broad training practices include updated, tech-enabled tools and keep our colleagues informed of new developments in our industry that are relevant to their roles. During the year ended December 31, 2022, our colleagues invested approximately 17 million hours in learning and development courses.
Our colleague development program also promotes the importance of compliance across our business. Our colleagues demonstrate this commitment through our annual Code of Conduct training, which nearly 100% of active colleagues completed in 2022. In 2022, we launched more than 70 different training courses as part of our Enterprise Compliance Training Program.
Health & Safety
We have a strong commitment to providing a safe working environment. We have implemented an environmental health and safety management system to support adherence and monitoring of programs designed to make our various business operations compliant with applicable occupational safety and health regulations and requirements. Our Environmental Health and Safety Department oversees the implementation and adherence to programs like Powered Industrial Truck training, materials handling and storage, selection of personal protective equipment and workplace violence prevention.
We utilize Safety Service Plans to analyze data and concentrate on key areas of risk to reduce the chance of workplace incidents. We focus on identifying causes and improving performance when workplace incidents occur. We also engage leaders in promoting a culture of safety. With safety task forces in place at each distribution center, we empower leaders and safety business partners to identify policies, procedures and processes that could improve their own operations.
From the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we took a comprehensive approach to managing occupational health and safety challenges presented by the pandemic, including implementing facial covering requirements for our workplaces and providing face masks to colleagues, providing sick leave, implementing symptom screening measures and implementing additional protocols in accordance with applicable Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) requirements and guidance and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) guidelines for workplaces. We have emphasized the importance of taking immediate steps toward full vaccination.
Environmental, Social and Governance Strategy
Overview
CVS Health believes the health of our people, communities and planet are linked to the health of our business. Our ESG strategy – Healthy 2030 is focused on achieving our economic, environmental and social imperatives and outlines how we are shaping a more equitable and sustainable future for all – across multiple dimensions of health. Designed to use our assets to transform the health care experience and invest in community health at the local level, while working to reduce the environmental impact of our operations, Healthy 2030 consists of four pillars: Healthy People, Healthy Business, Healthy Community and Healthy Planet. We believe this strategy is achievable without materially adversely affecting our businesses, operating results, cash flows and/or prospects.
Healthy People
Through physical and virtual assets, we provide convenient, personalized and integrated access to health care support and services. We continue to implement and expand initiatives that build on our innovative health care model, with the ultimate aim to transform the health care experience for every person we reach to improve health outcomes. These include helping to improve chronic disease prevention and management, helping to reduce and prevent prescription drug misuse, and improving the social determinants of health, which include education, transportation and behavioral health. Through our ESG strategy we
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are leveraging our expertise and resources to make the health care experience simple, equitable, convenient and deeply personal for each of us.
Healthy Business
As we work to transform health care, we are committed to operating a healthy business for all our stakeholders, including our patients, customers, stockholders, clients, partners, communities and colleagues. Throughout our large operational footprint and including our supply chain, we are committed to acting responsibly with respect for human rights, privacy, information security, public policy, marketing and advertising. We focus on diversity, equity and inclusion as well as colleague development, health and safety. Through our ESG strategy, we are focused on providing people with the opportunity to be as healthy as possible by expanding community-centered solutions that advance health equity and improve outcomes.
Healthy Community
By working with community-focused organizations and through innovative programs that can be tailored to and executed across different communities, we are driving positive health outcomes and reducing overall health care costs. Our philanthropic strategy, which includes grants made through the CVS Health Foundation, Health Zones initiative and Project Health program, improves health outcomes and reduce health disparities in under-resourced communities. We are investing charitable resources, leveraging CVS Health assets, and working in partnership with non-profits to help our communities be as healthy as possible.
Healthy Planet
We are working to improve the health of our planet and make a difference in the lives of the people who live on itby advancing our sustainability commitments and addressing the environmental factors that contribute to health inequities. In October 2021, CVS Health’s science-based net zero greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions targets were validated by the Science Based Targets initiatives (“SBTi”). We continue to make meaningful progress to reduce our environmental impact across our operations and supply chain. Key priorities include the advancement of our GHG emissions-reduction targets, reduction in our energy consumption, the advancement of sustainability in transportation, logistics and our physical locations, which includes retrofitting community and corporate locations with LED lighting, exploring investments in renewable energy, reducing water use, focusing on smarter consumption through a “digital first” approach and the reduction of our use of paper and plastic.
Intellectual Property
The Company has registered and/or applied to register a variety of trademarks and service marks used throughout its businesses, as well as domain names, and relies on a combination of copyright, patent, trademark and trade secret laws, in addition to contractual restrictions, to establish and protect the Company’s proprietary rights. The Company regards its intellectual property as having significant value in the Health Care Benefits, Pharmacy Services and Retail/LTC segments. The Company is not aware of any facts that could materially impact the continuing use of any of its intellectual property.
Government Regulation
Overview
The Company’s operations are subject to comprehensive federal, state and local laws and regulations and comparable multiple levels of international regulation in the jurisdictions in which it does business. There also continues to be a heightened level of review and/or audit by federal, state and international regulators of the health and related benefits industry’s business and reporting practices. In addition, many of the Company’s PBM clients and the Company’s payors in the Retail/LTC segment, including insurers, Medicare plans, Managed Medicaid plans and MCOs, are themselves subject to extensive regulations that affect the design and implementation of prescription drug benefit plans that they sponsor. Similarly, the Company’s LTC clients, such as skilled nursing facilities, are subject to government regulations, including many of the same government regulations to which the Company is subject.
The laws and rules governing the Company’s businesses and interpretations of those laws and rules continue to expand and become more restrictive each year and are subject to frequent change. The application of these complex legal and regulatory requirements to the detailed operation of the Company’s businesses creates areas of uncertainty. Further, there are numerous proposed health care, financial services and other laws and regulations at the federal, state and international levels, some of which could adversely affect the Company’s businesses if they are enacted. The Company cannot predict whether pending or future federal or state legislation or court proceedings will change aspects of how it operates in the specific markets in which it
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competes or the health care industry generally, but if changes occur, the impact of any such changes could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s businesses, operating results, cash flows and/or stock price. Possible regulatory or legislative changes include the federal or one or more state governments fundamentally restructuring the Commercial, Medicare or Medicaid marketplace; reducing payments to the Company in connection with Medicare, Medicaid, dual eligible or special needs programs; increasing its involvement in drug reimbursement, pricing, purchasing, and/or importation; or changing the laws governing PBMs.
