Humana Wants to Talk to Medicare Plan Brokers

Executives from Humana Inc. say they are eager to talk to brokers about the company’s Medicare Advantage plans.

Bruce Broussard, the Louisville, Kentucky-based carrier’s CEO, talked about the company’s eagerness to work with Medicare Advantage brokers on Wednesday during a conference call with securities analysts.

(Related: Aetna and Humana Break Up)

Aetna Inc. ended efforts to acquire Humana on Valentine’s Day. While deal talks were still under way, “there was just a lot of confusion in the marketplace that some brokers were creating,” Broussard said.

Some people hurt Humana by conveying the message that Humana would pump up enrollment in a local market and then leave the market, Broussard said.

Humana is now trying to eliminate that confusion by making efforts to reach out to brokers, Broussard said.

“In the last six weeks, we’ve had a number of one-on-one meetings and group meetings with our distribution channels,” he said. “Basically, we’re saying that we’re back in action, that we have some great products, and that the Humana you knew two years ago is even better than ever. I think our continued touching with them will be important.”

Humana will be “very competitive on the compensation side,” Broussard added.