Humana is checking it out internally to see if in fact a leak did occur. It turns out their lobbyists and a relationship with a research firm Height Securities. The lobbyist is suspected of sending an email out ahead of time to see how the information got there and the article states that there were emails and the leak was relative to the HHS decision not to cut the Medicare Private plans…Insurance stocks that surged after Height, alerts it’s clients. The lobbyist with his relationship seems to be walking on both sides here, but we won’t know until all has been investigated. Humana's stock jumped in value of course and continued to rise the next day. Stocks rose and doctors received less money the same day. BD
HHS Dumps 2.2% Cuts to Private Medicare Advantage Plans; However Due to Sequester Doctor Compensation from Medicare Drops 2% Today-DC Just Can’t Do Math/Models and Gets Sucked In Looking for The “Algorithm Fairies”
WASHINGTON—Health insurer Humana Inc. HUM -3.14% said it has started an internal probe into the circumstances surrounding the leak of a significant change in government health-care policy.
"We have launched an internal review primarily to determine whether our interests were harmed" by the tie between an outside lobbyist employed by Humana and an investment firm that sent out early word of the policy shift, a Humana spokesman said. That alert set off a sudden jump in shares of Humana and other insurers late April 1.
The investment firm's alert was based, among other research, on an email from a lobbyist at Greenberg Traurig LLP. Humana said Thursday it fired Greenberg Traurig after learning of its relationship with the investment research firm, Height Securities.
The Wall Street Journal reported this week that the Height alert came after one of its analysts received an email from a health-care lobbyist asserting that "a deal was already hatched."
Emails reviewed by the Journal show that an analyst for Height also emailed one of Humana's in-house lobbyists a few hours before the decision was announced.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323309604578431220675243256.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
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