Elevance Health, Inc. (ELV) FY 2023 MD&A

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

(In Millions, Except Per Share Data or As Otherwise Stated Herein)

References to the terms “we,” “our,” “us,” “Elevance Health” or the “Company” used throughout this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) refer to Elevance Health, Inc., an Indiana corporation, and, unless the context otherwise requires, its direct and indirect subsidiaries. References to the “states” include the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, unless the context otherwise requires.

This MD&A should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

This MD&A generally discusses 2023 and 2022 items and year-over-year comparisons between 2023 and 2022. A detailed discussion of 2021 items and year-over-year comparisons between 2022 and 2021 that are not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 included in Exhibit 99.1 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended September 30, 2023.

Overview

Elevance Health is a health company with the purpose of improving the health of humanity. We are one of the largest health insurers in the United States in terms of medical membership, serving approximately 47 million medical members through our affiliated health plans as of December 31, 2023. We are an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (“BCBSA”), an association of independent health benefit plans. We serve our members as the Blue Cross licensee for California and as the Blue Cross and Blue Shield (“BCBS”) licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (in the New York City metropolitan area and upstate New York), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.) and Wisconsin. In a majority of these service areas, we do business as Anthem Blue Cross and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. We also conduct business through arrangements with other BCBS licensees, as well as other strategic partners. In addition, we serve members in numerous states as Amerigroup, Freedom Health, HealthSun, MMM, Optimum Healthcare, Simply Healthcare and/or Wellpoint. We are licensed to conduct insurance operations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico through our subsidiaries. Through various subsidiaries, we also offer pharmacy services through our CarelonRx business, and other healthcare related services as Carelon Insights, Carelon Health, Carelon Behavioral Health and CareMore.

As we announced in 2022, we are organizing our brand portfolio into the following core go-to-market brands:

•Anthem Blue Cross/Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield — represents our existing Anthem-branded and affiliated Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield licensed plans;

•Wellpoint — we are uniting select non-BCBSA licensed Medicare, Medicaid and commercial plans under the Wellpoint name; and

•Carelon — this brand brings together our healthcare related services and capabilities, including our CarelonRx and Carelon Services businesses, under a single brand name.

Our branding strategy reflects the evolution of our business from a traditional health insurance company to a lifetime, trusted health partner. Given this evolution, we reviewed and modified how we manage our business, monitor our performance and allocate resources, and made changes to our reportable segments beginning in the first quarter of 2023. We now report our results of operations in the following four reportable segments: Health Benefits (aggregates our previously reported Commercial & Specialty Business and Government Business segments), CarelonRx, Carelon Services (previously included in our Other segment) and Corporate & Other (our businesses that do not individually meet the quantitative

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thresholds for an operating segment, as well as corporate expenses not allocated to our other reportable segments). During the fourth quarter of 2023, we moved our Carelon Global Solutions international businesses from the Corporate & Other reportable segment to the Carelon Services reportable segment. All prior period reportable segment information has been reclassified for comparability to conform to the current presentation.

Our results of operations discussed throughout this MD&A are determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). We also calculate operating gain and operating margin to further aid investors in understanding and analyzing our core operating results. Operating gain is calculated as total operating revenue less benefit expense, cost of products sold and operating expense. Operating margin is calculated as operating gain divided by operating revenue. Our definition of operating gain and operating margin may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. We use these measures as a basis for evaluating segment performance, allocating resources, forecasting future operating periods and setting incentive compensation targets. This information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for income before income tax expense, net income or fully-diluted shareholders’ earnings per share (“EPS”) prepared in accordance with GAAP. For additional details on operating gain, see our “Reportable Segments Results of Operations” discussion included in this MD&A. For a reconciliation of reportable segment operating revenue to the amounts of total revenue included in the consolidated statements of income and a reconciliation of reportable segment operating gain to income before income tax expense, see Note 20, “Segment Information,” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Our operating revenue consists of premiums, product revenue, and service fees. Premium revenue is generated from risk-based contracts where we indemnify our policyholders against costs for covered health and life insurance benefits. Product revenue represents services performed by CarelonRx for unaffiliated pharmacy customers and includes ingredient costs (net of any rebates or discounts), including co-payments made by or on behalf of the customer, and service fees. Unaffiliated pharmacy customers include our fee-based employer groups that contract with CarelonRx for pharmacy services and external customers outside of the health plans we own. Service fees are generated from our fee-based customers for the processing of transactions or network discount savings realized, revenues from our Medicare processing business and revenues from other health-related businesses, including care management programs and miscellaneous other income.

Our benefit expense primarily includes costs of care for health services consumed by our risk-based members, such as outpatient care, inpatient hospital care, professional services (primarily physician care) and pharmacy benefit costs. All four components are affected both by unit costs and utilization rates. Unit costs include the cost of outpatient medical procedures per visit, inpatient hospital care per admission, physician fees per office visit and prescription drug prices. Utilization rates represent the volume of consumption of health services and typically vary with the age and health status of our members and their social and lifestyle choices, along with clinical protocols and medical practice patterns in each of our markets. A portion of benefit expense recognized in each reporting period consists of actuarial estimates of claims incurred but not yet paid by us. Any changes in these estimates are recorded in the period the need for such an adjustment arises. While we offer a diversified mix of managed care products and services through our managed care plans, our aggregate cost of care can fluctuate based on a change in the overall mix of these products and services. Our managed care plans include: Preferred Provider Organizations; Health Maintenance Organizations; Point-of-Service plans; traditional indemnity plans and other hybrid plans, including Consumer-Driven Health Plans; and hospital only and limited benefit products.