The Company has internal control policies and procedures and conducts training and compliance programs for its employees to help prevent, detect and correct prohibited practices. However, if the Company’s employees or agents fail to comply with applicable laws governing its international or other operations, it may face investigations, prosecutions and other legal proceedings and actions which could result in civil penalties, administrative remedies and criminal sanctions. Any failure or alleged failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations summarized below, or any adverse applications or interpretations of, or changes in, the laws and regulations affecting the Company and/or its businesses, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s operating results, financial condition, cash flows and/or stock price. See Item 3 of this 10-K, “Legal Proceedings,” for further information.
The Company can give no assurance that its businesses, financial condition, operating results and/or cash flows will not be materially adversely affected, or that the Company will not be required to materially change its business practices, based on: (i) future enactment of new health care or other laws or regulations; (ii) the interpretation or application of existing laws or regulations, including the laws and regulations described in this Government Regulation section, as they may relate to one or more of the Company’s businesses, one or more of the industries in which the Company competes and/or the health care industry generally; (iii) pending or future federal or state governmental investigations of one or more of the Company’s businesses, one or more of the industries in which the Company competes and/or the health care industry generally; (iv) pending or future government audits, investigations or enforcement actions against the Company; or (v) adverse developments in pending or future legal proceedings against or affecting the Company, including qui tam lawsuits, or affecting one or more of the industries in which the Company competes and/or the health care industry generally.
Laws and Regulations Related to COVID-19
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) put in place a public health emergency (“PHE”) in January 2020 and HHS must extend it every 90 days to maintain certain health care flexibilities and waivers. The Biden administration most recently renewed the PHE on January 11, 2023 and has indicated that they intend for the PHE to expire on May 11, 2023. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the “Families First Act”) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) were enacted in March 2020. Each of the Families First Act and the CARES Act requires the Company to provide coverage for COVID-19 related medical services, in many cases without member cost-sharing, in its Insured Health Care Benefits products.
The CARES Act also provides relief funding to providers to reimburse them for health care related expenses incurred in preventing, preparing for and/or responding to COVID-19 (provided no other source is obligated to reimburse those expenses) or lost health care related revenues that are attributable to COVID-19. Under the CARES Act, the Company receives reimbursement for uninsured patients in connection with COVID-19 testing and vaccination as well as monoclonal antibody treatment. Aside from such reimbursement, the Company has not requested any funding under the CARES Act. However, in the second quarter of 2020, the Company received $43 million from the CARES Act provider relief fund, all of which was returned to the HHS during the second quarter of 2020.
The CARES Act also allows for the deferral of the payment of the employer share of Social Security taxes effective March 27, 2020 by permitting them to remit the associated payments in two equal installments on or about December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2022. The Company elected to defer approximately $670 million of its Social Security tax payments during the year ended December 31, 2020. The Company paid the first of two equal installments in December 2021 and the second installment in December 2022, as required under the CARES Act.
Congress enacted the American Rescue Plan Act in March 2021. Among other changes, as a result of this legislation, Public Exchange plan premium subsidies increased for low-income individuals and became available to people with incomes higher than 400% of the federal poverty limit. In August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act subsequently extended these subsidies through 2025, which could cause shifts in enrollment into Public Exchange plans.
In addition to the Families First Act, the CARES Act, and the American Rescue Plan Act, the Company has experienced legislation, regulation, directives, orders and other requirements from federal, state, county and municipal authorities related to
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the COVID-19 pandemic. These governmental actions included, but were not limited to, requirements to waive member cost-sharing associated with COVID-19 testing and treatment, provide coverage for additional COVID-19-related services, expand the use of telemedicine, extend grace periods for payments of premiums or limit coverage termination based on non-payment of premiums or fees, modify health benefits coverage eligibility rules to help maintain employee eligibility, and facilitate, accelerate or advance payments to providers, and other requirements related to the PHE. Many of these requirements remain in effect and continue to impact different areas of our business differently and may continue for different lengths of time, and present financial implications with respect to implementing and unwinding our compliance with these requirements.
The Company has operations that fall within the scope of COVID-19 vaccine requirements for federal contractors, certain health care workers, and the requirements of certain jurisdictions such as New York City. Several of these are subject to judicial challenges. We are continuing to closely monitor and update our practices in response to developments or changes in the COVID-19 vaccination policies established by various federal agencies as well as the several state- and municipal-specific COVID-19 vaccine mandates that provide expanded exemptions, modifications, requirements or restrictions regarding employee vaccinations. We have a process for employees to request a reasonable accommodation if they are unable to get vaccinated due to a medical condition, sincerely held religious belief, or any other legally recognized exemption. Employees must apply and be approved for a reasonable accommodation in order to be exempt from the vaccination requirement.
Additionally, in January 2022, the HHS announced that commercial health insurers must cover the costs of up to eight rapid COVID-19 OTC test kits per individual per 30-day period. Coverage for COVID-19 OTC test kits has subsequently been required by Medicare and, in many states, Medicaid. These requirements may increase benefit costs in those businesses and jurisdictions, and may increase revenues in our retail business. The requirement may also result in a decrease in more expensive tests and treatments, which could partially mitigate the increase in benefit costs. These impacts will be highly dependent on the overall supply of testing products.
Some activities that were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as Medicaid eligibility redeterminations, are currently scheduled to resume later this year, and many of the requirements set forth above may change once the PHE expires. The impact of this governmental activity on the U.S. economy, consumer, customer and health care provider behavior and health care utilization patterns is beyond our knowledge and control. As a result, the financial and/or operational impact these COVID-19 related governmental actions and inactions will have on our businesses, operating results, cash flows and/or financial condition is uncertain, but the collective impact could be material and adverse.
