Humana leaves AHIP

Humana has terminated its membership in America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the largest lobbying group for the health insurance industry, following the departures of other major insurers in recent years. 

A Humana spokesperson confirmed to multiple media outlets that the formal termination happened on Dec. 31, but said the company “has not actively participated in AHIP since early 2017.”

AHIP’s clout has already been called into question in recent years after other major insurers left the group. UnitedHealthcare departed in June 2015, followed by Aetna (Humana’s one-time merger partner) announcing in Jan. 2016 it would end its AHIP membership. Its advocacy power had been challenged in 2017 by efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act—some of which, like the Graham-Cassidy legislation, the group opposed, while others it gave partial praise without fully endorsing the bill.

AHIP spokesperson Kristine Grow said Humana’s departure was “a business decision,” not one based on policy differences or concerns about the direction of the organization.

The organization had added twelve new insurance companies to its membership in 2017: Colorado Access in Aurora, Colo.; Commonwealth Care Alliance in Boston; Community Health Choice in Houston; Medical Card System in Puerto Rico; Neighborhood Health Plan in Smithfield, Rhode Island; Piedmont Community Health Plan in Lynchburg, Virginia; Prominence Health Plan in Reno, Nevada; Security Health Plan in Marshfield, Wisconsin; Sutter Health Plan in Sacramento, California; USAA in San Antonio; VillageCareMAX in New York City; and WellCare Health Plans in Tampa, Florida.