We classify certain quality improvement costs as benefit expense. Quality improvement activities are those designed to improve member health outcomes, prevent hospital readmissions and improve patient safety. They also include expenses for wellness and health promotion provided to our members. These quality improvement costs may be comprised of expenses incurred for: (i) medical management, including care coordination and case management; (ii) health and wellness, including disease management services for such conditions as diabetes, high-risk pregnancies, congestive heart failure and asthma management and wellness initiatives like weight-loss programs and smoking cessation treatments; and (iii) clinical health policy, such as identification and use of best clinical practices to avoid harm, identifying clinical errors and safety concerns, and identifying potential adverse drug interactions.

Our cost of products sold represents the cost of pharmaceuticals dispensed by CarelonRx for our unaffiliated pharmacy customers (net of rebates or discounts), including any co-payments made by or on behalf of the customer, per-claim administrative fees for prescription fulfillment and certain direct costs related to sales and administration of customer contracts.

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Our operating expenses consist of fixed and variable costs. Examples of fixed costs are depreciation, amortization and certain facilities expenses. Certain variable costs, such as premium taxes, vary directly with premium volume. Commission expense generally varies with premium or membership volume. Other variable costs, such as salaries and benefits, do not vary directly with changes in premium but are more aligned with changes in membership or services provided to our customers. The acquisition or loss of a significant block of business would likely impact staffing levels and thus, associated compensation expense. Other variable costs include professional and consulting expenses and advertising. Other factors can impact our administrative cost structure, including systems efficiencies, inflation and changes in productivity.

Our results of operations depend in large part on our ability to accurately predict and effectively manage healthcare costs through effective contracting with providers of care to our members, product pricing, medical management and health and wellness programs, innovative product design and our ability to maintain or achieve improvement in our Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Star ratings. Several economic factors related to healthcare costs, such as regulatory mandates of coverage as well as direct-to-consumer advertising by providers and pharmaceutical companies, have a direct impact on the volume of care consumed by our members. The potential effect of escalating healthcare costs, any changes in our ability to negotiate competitive rates with our providers and any regulatory or market-driven restrictions on our ability to obtain adequate premium rates to offset overall inflation in healthcare costs, including increases in unit costs and utilization resulting from the aging of the population and other demographics, the impact of epidemics and pandemics, as well as advances in medical technology and pharmaceuticals, may impose further risks to our ability to profitably underwrite our business and may have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.

We intend to expand through a combination of organic growth, strategic acquisitions and efficient use of capital in both existing and new markets. Our growth strategy is designed to enable us to take advantage of additional economies of scale, as well as provide us access to new and evolving technologies and products. In addition, we believe geographic and product diversity reduces our exposure to local or regional regulatory, economic and competitive pressures and provides us with increased opportunities for growth. We market and offer pharmacy services through CarelonRx and other subsidiaries, and we expect CarelonRx to continue to improve our ability to integrate pharmacy benefits within our medical and specialty platform. We have continued growing our government-sponsored business through organic growth and acquisitions. In all other markets, we intend to maintain our position by delivering excellent service, offering competitively priced products, providing access to high-quality provider networks and effectively capitalizing on the brand strength of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and marks.

For additional information about our business and reportable segments, see Part I, Item 1 “Business” and Note 20, “Segment Information” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Business Trends

In 2023, we made the decision to expand our participation in the Individual state- or federally-facilitated marketplaces (the “Public Exchange”) for 2024. For 2024, we are offering Individual Public Exchange products in 141 of the 143 rating regions in which we operate, in comparison to 138 of the 143 rating regions in 2023. Changes to our business environment are likely to continue as elected officials at the national and state levels continue to enact, and both elected officials and candidates for election continue to propose, significant modifications to existing laws and regulations, including changes to taxes and fees. In addition, the continuing growth in our government-sponsored business exposes us to increased regulatory oversight.

CarelonRx markets and offers pharmacy services to our affiliated health plan customers throughout the country, as well as to customers outside of the health plans we own. Our comprehensive pharmacy services portfolio includes all core pharmacy services, such as home delivery and specialty pharmacies, claims adjudication, formulary management, pharmacy networks, rebate administration, a prescription drug database and member services. CarelonRx delegates certain core pharmacy services to CVS, pursuant to the CVS Agreement that is set to terminate on December 31, 2025. CarelonRx also operates a specialty pharmacy and beginning in 2024, will assume responsibility for pharmacy mail order front-end intake and member services.

Pricing Trends: We strive to price our health benefit products consistent with anticipated underlying medical cost trends. We frequently make adjustments to respond to legislative and regulatory changes as well as pricing and other actions

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taken by existing competitors and new market entrants. Revenues from the Medicare and Medicaid programs are dependent, in whole or in part, upon annual funding from the federal government and/or applicable state governments. Product pricing remains competitive.