Laws and Regulations Related to Multiple Segments of the Company’s Business
Laws Related to Reimbursement by Government Programs - The Company is subject to various federal and state laws concerning its submission of claims and other information to Medicare, Medicaid and other federal and state government-sponsored health care programs. Potential sanctions for violating these laws include recoupment or reduction of government reimbursement amounts, civil penalties, treble damages, and exclusion from participation in government health care programs. Such laws include the federal False Claims Act (the “False Claims Act”), the federal anti-kickback statute (the “AKS”), state false claims acts and anti-kickback statutes in most states, the federal “Stark Law” and related state laws. In particular, the False Claims Act prohibits intentionally submitting, conspiring to submit, or causing to be submitted, false claims, records, or statements to the federal government, or intentionally failing to return overpayments, in connection with reimbursement by federal government programs. In addition, any claim for government reimbursement also violates the False Claims Act where it results from a violation of the AKS.
Both federal and state false claims laws permit private individuals to file qui tam or “whistleblower” lawsuits on behalf of the federal or state government. Participants in the health and related benefits industry, including the Company, frequently are subject to actions under the False Claims Act or similar state laws. The federal Stark Law generally prohibits physicians from referring Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries for certain services, including outpatient prescription drugs, to any entity with which the physician, or an immediate family member of the physician, has a financial relationship. The Stark Law further prohibits the entity receiving a prohibited referral from presenting a claim for reimbursement by Medicare or Medicaid for services furnished pursuant to the prohibited referral. Various states have enacted similar laws.
The ACA - The ACA significantly increased federal and state oversight of health plans. Among other requirements, it specifies minimum medical loss ratios (“MLRs”) for Commercial and Medicare Insured products, specifies features required to be included in commercial benefit designs, limits commercial individual and small group rating and pricing practices, encourages additional competition (including potential incentives for new participants to enter the marketplace), and includes regulations and processes that could delay or limit the Company’s ability to appropriately increase its health plan premium rates. This in
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turn could adversely affect the Company’s ability to continue to participate in certain product lines and/or geographies that it serves today.
In June 2021, the United States Supreme Court dismissed a challenge on procedural grounds that argued the ACA is unconstitutional in its entirety and issued an opinion preserving the ACA and its consumer protections in its current form. Even though the ACA was deemed constitutional, there may nevertheless be continued efforts to invalidate, modify, repeal or replace portions of it. In addition to litigation, parts of the ACA continue to evolve through the promulgation of executive orders, legislation, regulations and guidance at the federal or state level. The Company expects the ACA, including potential changes thereto, to continue to significantly impact its business operations and operating results, including pricing, medical benefit ratios (“MBRs”) and the geographies in which the Company’s products are available.
In July 2022, HHS issued a new proposed rule to significantly revise the agency’s prior interpretation of Section 1557 of the ACA. Section 1557 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, and disability in certain health programs and activities, and the proposed rule specifically includes sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity and pregnancy or related conditions as bases for sex discrimination. The comment period on the proposed rule has closed but to date no final rule has been released.
Medicare Regulation - The Company’s Medicare Advantage products compete directly with Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage products offered by other Medicare Advantage organizations and Medicare Supplement products offered by other insurers. The Company’s Medicare PDP and Medicare Supplement products are products that Medicare beneficiaries who are enrolled in Original Medicare purchase to enhance their Original Medicare coverage.
The Company continues to expand the number of counties in which it offers Medicare products. The Company has expanded its Medicare service area and products in 2022 and is seeking to substantially grow its Medicare membership, revenue and operating results over the next several years, including through growth in Medicare Supplement products. The anticipated organic expansion of the Medicare service area and Medicare products offered and the Medicare-related provisions of the ACA significantly increase the Company’s exposure to funding and regulation of, and changes in government policy with respect to and/or funding or regulation of, the various Medicare programs in which the Company participates, including changes in the amounts payable to us under those programs and/or new reforms or surcharges on existing programs. For example, the ACA requires minimum MLRs for Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plans of 85%. If a Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D contract pays minimum MLR rebates for three consecutive years, it will become ineligible to enroll new members. If a Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part D contract pays such rebates for five consecutive years, it will be terminated by CMS. Due to potential lower utilization of medical services by Medicare beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is possible certain Medicare Advantage contracts may not meet the 85% MLR for consecutive years.
The Company’s Medicare Advantage and PDP products are heavily regulated by CMS. The regulations and contractual requirements applicable to the Company and other private participants in Medicare programs are complex, expensive to comply with and subject to change. For example, the Medicare Advantage Overpayment Rule, issued in 2014, implemented the ACA requirements that Medicare Advantage and PDP plans report and refund to CMS overpayments that those plans receive from CMS. Failure to notify overpayments to CMS could result in liability under the False Claims Act. The precise interpretation, impact and legality of this rule are subject to pending litigation. Payments the Company receives from CMS for its Medicare Advantage and Part D businesses also are subject to risk adjustment based on the health status of the individuals enrolled. Elements of that risk adjustment mechanism continue to be challenged by the U.S. Department of Justice (the “DOJ”), the Office of the Inspector General of the HHS (the “OIG”) and CMS itself. Substantial changes in the risk adjustment mechanism, including changes that result from enforcement or audit actions, could materially affect the amount of the Company’s Medicare reimbursement, require the Company to raise prices or reduce the benefits offered to Medicare beneficiaries, and potentially limit the Company’s (and the industry’s) participation in the Medicare program.
The Company has invested significant resources to comply with Medicare standards, and its Medicare compliance efforts will continue to require significant resources. CMS may seek premium and other refunds, prohibit the Company from continuing to market and/or enroll members in or refuse to passively enroll members in one or more of the Company’s Medicare or Medicare-Medicaid demonstration (historically known as “dual eligible”) plans, exclude us from participating in one or more Medicare, dual eligible or dual eligible special needs plan programs and/or institute other sanctions and/or civil monetary penalties against the Company if it fails to comply with CMS regulations or its Medicare contractual requirements. The Company’s Medicare Supplement products are regulated at the state level and subject to similar significant compliance requirements and risks.
