Recent comments from UnitedHealth and Humana suggest medical costs could rise from delayed elective surgeries, which could be good news for ASCs, ALM Benefits Pro reported June 20.
UnitedHealth is seeing more patients seek behavioral healthcare and joint replacements, CFO John Rex said at a recent conference. The amount of revenue spent in the second quarter may be above expectations, he said, according to the report.
Humana also warned of a jump in medical costs due to a demand for surgeries.
According to the report, this could be due to patients returning for knee or hip surgeries after putting off nonemergent procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
If this situation materializes, it could be "good news for hospitals and surgery-center operators like Tenet and Surgery Partners," the report said.