Medical Cost Trends: Our medical cost trends are primarily driven by increases in the utilization of services across all provider types and the unit cost increases of these services. We work to mitigate these trends through various medical management programs such as care and condition management, program integrity and specialty pharmacy management and utilization management, as well as benefit design changes. There are many drivers of medical cost trends that can cause variance from our estimates, such as changes in the level and mix of services utilized, regulatory changes, aging of the population, health status and other demographic characteristics of our members, epidemics, pandemics, advances in medical technology, new high-cost prescription drugs, provider contracting inflation, labor costs and healthcare provider or member fraud.

For additional discussion regarding business trends, see Part I, Item 1 “Business” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Regulatory Trends and Uncertainties

Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, Congress decoupled Medicaid eligibility redeterminations from the Public Health Emergency initially declared in January 2020 relating to COVID-19 (the “PHE”). As a result, states were permitted to begin removing ineligible beneficiaries from their Medicaid programs starting April 1, 2023, and the majority of our Medicaid markets began doing so as of June 30, 2023. This process is anticipated to take up to 14 months to complete, although most states are expected to complete the redetermination process by June 30, 2024. As redeterminations have resumed, we have experienced a decline in our Medicaid membership. Over time, we expect growth in our commercial plans, including through the Public Exchanges, as members who are no longer eligible for Medicaid coverage in our 14 commercial states seek coverage elsewhere. On May 11, 2023, the PHE ended in accordance with the Biden Administration’s January 30, 2023 announcement.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which was signed into law in August 2022, contains a variety of provisions that impact our business including an extension of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021's enhanced Premium Tax Credits (“PTC”) through 2025; imposing a new corporate alternative minimum tax; providing a one percent excise tax on repurchases of stock made after December 31, 2022; allowing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) to negotiate prices on a limited set of prescription drugs in Medicare Parts B and D beginning in 2026; instituting caps on insulin cost sharing in Medicare Parts B and D; redesigning of the Medicare Part D benefit; adding a requirement that drug manufacturers pay rebates if prices increase beyond inflation; and delaying the implementation of the Trump Administration Medicare drug rebate rule to 2032. The extension of the enhanced PTC has allowed for growth in Individual Public Exchange enrollment as Medicaid eligibility redeterminations have resumed, supporting continuity of coverage for more people.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (the “2021 Appropriations Act”) has impacted and in the future may have a material effect upon our business, including procedures and coverage requirements related to surprise medical bills and new mandates for continuity of care for certain patients, price comparison tools, disclosure of broker compensation, mental health parity reporting and reporting on pharmacy benefits and drug costs. The requirements of the 2021 Appropriations Act applicable to us had varying effective dates, some of which were effective in December 2021 and during 2022, and others which were extended into 2023 since the enactment of the 2021 Appropriations Act.

The health plan price transparency regulations issued by the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury required us in 2022 to begin disclosing detailed pricing information regarding negotiated rates for all covered items and services between the plan or issuer and in-network providers and historical payments to, and billed charges from, out-of-network providers. Additionally, beginning in 2023, we were required to make available to members personalized out-of-pocket cost information and the underlying negotiated rates for 500 covered healthcare items and services, including prescription drugs. Effective January 1, 2024, this requirement has expanded to include all items and services.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, as amended (collectively, the “ACA”), continues to impact our business and results of operations, including pricing, minimum medical loss ratios and the geographies in which our products are available. We also expect further and ongoing regulatory guidance on a number of issues related to Medicare, including evolving methodology for ratings and quality bonus payments. CMS also frequently proposes changes to its program that audits data submitted under the risk adjustment programs in ways that could increase financial recoveries from plans.

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For additional discussion regarding regulatory trends and uncertainties, and risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements made in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, see Part I, Item 1 “Business — Regulation” and Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors.”

Other Significant Items

Business and Operational Matters

During the third quarter of 2023, based on a strategic review of our operations, assets and investments, management implemented the “2023-2024 Business Efficiency Program” to refine the focus of our investments, and optimize our physical footprint. The 2023-2024 Business Efficiency Program includes the write-off of certain information technology assets and contract exit costs, a reduction in staff including the relocation of certain job functions, and the impairment of assets associated with the closure or partial closure of data centers and offices. The 2023-2024 Business Efficiency Program is expected to be substantially complete by the end of the third quarter of 2024. For additional information, see Note 4, “Business Optimization Initiatives,” and Note 18, “Leases,” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Pursuant to CMS’s Medicare Advantage Star ratings system, CMS annually awards between 1.0 and 5.0 Stars to Medicare Advantage plans based on performance in several categories. Plans must have a Star rating of 4.0 or higher to qualify for bonus payments. CMS released our 2024 Star ratings in October 2023, which will be used to determine our Medicare Advantage plans’ Star quality bonus payments beginning in 2025. Based on our membership at September 1, 2023, 34% of our Medicare Advantage members were in plans with 2024 Star ratings of at least 4.0 Stars, compared to 64% of our Medicare Advantage members being in plans with 2023 Star ratings of at least 4.0 Stars based on our membership at September 1, 2022. This change in our 2024 Star ratings is expected to impact our Star quality bonus payments and plan level rebates beginning in 2025. We expect a reduction to our 2025 operating revenue of approximately $500, net of offsets from contracting provisions due to this change in Star ratings. Further, we expect to partially mitigate the financial impact to our 2025 operating gain and net income through various strategies such as contract diversification, operating expense efficiencies, capital deployment alternatives and network enhancements.