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In addition, in November 2020, the HHS released the final Rebate Rule (the “Rebate Rule”), which eliminates the regulatory safe harbor from prosecution under the AKS for rebates from pharmaceutical companies to PBMs in Medicare Part D, replacing it with two far narrower safe harbors designed to directly benefit patients with high out-of-pocket costs and to change the way PBMs are compensated. The new safe harbors are (i) for rebates which are passed on to the patient at the point of sale and (ii) for flat service fee payments made to PBMs which cannot be tied to the list prices of drugs. It is unclear whether the Rebate Rule will be enforceable, whether pharmaceutical companies will respond by reducing list prices, whether list prices in the private market may also be reduced, and what the resulting impact will be to PBMs or the Company. The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (the “PCMA”), which represents PBMs, has filed a suit in an effort to block the Rebate Rule, claiming that the Rebate Rule would lead to higher premiums in Medicare Part D and was adopted in an unlawful manner. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Act of 2021 delays the effective date of the rebate rule to January 2026, and the Inflation Reduction Act, enacted in August 2022, further delays the Rebate Rule through 2032.
In July 2022, the 2% Medicare sequester required by the Budget Control Act of 2011 resumed, meaning that Medicare claims incur a 2% reduction in Medicare payment. The sequester had been suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Going forward, the Company expects CMS, the OIG, the DOJ, other federal agencies and the U.S. Congress to continue to scrutinize closely each component of the Medicare program (including Medicare Advantage, PDPs, demonstration projects such as Medicare-Medicaid plans and provider network access and adequacy), modify the terms and requirements of the program and possibly seek to recast or limit private insurers’ roles. It is also possible that Congress may consider changes to Medicare Advantage payment policies due to recent recommendations by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission and to reduce the potential added cost burden of costly new benefits, or policies that impact drug pricing such as price controls and inflationary rebates applied to pharmaceutical manufacturers.
It is not possible to predict the outcome of such regulatory or Congressional activity, any of which could materially and adversely affect the Company.
Medicare Audits - CMS regularly audits the Company’s performance to determine its compliance with CMS’s regulations and its contracts with CMS and to assess the quality of services it provides to Medicare Advantage and PDP beneficiaries. For example, CMS conducts risk adjustment data validation (“RADV”) audits of a subset of Medicare Advantage contracts for each contract year. Since 2011, CMS has selected certain of the Company’s Medicare Advantage contracts for various years for RADV audit, and the number of RADV audits continues to increase. The OIG also is auditing the Company’s risk adjustment data and that of other companies, and the Company expects CMS and the OIG to continue auditing risk adjustment data. The Company also has received Civil Investigative Demands (“CIDs”) from, and provided documents and information to, the Civil Division of the DOJ in connection with a current investigation of its patient chart review processes in connection with risk adjustment data submissions under Parts C and D of the Medicare program.
On January 30, 2023, CMS released the final rule concerning Part C contract-level Risk Adjustment Data Validation Audits (the “RADV Audit Rule”). The RADV Audit Rule eliminated the application of a fee-for-service adjuster (“FFS Adjuster”) in contract-level RADV audits but continued the use of extrapolation in such audits of Medicare Advantage organizations. The FFS Adjuster that was announced in 2012 was to be used by CMS to determine a permissible level of payment error. By applying the FFS Adjuster, Medicare Advantage organizations would have been liable for repayments only to the extent that their extrapolated payment errors exceeded the error rate in Original Medicare, which could have impacted the extrapolated repayments to which Medicare Advantage organizations are subject. Under the RADV Audit Rule, CMS, in most cases, will conduct RADV audits for payment year 2018 and subsequent payment years using extrapolation without the application of a FFS Adjuster. The RADV Audit Rule may have potential adverse effects, which could be material, on the Company’s operating results, financial condition, and cash flows. CMS also has announced that it will not conduct RADV audits on all contracts; instead, it will only audit contracts it believes are at the highest risk for overpayments based on its statistical modeling.
Medicare Star Ratings - A portion of each Medicare Advantage plan’s reimbursement is tied to the plan’s “star ratings.” The star rating system considers a variety of measures adopted by CMS, including quality of preventative services, chronic illness management, compliance and overall customer satisfaction. Only Medicare Advantage plans with an overall star rating of 4 or more stars (out of 5 stars) are eligible for a quality bonus in their basic premium rates. As a result, the Company’s Medicare Advantage plans’ operating results in 2023 and going forward will be significantly affected by their star ratings. The Company’s star ratings and past performance scores are adversely affected by any compliance issues that may have arisen each year in its Medicare operations. CMS released the Company’s 2023 star ratings in October 2022. The Company’s 2023 star ratings will be used to determine which of its Medicare Advantage plans have ratings of 4 stars or higher and qualify for bonus payments in 2024. Based on the 2023 star ratings, the percentage of the Company’s Medicare Advantage members in 4 or more stars plans is expected to drop to 21% (based on enrollment and contract affiliation at December 31, 2022), as compared to 87%
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based on the 2022 star ratings. The main driver of this decrease was a 1 star decrease in the Company’s Aetna National PPO, which dropped from 4.5 to 3.5 stars, while many of the Company’s other plans remain rated at 4 or more stars. The decrease in the star rating for the Aetna National PPO will mean that it will no longer be eligible for CMS’ quality bonus payments related to 2024, though the Company’s contract diversification efforts, which will partially mitigate certain adverse impacts associated with the decrease in the star rating for the Aetna National PPO, have received regulatory approval. CMS also gives PDPs star ratings that affect each PDP’s enrollment. Medicare Advantage and PDP plans that are rated less than 3 stars for three consecutive years are subject to contract termination by CMS. CMS continues to revise its star ratings system to make it harder to achieve 4 or more stars. There can be no assurances that the Company will be successful in maintaining or improving its star ratings in future years. Accordingly, the Company’s Medicare Advantage plans may not continue to be or become eligible for full level quality bonuses, which could adversely affect the benefits such plans can offer, reduce membership and/or reduce profit margins.