On January 4, 2024, we announced our entrance into an agreement to acquire Paragon Healthcare, Inc., a company providing infusion services and injectable therapies through its omnichannel model of ambulatory infusion centers, home infusion pharmacies, and other specialty pharmacy services. This acquisition aligns with our vision to be an innovative, valuable and inclusive healthcare partner by providing care management programs that improve the lives of the people we serve. The acquisition is expected to close in the first half of 2024 and is subject to standard closing conditions and customary approvals.

On December 31, 2023, we entered into an agreement to acquire Centers Plan for Healthy Living LLC and Centers for Specialty Care Group IPA, LLC (“Centers”). Centers is a managed long-term care plan that serves New York state Medicaid and dually-eligible Medicaid/Medicare members, enabling adults with long-term care needs and disabilities to live safely and independently in their own home. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of 2024 and is subject to standard closing conditions and customary approvals.

On March 28, 2023, we announced our entrance into an agreement to sell our life and disability businesses to StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. (“The Standard”), a provider of financial protection products and services for employers and individuals. Upon closing, we and The Standard will enter into a product distribution partnership. The divestiture is expected to close in the first half of 2024 and is subject to standard closing conditions and customary approvals.

On February 15, 2023, we completed our acquisition of BioPlus Parent, LLC and subsidiaries (“BioPlus”) from CarepathRx Aggregator, LLC. Prior to the acquisition, BioPlus was one of the largest independent specialty pharmacy organizations in the United States. BioPlus, which operates as part of CarelonRx, seeks to connect payors and providers of specialty pharmaceuticals to meet the medication therapy needs of patients with complex medical conditions. This acquisition aligns with our vision to be an innovative, valuable and inclusive healthcare partner by providing care management programs that aim to improve the lives of the people we serve.

On January 23, 2023, we announced our entrance into an agreement to acquire Louisiana Health Service & Indemnity Company, d/b/a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, or BCBSLA, an independent licensee of the BCBSA that provides

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healthcare plans to the Individual, Employer Group, Medicaid and Medicare markets, primarily in the State of Louisiana. This acquisition aligns with our vision to be an innovative, valuable, and inclusive healthcare partner as we bring our innovative whole-health solutions to BCBSLA’s members. The acquisition is subject to closing conditions and approvals.

For additional information, see Note 3, “Business Acquisitions and Divestitures,” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Litigation Matters

In the consolidated multi-district proceeding in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama (the “Court”) captioned In re Blue Cross Blue Shield Antitrust Litigation (“BCBSA Litigation”), the BCBSA and Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield licensees, including us (the “Blue plans”) previously approved a settlement agreement and release with the plaintiffs representing a putative nationwide class of health plan subscribers (the “Subscriber Settlement Agreement”), which agreement required the Court’s approval to become effective. Generally, the lawsuits in the BCBSA Litigation challenge elements of the licensing agreements between the BCBSA and the independently owned and operated Blue plans. The cases were brought by two putative nationwide classes of plaintiffs, health plan subscribers and providers. The Subscriber Settlement Agreement applies only to the subscriber class. The defendants continue to contest the consolidated cases brought by the provider plaintiffs.

In August 2022, the Court issued a final order approving the Subscriber Settlement Agreement (the “Final Approval Order”). In compliance with the Subscriber Settlement Agreement, the Company paid $506 into an escrow account in September 2022, for an aggregate and full settlement payment by the Company of $596, which amount was accrued in 2020. Four notices of appeal of the Final Approval Order were filed prior to the September 2022 appeal deadline. Those appeals were heard by a panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (the “Eleventh Circuit”) in September 2023. In October 2023, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the Final Approval Order. Petitions for rehearing filed by certain appellants in November 2023 and December 2023 remain pending. In the event all appellate rights are exhausted in a manner that affirms the Court’s Final Approval Order, the defendants’ payment and non-monetary obligations under the Subscriber Settlement Agreement will become effective and the funds held in escrow will be distributed in accordance with the Subscriber Settlement Agreement. For additional information regarding the BCBSA Litigation, see Note 14, “Commitments and Contingencies – Litigation and Regulatory Proceedings – Blue Cross Blue Shield Antitrust Litigation,” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Selected Operating Performance

During the year ended December 31, 2023, total medical membership decreased by 0.6 million, or 1.2%. The decrease in medical membership was driven primarily by attrition in Medicaid due to the resumption of eligibility redeterminations and declines in our Employer Group risk-based business, partially offset by growth in BlueCard, Individual Public Exchange health plans and Medicare Advantage membership.

Operating revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $170,209, an increase of $14,549, or 9.3%, from the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase in operating revenue was primarily driven by higher premium revenues in our Health Benefits business resulting from premium rate increases to more accurately reflect the cost of care. The increase was further attributable to growth in our CarelonRx pharmacy product revenue driven by growth in external pharmacy members and the acquisition of BioPlus in the first quarter of 2023.

Net income for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $5,991, an increase of $103, or 1.7%, from the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase in net income was primarily due to higher premium revenues in our Health Benefits business resulting from premium rate increases to more accurately reflect the cost of care. The increase was further attributable to growth in our CarelonRx pharmacy product revenue driven by growth in external pharmacy members and the acquisition of BioPlus in the first quarter of 2023. These increases were partially offset by the business optimization charges recorded in the third quarter of 2023.