Medicare Payment Rates - In April 2022, CMS issued its final notice detailing final 2023 Medicare Advantage payment rates. Final 2023 Medicare Advantage rates resulted in an expected average increase in revenue for the Medicare Advantage industry of 5.00%, excluding the CMS estimate of Medicare Advantage risk score trend. On February 1, 2023, CMS issued an advance notice detailing proposed 2024 Medicare Advantage payment rates. The 2024 Medicare Advantage rates, if finalized as proposed, will result in an expected average decrease in revenue for the Medicare Advantage industry of 2.27%, excluding the CMS estimate of Medicare Advantage risk score trend. CMS intends to publish the final 2024 rate announcement no later than April 3, 2023. The federal government may seek to impose restrictions on the configuration of pharmacy or other provider networks for Medicare Advantage and/or PDP plans, or otherwise restrict the ability of these plans to alter benefits, negotiate prices or establish other terms to improve affordability or maintain viability of products. The Company currently believes that the payments it has received and will receive in the near term are adequate to justify the Company’s continued participation in the Medicare Advantage and PDP programs, although there are economic and political pressures to continue to reduce spending on the program, and this outlook could change.
340B Drug Pricing Program – The 340B Drug Pricing Program allows eligible Covered Entities to purchase prescription drugs from manufacturers at a steep discount, and is overseen by the HHS and the Health Resources and Services Administration (“HRSA”). In 2020, a number of pharmaceutical manufacturers began programs that limited Covered Entities’ participation in the program through contract pharmacies arrangements. In May 2021, HRSA sent enforcement letters to multiple manufacturers to curb these practices. In September 2021, HRSA forwarded the enforcement actions to the OIG for potential imposition of civil monetary penalties. Those enforcement actions are currently subject to ongoing litigation. In November 2022, HRSA issued proposed rules that would overhaul the 340B Drug Pricing Programs Administrative Dispute Resolution process. The revisions are designed to make the process more accessible by making it more expeditious and less formal, as well as more equitable by requiring fewer resources to participate. A reduction in Covered Entities’ participation in contract pharmacy arrangements, as a result of the pending enforcement actions or otherwise, a reduction in the use of the Company’s administrative services by Covered Entities, or a reduction in drug manufacturers’ participation in the program could materially and adversely affect the Company.
Anti-Remuneration Laws - Federal law prohibits, among other things, an entity from knowingly and willfully offering, paying, soliciting or receiving, subject to certain exceptions and “safe harbors,” any remuneration to induce the referral of individuals or the purchase, lease or order of items or services for which payment may be made under Medicare, Medicaid or certain other federal and state health care programs. A number of states have similar laws, some of which are not limited to services paid for with government funds. Sanctions for violating these federal and state anti-remuneration laws may include imprisonment, criminal and civil fines, and exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal and state government-sponsored health care programs. Companies involved in public health care programs such as Medicare and/or Medicaid are required to maintain compliance programs to detect and deter fraud, waste and abuse, and are often the subject of fraud, waste and abuse investigations and audits. The Company has invested significant resources to comply with Medicare and Medicaid program standards. Ongoing vigorous law enforcement and the highly technical regulatory scheme mean that the Company’s compliance efforts in this area will continue to require significant resources.
Antitrust and Unfair Competition - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) investigates and prosecutes practices that are “unfair trade practices” or “unfair methods of competition.” Numerous lawsuits have been filed throughout the United States against pharmaceutical manufacturers, retail pharmacies and/or PBMs under various federal and state antitrust and unfair competition laws challenging, among other things: (i) brand name drug pricing and rebate practices of pharmaceutical manufacturers, (ii) the maintenance of retail or specialty pharmacy networks by PBMs, and (iii) various other business practices of PBMs and retail pharmacies. In July 2021, the FTC approved several resolutions that direct agency staff to use compulsory process, such as subpoenas, to investigate seven specific enforcement priorities. Priority targets include, among other businesses, health care businesses, such as pharmaceutical companies, pharmacy benefits managers and hospitals. To the extent
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that the Company appears to have actual or potential market power in a relevant market or CVS pharmacy, CVS specialty or MinuteClinic plays a unique or expanded role in a Health Care Benefits or Pharmacy Services segment product offering, the Company’s business arrangements and uses of confidential information may be subject to heightened scrutiny from an anti-competitive perspective and possible challenge by state and/or federal regulators and/or private parties.
Privacy and Confidentiality Requirements - Many of the Company’s activities involve the receipt, use and disclosure by the Company of personally identifiable information (“PII”) as permitted in accordance with applicable federal and state privacy and data security laws, which require organizations to provide appropriate privacy and security safeguards for such information. In addition to PII, the Company uses and discloses de-identified data for analytical and other purposes when permitted. Additionally, there are industry standards for handling credit card data known as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, which are a set of requirements designed to help ensure that entities that process, store or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment. Certain states have incorporated these requirements into state laws or enacted other requirements relating to the use and/or disclosure of PII.
The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and the regulations issued thereunder (collectively, “HIPAA”), as further modified by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (“ARRA”) impose extensive requirements on the way in which health plans, providers, health care clearinghouses (known as “covered entities”) and their business associates use, disclose and safeguard protected health information (“PHI”). Further, ARRA requires the Company and other covered entities to report any breaches of PHI to impacted individuals and to the HHS and to notify the media in any states where 500 or more people are impacted by the unauthorized release or use of or access to PHI. Criminal penalties and civil sanctions may be imposed for failing to comply with HIPAA standards. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (the “HITECH Act”), enacted as part of ARRA, amended HIPAA to impose additional restrictions on third-party funded communications using PHI and the receipt of remuneration in exchange for PHI. The HITECH Act also extended HIPAA privacy and security requirements and penalties directly to business associates. HHS has begun to audit health plans, providers and other parties to enforce HIPAA compliance, including with respect to data security.
In addition to HIPAA, state health privacy laws apply to the extent they are more protective of individual privacy than is HIPAA, including laws that place stricter controls on the release of information relating to specific diseases or conditions and requirements to notify members of unauthorized release or use of or access to PHI. States also have adopted regulations to implement provisions of the Financial Modernization Act of 1999 (also known as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLBA”)) which generally require insurers, including health insurers, to provide customers with notice regarding how their non-public personal health and financial information is used and the opportunity to “opt out” of certain disclosures before the insurer shares such information with a non-affiliated third party. Like HIPAA, GLBA sets a “floor” standard, allowing states to adopt more stringent requirements governing privacy protection. Complying with additional state requirements requires us to make additional investments beyond those the Company has made to comply with HIPAA and GLBA.
The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 encourages organizations to share cyber threat indicators with the federal government and, among other things, directs HHS to develop a set of voluntary cybersecurity best practices for organizations in the health care industry. In addition, states have begun to enact more comprehensive privacy laws and regulations addressing consumer rights to data access, deletion, protection or transparency, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”). States also are starting to issue regulations and proposed regulations specifically related to cybersecurity, such as the regulations issued by the New York Department of Financial Services. Complying with conflicting cybersecurity regulations, which may differ from state to state, requires significant resources. In addition, differing approaches to state privacy and/or cyber-security regulation and varying enforcement philosophies may materially and adversely affect the Company’s ability to standardize its products and services across state lines. Widely-reported large scale commercial data breaches in the United States and abroad increase the likelihood that additional data security legislation will be considered by additional states. These legislative and regulatory developments will impact the design and operation of the Company’s businesses, its privacy and security strategy and its web-based and mobile assets.
Finally, each Public Exchange is required to adhere to privacy and security standards with respect to PII, and to impose privacy and security standards that are at least as protective of PII as those the Public Exchange has implemented for itself or non-Public Exchange entities, which include insurers offering plans through the Public Exchange and their designated downstream entities, including PBMs and other business associates. These standards may differ from, and be more stringent than, HIPAA.
Consumer Protection Laws - The federal government has many consumer protection laws, such as the Federal Trade Commission Act, the Federal Postal Service Act and the Consumer Product Safety Act. Most states also have similar consumer protection laws and a growing number of states regulate subscription programs. In addition, the federal government and most states have adopted laws and/or regulations requiring places of public accommodation, health care services and other goods and
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services to be accessible to people with disabilities. These consumer protection and accessibility laws and regulations have been the basis for investigations, lawsuits and multistate settlements relating to, among other matters, the marketing of loyalty programs, and health care products and services, pricing accuracy, expired front store products, financial incentives provided by drug manufacturers to pharmacies in connection with therapeutic interchange programs, disclosures related to how personal data is used and protected and the accessibility of goods and services to people with disabilities. As a result of the Company’s direct-to-consumer activities, including mobile and web-based solutions offered to members and to other consumers, the Company also is subject to federal and state regulations applicable to electronic communications and to other general consumer protection laws and regulations. For example, the CCPA became effective in 2020, and additional federal and state regulation of consumer privacy protection may be proposed or enacted in the future. The Company expects these new laws and regulations to impact the design of its products and services and the management and operation of its businesses and to increase its compliance costs.
Transparency in Coverage Rule - In October 2020, the HHS, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS,” and together with the HHS and DOL, the “Tri-Departments”) released a final rule requiring health insurers to disclose negotiated prices of drugs, medical services, supplies and other covered items. The rule requires group health plans and health insurance issuers in the individual and group markets to disclose cost-sharing information upon request, to a participant, beneficiary, or enrollee and require plans and issuers to publicly disclose in-network provider rates, historical out-of-network allowed amounts and the associated billed charges, and negotiated rates and historical net prices for prescription drugs. Insurers are required to implement a consumer tool and disclose data in a machine readable file. In August 2021, the federal government delayed enforcement of the requirement to publish machine-readable files related to prescription drug pricing until further rulemaking occurs. The public disclosure of insurer- or PBM-negotiated price concessions may result in drug manufacturers lowering discounts or rebates, resulting in higher drug costs for patients and impacting the ability of the Company to negotiate drug prices and provide competitive products and services to consumers.
Additionally, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 was signed into law in December 2020 and contains further transparency provisions requiring group health plans and health insurance issuers to report certain prescription drug costs, overall spending on health services and prescription drugs, and information about premiums and the impact of rebates and other remuneration on premiums and out-of-pocket costs to the Tri-Departments. No later than 18 months after the first submission and bi-annually thereafter, the Tri-Departments will release a public report on drug pricing trends, drug reimbursement, and the impact of drug prices on premiums. The first filings of plan year data were required in December 2022 and will be required annually in June of each year on an ongoing basis.
Telemarketing and Other Outbound Contacts - Certain federal and state laws, such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and the Telemarketing Sales Rule, give the FTC, the Federal Communications Commission and state Attorneys General the ability to regulate, and bring enforcement actions relating to, telemarketing practices and certain automated outbound contacts such as phone calls, texts or emails. Under certain circumstances, these laws provide consumers with a private right of action. Violations of these laws could result in substantial statutory penalties and other sanctions.
Pharmacy and Professional Licensure and Regulation - The Company is subject to a variety of intersecting federal and state statutes and regulations that govern the wholesale distribution of drugs; operation of retail, specialty, infusion, LTC and mail order pharmacies; licensure of facilities and professionals, including pharmacists, technicians, nurses and other health care professionals; registration of facilities with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (the “DEA”) and analogous state agencies that regulate controlled substances; packaging, storing, shipping and tracking of pharmaceuticals; repackaging of drug products; labeling, medication guides and other consumer disclosures; interactions with prescribers and health care professionals; compounding of prescription medications; dispensing of controlled and non-controlled substances; counseling of patients; transfers of prescriptions; advertisement of prescription products and pharmacy services; security; inventory control; recordkeeping; reporting to Boards of Pharmacy, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”), the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the DEA and related state agencies; and other elements of pharmacy practice. Pharmacies are highly regulated and have contact with a wide variety of federal, state and local agencies with various powers to investigate, inspect, audit or solicit information, including Boards of Pharmacy and Nursing, the DEA, the FDA, the DOJ, HHS and others. Many of these agencies have broad enforcement powers, conduct audits on a regular basis, can impose substantial fines and penalties, and may revoke the license, registration or program enrollment of a facility or professional.
State Insurance, HMO and Insurance Holding Company Regulation - A number of states regulate affiliated groups of insurers and HMOs such as the Company under holding company statutes. These laws may, among other things, require prior regulatory approval of dividends and material intercompany transfers of assets and transactions between the regulated companies and their affiliates, including their parent holding companies. The Company expects the states in which its insurance and HMO subsidiaries are licensed to continue to expand their regulation of the corporate governance and internal control
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activities of its insurance companies and HMOs. Changes to state insurance, HMO and/or insurance holding company laws or regulations or changes to the interpretation of those laws or regulations, including due to regulators’ increasing concerns regarding insurance company and/or HMO solvency due, among other things, to past and expected payor insolvencies, could negatively affect the Company’s businesses in various ways, including through increases in solvency fund assessments, requirements that the Company hold greater levels of capital and/or delays in approving dividends from regulated subsidiaries.