Our fully-diluted shareholders’ earnings per share (“EPS”) for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $25.22, an increase of $0.94, or 3.9%, from the year ended December 31, 2022. Our diluted shares for the year ended December 31, 2023 were 237.4, a decrease of 5.4, or 2.2%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase in EPS resulted from fewer diluted shares outstanding, as well as increased shareholders’ net income.

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Operating cash flow for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $8,061, or approximately 1.3 times net income. Operating cash flow for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $8,399, or approximately 1.4 times net income. The decrease in operating cash flow was primarily due to the timing of working capital changes, partially offset by higher net income in 2023, when excluding the non-cash impact of the business optimization charges recorded in the third quarter of 2023, as well as the non-recurrence of the Subscriber Settlement Agreement payment made in September 2022.

Membership

Our medical membership includes the following customer types: Individual, Employer Group risk-based, Employer Group fee-based, BlueCard®, Medicare, Medicaid and our Federal Employees Health Benefits (“FEHB”) Program. We refer to members in our service areas licensed by the BCBSA as our BCBS-branded, or Anthem BCBS, business. Non-BCBS-branded business refers to members in our non-BCBS-branded, or Wellpoint plans, which include Amerigroup, Freedom Health, HealthSun, MMM, Optimum Healthcare and Simply Healthcare plans. In addition to the above medical membership, we also serve customers who purchase one or more of our other products or services that are often ancillary to our health business.

•Individual consists of individual customers under age 65 and their covered dependents. Individual policies are generally sold through independent agents and brokers, retail partnerships, our in-house sales force or via the Public Exchanges. Individual business is sold on a risk-based basis. We offer on-exchange products through Public Exchanges and off-exchange products. Federal premium subsidies are available only for certain Public Exchange Individual products. Unsubsidized Individual customers are generally more sensitive to product pricing and, to a lesser extent, the configuration of the network and the efficiency of administration. Customer turnover is generally higher with Individual as compared to Employer Group risk-based. Individual business accounted for 2.2%, 1.7% and 1.7% of our medical members at December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

•Employer Group risk-based consists of employer customers who purchase products on a full-risk basis, which are products for which we charge a premium and indemnify our policyholders against costs for health benefits. Employer Group risk-based accounts include Local Group customers and National Accounts. Local Group consists of those employer customers with less than 5% of eligible employees located outside of the headquarter state, as well as customers with more than 5% of eligible employees located outside of the headquarter state with up to 5,000 eligible employees. In addition, Local Group includes Student Health members. National Accounts generally consist of multi-state employer groups primarily headquartered in an Elevance Health service area with at least 5% of the eligible employees located outside of the headquarter state and with more than 5,000 eligible employees. Some exceptions are allowed based on broker and consultant relationships. Employer Group risk-based accounts are generally sold through brokers or consultants who work with industry specialists from our in-house sales force and are offered both on and off the Public Exchanges. Employer Group risk-based accounted for 8.0%, 8.4% and 8.8% of our medical members at December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

•Employer Group fee-based customers represent employer groups, Local Group, and National Accounts, who purchase fee-based products and elect to retain most or all of the financial risk associated with their employees’ healthcare costs. Some fee-based customers choose to purchase stop loss coverage to limit their retained risk. Employer Group fee-based accounts are generally sold through independent brokers or consultants retained by the customer working with our in-house sales force. Employer Group fee-based accounted for 43.1%, 42.4% and 42.7% of our medical members at December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

•BlueCard® host customers represent enrollees of Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield plans not owned by Elevance Health who receive healthcare services in our BCBSA licensed markets. BlueCard® membership consists of estimated host members using the national BlueCard® program. Host members are generally members who reside in or travel to a state in which an Elevance Health subsidiary is the Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield licensee and who are covered under an employer-sponsored health plan issued by a non-Elevance Health controlled BCBSA licensee (the “home plan”). We perform certain functions, including claims pricing and administration, for BlueCard® members, for which we receive service fees from the BlueCard® members’ home plans. Other administrative functions, including maintenance of enrollment information and customer service, are performed by the home plan. Host members are computed using, among other things, the average number of BlueCard® claims received per month. BlueCard® host membership accounted for 14.6%, 13.6% and 13.6% of our medical members at December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

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•Medicare customers are Medicare-eligible individual members age 65 and over who have enrolled in Medicare Advantage, including Special Needs Plans (“SNPs”), also known as Medicare Advantage SNPs; dual-eligible programs through Medicare-Medicaid Plans (“MMPs”); Medicare Supplement plans; and Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans (“Medicare Part D”). Medicare Advantage plans provide Medicare beneficiaries with a managed care alternative to traditional Medicare and often include a Medicare Part D benefit. In addition, our Medicare Advantage SNPs provide tailored benefits to special needs individuals who are institutionalized or have severe or disabling chronic conditions and to dual-eligible customers, who are low-income seniors and persons under age 65 with disabilities. Medicare Advantage SNPs are coordinated care plans specifically designed to provide targeted care, covering all the healthcare services considered medically necessary for members and often providing professional care coordination services, with personal guidance and programs that help members maintain their health. Medicare Advantage membership also includes Medicare Advantage members in our Group Retiree Solutions business who are retired members of commercial accounts or retired members of groups who are not affiliated with our commercial accounts who have selected a Medicare Advantage product through us. Medicare Supplement plans typically pay the difference between healthcare costs incurred by a beneficiary and amounts paid by Medicare. Medicare Part D offers a prescription drug plan to Medicare and MMP beneficiaries. MMP, which was established as a result of the passage of the ACA, is focused on serving members who are dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare. Medicare Supplement and Medicare Advantage products are marketed in the same manner, primarily through independent agents and brokers. Medicare program business accounted for 6.3%, 6.2% and 6.2% of our medical members at December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