PBM offerings of prescription drug coverage under certain risk arrangements may be subject to laws and regulations in various states. Such laws may require that the party at risk become licensed as an insurer, establish reserves or otherwise demonstrate financial viability. Laws that may apply in such cases include insurance laws and laws governing MCOs and limited prepaid health service plans. In addition, several states require that PBMs become directly registered or licensed with the department of insurance or similar government oversight agency regardless of any arrangements they have with clients. PBM licensure laws may include oversight of certain PBM activities and operations and may include auditing of those activities.
The states of domicile of the Company’s regulated subsidiaries have statutory risk-based capital (“RBC”) requirements for health and other insurance companies and HMOs based on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (the “NAIC”) Risk-Based Capital for Insurers Model Act (the “RBC Model Act”). These RBC requirements are intended to assess the capital adequacy of life and health insurers and HMOs, taking into account the risk characteristics of a company’s investments and products. The RBC Model Act sets forth the formula for calculating RBC requirements, which are designed to take into account asset risks, insurance risks, interest rate risks and other relevant risks with respect to an individual company’s business. In general, under these laws, an insurance company or HMO must submit a report of its RBC level to the insurance department or insurance commissioner of its state of domicile for each calendar year. At December 31, 2022, the RBC level of each of the Company’s insurance and HMO subsidiaries was above the level that would require regulatory action.
For information regarding restrictions on certain payments of dividends or other distributions by the Company’s HMO and insurance company subsidiaries, see Note 12 ‘‘Shareholders’ Equity’’ included in Item 8 of this 10-K.
The holding company laws for the states of domicile of certain of the Company’s subsidiaries also restrict the ability of any person to obtain control of an insurance company or HMO without prior regulatory approval. Under those statutes, without such approval (or an exemption), no person may acquire any voting security of an insurance holding company (such as the Company’s ultimate parent company, CVS Health Corporation) that controls an insurance company or HMO, or merge with such a holding company, if as a result of such transaction such person would control the insurance holding company. Control is generally defined as the direct or indirect power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a person and is presumed to exist if a person directly or indirectly owns or controls 10% or more of the voting securities of another person.
Certain states have laws that prohibit submitting a false claim or making a false record or statement in order to secure reimbursement from an insurance company. These state laws vary, and violation of them may lead to the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.
Government Agreements and Mandates - From time to time, the Company and/or its various affiliates are subject to certain consent decrees, settlement and other agreements, corrective action plans and corporate integrity agreements with various federal, state and local authorities relating to such matters as privacy practices, controlled substances, PDPs, expired products, environmental and safety matters, marketing and advertising practices, PBM, LTC and other pharmacy operations and various other business practices. Certain of these agreements contain ongoing reporting, monitoring and/or other compliance requirements for the Company. Failure to meet the Company’s obligations under these agreements could result in civil or criminal remedies, financial penalties, administrative remedies, and/or exclusion from participation in federal health care programs.
Environmental and Safety Regulation - The Company’s businesses are subject to various federal, state and local laws, regulations and other requirements pertaining to protection of the environment, public health and employee safety, including, for example, regulations governing the management of hazardous substances, the cleaning up of contaminated sites, and the maintenance of safe working conditions in the Company’s retail locations, distribution centers and other facilities. Governmental agencies at the federal, state and local levels continue to focus on the retail and health care sectors’ compliance with such laws and regulations, and have at times pursued enforcement activities. Any failure to comply with these regulations could result in fines or other sanctions by government authorities.
ERISA Regulation - The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), provides for comprehensive federal regulation of certain employee pension and benefit plans, including private employer and union sponsored health plans and certain other plans that contract with us to provide PBM services. In general, the Company assists plan sponsors in the
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administration of their health benefit plans, including the prescription drug benefit portion of those plans, in accordance with the plan designs adopted by the plan sponsors. In addition, the Company may have fiduciary duties where it has specifically contracted with a plan sponsor to accept limited fiduciary responsibility, such as for the adjudication of initial prescription drug benefit claims and/or the appeals of denied claims under a plan. In addition to its fiduciary provisions, ERISA imposes civil and criminal liability on service providers to health plans and certain other persons if certain forms of illegal remuneration are made or received. These provisions of ERISA are broadly written and their application to specific business practices is often uncertain.
Some of the Company’s health and related benefits and large case pensions products and services and related fees also are subject to potential issues raised by judicial interpretations relating to ERISA. Under those interpretations, together with DOL regulations, the Company may have ERISA fiduciary duties with respect to medical members, PBM members and/or certain general account assets held under contracts that are not guaranteed benefit policies. As a result, certain transactions related to those general account assets are subject to conflict of interest and other restrictions, and the Company must provide certain disclosures to policyholders annually. The Company must comply with these restrictions or face substantial penalties.
Preemption - ERISA generally preempts all state and local laws that relate to employee benefit plans, but the extent of the preemption continues to be reviewed by courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. For example, in December 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an Arkansas law that, among other things, mandates a particular pricing methodology, establishes an appeals process for a pharmacy when the reimbursement is below the pharmacy’s acquisition cost, permits a pharmacy to reverse and rebill if they cannot procure the drug from its wholesaler at a price equal to or less than the reimbursement rate, prohibits a PBM from reimbursing a pharmacy less than the amount it reimburses an affiliate on a per unit basis, and permits a pharmacy to decline to dispense if the reimbursement is lower than the pharmacy’s acquisition cost. Subsequently, in November 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit upheld a North Dakota law that regulates employer-sponsored ERISA health plans and certain PBM practices within Medicare and in April 2022 the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma affirmed that the Oklahoma Insurance Department could enforce a state law against PBMs that contained provisions that alter and limit some of the options that an ERISA plan can use, because none of the provisions mandate that ERISA plans make any specific choices. Additional litigation has been filed in several states to challenge ERISA and Medicare Part D preemption.