•Medicaid membership represents eligible members who receive health benefits through publicly funded healthcare programs, including Medicaid, ACA-related Medicaid expansion programs, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, programs for seniors and people with disabilities, Children’s Health Insurance Programs, and specialty programs such as those focused on long-term services and support, HIV/AIDS, foster care, behavioral health and/or substance abuse disorders, and intellectual disabilities or developmental disabilities, among others. Total Medicaid program business accounted for 22.4%, 24.3% and 23.4% of our medical members at December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

•FEHB members consist of United States government employees and their dependents who receive health benefits within our geographic markets through our participation in the national contract between the BCBSA and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. FEHB business accounted for 3.5%, 3.4% and 3.6% of our medical members at December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

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The following table presents our medical membership by customer type as of December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021. Also included below is other membership by product and other metrics. The membership data and other metrics presented are unaudited and in certain instances include estimates of the number of members represented by each contract at the end of the period. The CarelonRx Quarterly Adjusted Scripts metric represents adjusted script volume based on the number of days a prescription covers. On an adjusted basis, one 90-day script counts the same as three 30-day scripts. The Carelon Services Consumers Served metric represents the number of consumers receiving one or more healthcare related services from Carelon Services who are members of our affiliated health plans as well as those who are members of non-affiliated health plans.

December 31, 2023 Compared to December 31, 2022

Medical Membership

Total medical membership declined during the twelve months ended December 31, 2023. This was driven primarily by attrition in Medicaid due to the resumption of eligibility redeterminations and declines in our Employer Group risk-based business, partially offset by growth in BlueCard, Individual Public Exchange health plans and Medicare Advantage membership.

Other Membership

Our other membership can be impacted by changes in our medical membership, as our medical members often purchase our other products that are ancillary to our health business. Life and disability membership decreased primarily due to lapses associated with our Employer Group risk-based accounts. Dental membership increased primarily due to favorable sales in our FEHB, Individual and National businesses, partially offset by lapses in our Employer Group risked-based accounts. Dental administration membership increased primarily due to favorable in-group change with other BCBSA plans associated

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with the FEHB program. Vision membership increased due to sales exceeding lapses in our Individual and Medicare Advantage businesses.

Consolidated Results of Operations

Our consolidated summarized results of operations and other information for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 are as follows:

Certain of the following definitions are also applicable to all other results of operations tables in this discussion:

NM Not meaningful.

1Includes interest expense, amortization of other intangible assets and loss on extinguishment of debt.

2Benefit expense ratio represents benefit expense as a percentage of premium revenue. Premiums for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 were $142,854, $133,229 and $117,373, respectively. Premiums are included in total operating revenue presented above.

3bp = basis point; one hundred basis points = 1%.

4Operating expense ratio represents operating expense as a percentage of total operating revenue.

Year Ended December 31, 2023 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2022

Total operating revenue increased primarily as a result of higher premium revenues in our Health Benefits business resulting from premium rate increases to more accurately reflect the cost of care. The increase was further attributable to growth in our CarelonRx pharmacy product revenue driven by growth in external pharmacy members and the acquisition of BioPlus in the first quarter of 2023.

Net investment income increased primarily due to higher income from fixed maturity securities, partially offset by reduced income from alternative investments and lower dividends on equity securities.

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Net losses on financial instruments increased due to increased losses on other invested assets, partially offset by higher gains on marketable equity securities.

Benefit expense increased primarily due to medical cost trends.

Our benefit expense ratio decreased slightly, primarily driven by premium rate increases in our Health Benefit segment to more accurately reflect the cost of care.

Cost of products sold reflects the cost of pharmaceuticals dispensed by CarelonRx for our unaffiliated pharmacy customers. Cost of products sold increased as the corresponding pharmacy product revenues increased.

Operating expense increased primarily due to the business optimization charges recorded in the third quarter of 2023, including internally developed software impairment and severance costs, as well as expenses incurred for anticipated future growth.

Our operating expense ratio increased primarily due to the business optimization charges recorded in 2023, partially offset by the favorable impact of operating revenue growth.

Other expense increased primarily due to increased interest expense and increased amortization of other intangible assets. Interest expense increased as we issued additional debt at higher interest rates. The amortization of intangible assets increased due to recent acquisitions as well as the rebranding of our products. The amortization period of certain intangible assets was shortened to align with anticipated dates the new branding will take place.

Our effective income tax rate decreased from 22.5% to 22.3%, primarily due to the impact of geographic changes in our mix of earnings in 2023.

Our shareholders’ net income as a percentage of total revenues decreased in 2023 as compared to 2022 as a result of all the factors discussed above.

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Reportable Segments Results of Operations

The following table presents a summary of our reportable segment financial information for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021:

1Includes expenses of $36 for business optimization initiatives in 2022 and $153 for business optimization initiatives in 2021.

2    Includes expenses of $1 for business optimization initiatives in 2021.

3    Includes expenses of $5 for business optimization initiatives in 2022 and $33 for business optimization initiatives in 2021.

4    Includes expense of $753 for business optimization initiatives in 2023 and (credit) of $(2) for business optimization initiatives in 2022.

5    bp = basis point; one hundred basis points = 1%.

The following table summarizes Health Benefits operating revenues by Commercial, Medicare, Medicaid and FEHB lines of business for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021:

Year Ended December 31, 2023 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2022

Health Benefits

Operating revenue and operating gain increased primarily as a result of higher premium revenues due to premium rate increases to more accurately reflect the cost of care.

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CarelonRx

Operating revenue increased primarily as a result of higher prescription volumes associated with growth in external pharmacy members served and the acquisition of BioPlus in the first quarter of 2023.

The increase in operating gain was primarily a result of higher prescription volumes associated with growth in external pharmacy members served and the acquisition of BioPlus in the first quarter of 2023, partially offset by lower service fees and expenses incurred for anticipated future growth.

Carelon Services

Operating revenue increased primarily due to the continued expansion of our post-acute care services performed for our Medicare business and behavioral health services performed for our Medicaid business.

The increase in operating gain was primarily driven by the continued expansion of our post-acute care services and improved performance in our medical management business, partially offset by medical cost trends.

Corporate & Other

The increase in operating loss was primarily due to the business optimization charges recorded in the third quarter of 2023, as well as an increase in unallocated corporate expenses.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

We prepare our consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP. Application of GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes and within this MD&A. We consider our most important accounting policies that require significant estimates and management judgment to be those policies with respect to liabilities for medical claims payable, goodwill and other intangible assets and investments, which are discussed below. Our other significant accounting policies are summarized in Note 2, “Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies,” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We continually evaluate the accounting policies and estimates used to prepare the consolidated financial statements. In general, our estimates are based on historical experience, evaluation of current trends, information from third-party professionals and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the known facts and circumstances. Estimates can require a significant amount of judgment, and a different set of assumptions could result in material changes to our reported results.

Medical Claims Payable

The most subjective accounting estimate in our consolidated financial statements is our liability for medical claims payable. At December 31, 2023, this liability was $16,111 and represented 23.2% of our total consolidated liabilities. We record this liability and the corresponding benefit expense for incurred but not paid claims, including the estimated costs of processing such claims. Incurred but not paid claims include (1) an estimate for claims that are incurred but not reported, as well as claims reported to us but not yet processed through our systems, which approximated 93.9%, or $15,123, of our total medical claims liability as of December 31, 2023; and (2) claims reported to us and processed through our systems but not yet paid, which approximated 6.1%, or $988, of the total medical claims payable as of December 31, 2023. The level of claims payable processed through our systems but not yet paid may fluctuate from one period-end to the next, from approximately 1% to 6% of our total medical claims liability, due to timing of when claim payments are made.

Liabilities for both claims incurred but not reported and reported but not yet processed through our systems are determined in the aggregate, employing actuarial methods that are commonly used by health insurance actuaries and meet Actuarial Standards of Practice. Our reserving practice for claim liabilities is to consistently recognize the appropriate amount of reserve within a level of confidence required by Actuarial Standards of Practice. We determine the amount of the liability for incurred but not paid claims by following a detailed actuarial process that uses both historical claim payment patterns as well as emerging medical cost trends to project our best estimate of claim liabilities. Under this process, historical paid claims data is formatted into “claim triangles,” which compare claim incurred dates to the dates of claim payments. This information

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is analyzed to create “completion factors” that represent the average percentage of total incurred claims that have been paid through a given date after being incurred. Completion factors are applied to claims paid through the period-end date to estimate the ultimate claim expense incurred for the period. Actuarial estimates of incurred but not paid claim liabilities are then determined by subtracting the actual paid claims from the estimate of the ultimate incurred claims.

For the most recent incurred months (typically the most recent two months), the percentage of claims paid for claims incurred in those months is generally low. This makes the completion factor methodology less reliable for such months. Therefore, incurred claims for recent months are not projected from historical completion and payment patterns; rather, they are projected by estimating the claims expense for those months based on recent claims expense levels and healthcare trend levels (“trend factors”).

Our reserve methodology, which relies upon historical information, must be adjusted to account for known or suspected operational and environmental changes. Adjustments are carried out by our actuaries, drawing on expert knowledge and taking into account their estimate of emerging impacts to benefit costs and payment speed. Factors such as changes in levels of utilization, unit costs, business mix, benefit plan designs, provider reimbursements, processing system modifications, claim inventory levels, claim processing and submission patterns, and operational changes resulting from business combinations are considered when developing our reserve estimates. We also compare prior period liabilities to revised claim liabilities based on subsequent claim development. In these comparisons, methods and assumptions remain constant as reserves are recalculated; rather, the availability of additional paid claims information drives changes in the re-estimate of the unpaid claim liability. To the extent appropriate, changes in such development are recorded as a change to current period benefit expense.