Other Legislative Initiatives and Regulatory Initiatives - The U.S. federal and state governments, as well as governments in other countries where the Company does business, continue to enact and seriously consider many broad-based legislative and regulatory proposals that have had a material impact on or could materially impact various aspects of the health care and related benefits system and the Company’s businesses, operating results and/or cash flows. For example:
•Under the Budget Control Act of 2011 and the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 significant, automatic across-the-board budget cuts (known as sequestration) began in March 2013, including Medicare spending cuts of not more than 2% of total program costs per year through 2024. Since then, Congress has extended and modified the Medicare sequester a number of times. The CARES Act temporarily suspended the Medicare sequester and extended mandatory sequestration to 2030. In July 2022, the 2% Medicare sequester resumed. Significant uncertainty remains as to whether and how the U.S. Congress will proceed with actions that create additional federal revenue and/or with entitlement reform. The Company cannot predict future federal Medicare or federal or state Medicaid funding levels or the impact that future federal or state budget actions or entitlement program reform, if it occurs, will have on the Company’s businesses, operations or operating results, but the effects could be materially adverse, particularly on the Company’s Medicare and/or Medicaid revenues, MBRs and operating results.
•The European Union’s (“EU’s”) General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) began to apply across the EU during 2018.
•Other significant legislative and/or regulatory measures which are or recently have been under consideration include the following:
•Increasing the corporate tax rate.
•Eliminating payment of manufacturer’s rebates on prescription drugs to PBMs, PDPs and Managed Medicaid organizations in connection with federally funded health care programs.
•Imposing requirements and restrictions on the design and/or administration of pharmacy benefit plans offered by the Company’s and its clients’ health plans and/or its PBM clients and/or the services the Company provides to those clients, including prohibiting “differential” or “spread” pricing in PBM contracts; restricting or eliminating the use of formularies for prescription drugs; restricting the Company’s ability to require members to obtain drugs through a home delivery or specialty pharmacy; restricting the Company’s ability to place certain specialty or other drugs in the higher cost tiers of its pharmacy formularies; restricting the Company’s ability to make changes to drug formularies and/or clinical programs; limiting or eliminating rebates on pharmaceuticals; requiring the use of up front purchase price discounts on pharmaceuticals in lieu of rebates; restricting the Company’s ability to
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configure and reimburse its health plan and retail pharmacy provider networks, including use of CVS pharmacy locations; and restricting or eliminating the use of certain drug pricing methodologies.
•Increasing federal or state government regulation of, or involvement in, the pricing and/or purchasing of drugs.
•Restricting the Company’s ability to limit providers’ participation in its networks and/or remove providers from its networks by imposing network adequacy requirements or otherwise (including in its Medicare and Commercial Health Care Benefits products).
•Imposing assessments on (or to be collected by) health plans or health carriers that may or may not be passed through to their customers. These assessments may include assessments for insolvency, the uninsured, uncompensated care, Medicaid funding or defraying health care provider medical malpractice insurance costs.
•Mandating coverage by the Company’s and its clients’ health plans for additional conditions and/or specified procedures, drugs or devices (e.g., high cost pharmaceuticals, experimental pharmaceuticals and oral chemotherapy regimens).
•Regulating electronic connectivity.
•Mandating or regulating the disclosure of provider fee schedules, manufacturer’s rebates and other data about the Company’s payments to providers and/or payments the Company receives from pharmaceutical manufacturers.
•Mandating or regulating disclosure of provider outcome and/or efficiency information.
•Prescribing or limiting members’ financial responsibility for health care or other covered services they utilize, including restricting “surprise” bills by providers and by specifying procedures for resolving “surprise” bills.
•Prescribing payment levels for health care and other covered services rendered to the Company’s members by providers who do not have contracts with the Company.
•Assessing the medical device status of home infusion therapy products and/or solutions, mobile consumer wellness tools and clinical decision support tools, which may require compliance with FDA requirements in relation to some of these products, solutions and/or tools.
•Restricting the ability of employers and/or health plans to establish or impose member financial responsibility.
•Proposals to expand benefits under Original Medicare.
•Amending or supplementing ERISA to impose greater requirements on PBMs or the administration of employer-funded benefit plans or limit the scope of current ERISA pre-emption, which would among other things expose the Company and other health plans to expanded liability for punitive and other extra-contractual damages and additional state regulation.
It is uncertain whether the Company can counter the potential adverse effects of such potential legislation or regulation on its operating results or cash flows, including whether it can recoup, through higher premium rates, expanded membership or other measures, the increased costs of mandated coverage or benefits, assessments, fees, taxes or other increased costs, including the cost of modifying its systems to implement any enacted legislation or regulations.
The Company’s businesses also may be affected by other legislation and regulations. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act creates incentives for whistleblowers to speak directly to the government rather than utilizing internal compliance programs and reduces the burden of proof under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (the “FCPA”). There also are laws and regulations that set standards for the escheatment of funds to states.
Health savings accounts, health reimbursement arrangements and flexible spending accounts and certain of the tax, fee and subsidy provisions of the ACA also are regulated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the IRS.
The Company also may be adversely affected by court and regulatory decisions that expand or revise the interpretations of existing statutes and regulations or impose medical malpractice or bad faith liability. Federal and state courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, continue to consider cases, and federal and state regulators continue to issue regulations and interpretations, addressing bad faith liability for denial of medical claims, the scope of ERISA’s fiduciary duty requirements, the scope of the False Claims Act and the pre-emptive effect of ERISA and Medicare Part D on state laws.
Contract Audits - The Company is subject to audits of many of its contracts, including its PBM client contracts, its PBM rebate contracts, its PBM network contracts, its contracts relating to Medicare Advantage and/or Medicare Part D, the agreements the Company’s pharmacies enter into with other payors, its Medicaid contracts and its customer contracts. Because some of the Company’s contracts are with state or federal governments or with entities contracted with state or federal agencies, audits of these contracts are often regulated by the federal or state agencies responsible for administering federal or state
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benefits programs, including those which operate Medicaid fee for service plans, Managed Medicaid plans, Medicare Part D plans or Medicare Advantage organizations.