On a regular basis, we review cost trends and utilization assumptions set upon initial establishment of claim liabilities. We utilize subsequent paid claims activity to monitor and continuously adjust the claims liability and benefit expense. If actual results are determined to be materially different than assumptions regarding cost trends and utilization, future periods of our income statement and overall financial position could be impacted. Adjustments made to prior year estimates may result in either an additional benefit expense or a reduction of benefit expense in the period the adjustment is made. The variability of healthcare costs necessitates that claim liabilities be adjusted each period and are sometimes significant compared to the net income recorded in that period. An actuary’s judgment that a portion of the prior period liability is no longer needed or that an additional liability should have been accrued triggers the immediate recognition of prior period development. Once sufficient information is available to ascertain that the re-estimate of the liability is reasonable, the determination is made.

While numerous factors contribute to our medical claims payable liability estimation, the two assumptions having the most significant impact on our incurred but not paid claims liability as of December 31, 2023, were the completion and trend factors. These vital assumptions can be affected by variables such as utilization levels, unit costs, mix of business, benefit plan designs, provider reimbursement levels, processing system conversions and changes, claim inventory levels, claim processing and submission patterns, and operational changes resulting from business combinations.

There is variation in the reasonable choice of completion factors by duration for durations of three months through twelve months where the completion factors have the most significant impact. As previously discussed, completion factors tend to be less reliable for the most recent months and therefore are not specifically utilized for months one and two. In our analysis for the claim liabilities at December 31, 2023, the variability in months three to five was estimated to be between 40 and 90 basis points, while months six through twelve have much lower estimated variability ranging from 0 to 30 basis points.

The difference in completion factor assumptions results in variability of 2%, or approximately $289, in the December 31, 2023 incurred but not paid claims liability, depending on the completion factors chosen. It is important to note that the completion factor methodology inherently assumes that historical completion rates will be reflective of the current period. However, it is possible that the actual completion rates for the current period will develop differently from historical patterns and therefore could fall outside the possible variations described herein.

The other major assumption used in the establishment of the December 31, 2023 incurred but not paid claim liability was the trend factors. In our analysis for the period ended December 31, 2023, there was a 330 basis point differential in the high and low trend factors. This range of trend factors would imply variability of 3%, or approximately $545, in the incurred but

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not paid claims liability, depending upon the trend factors used. Because historical trend factors are often not representative of current claim trends, the trend experience for the most recent six to nine months, plus knowledge of recent events likely affecting current trends, have been taken into consideration in establishing the incurred but not paid claims liability at December 31, 2023.

See Note 12, “Medical Claims Payable,” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balance for medical claims payable for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021. Components of the total incurred claims for each year include amounts accrued for current year estimated claims expense as well as adjustments to prior year estimated accruals. In Note 12, “Medical Claims Payable,” the line labeled “Net incurred medical claims: Prior years redundancies” accounts for those adjustments made to prior year estimates. The impact of any reduction of “Net incurred medical claims: Prior years redundancies” may be offset as we establish the estimate of “Net incurred medical claims: Current year”, or as we establish liabilities for premium refunds based upon the minimum medical loss ratio (“MLR”), the relative health risk of members, and other contractual or regulatory requirements. Our reserving practice is to consistently recognize the actuarial best estimate of our ultimate liability for our claims. When we recognize a release of the redundancy, we disclose the amount that is not in the ordinary course of business, if material.

The ratio of current year medical claims paid as a percent of current year net medical claims incurred was 88.0% for 2023, 87.3% for 2022 and 87.8% for 2021. This ratio serves as an indicator of claims processing speed whereby 2023 claims were processed at a similar speed to 2022 and 2021.

We calculate the percentage of prior year redundancies in the current year as a percent of prior year net incurred claims payable less prior year redundancies in the current year in order to demonstrate the development of the prior year reserves. For the year ended December 31, 2023, this metric was 11.4%, largely driven by favorable trend factor development at the end of 2022 as well as favorable completion factor development from 2022. For the year ended December 31, 2022, this metric was 7.0% and was largely driven by favorable trend factor development at the end of 2021. For the year ended December 31, 2021, this metric was 18.1%, reflecting the estimation uncertainty due to COVID-19 at the end of 2020, and was largely driven by favorable trend factor development at the end of 2020 as well as favorable completion factor development from 2020.

We calculate the percentage of prior year redundancies in the current year as a percent of prior year net incurred medical claims to indicate the percentage of redundancy included in the preceding year calculation of current year net incurred medical claims. We believe this calculation supports the reasonableness of our prior year estimate of incurred medical claims. For the year ended December 31, 2023, this metric was 1.4%, which was calculated using the redundancy of $1,571. This metric was 0.9% for 2022 and 2.0% for 2021. The 2021 metric was impacted by the estimation uncertainty due to COVID-19.

The following table shows the variance between total net incurred medical claims as reported in Note 12, “Medical Claims Payable,” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for each of 2022 and 2021 and the incurred claims for such years had it been determined retrospectively (computed as the difference between “net incurred medical claims – current year” for the year shown and “net incurred medical claims – prior years redundancies” for the immediately following year):

Given that our business is primarily short tailed (which means that medical claims are generally paid within twelve months of the member receiving service from the provider), the variance to total net incurred medical claims, as reported above, is used to assess the reasonableness of our estimate of ultimate incurred medical claims for a given calendar year with

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the benefit of one year of experience. We expect that substantially all of the development of the 2023 estimate of medical claims payable will be known during 2024.

The 2022 variance to total net incurred medical claims, as reported of 0.6% was more than the 2021 percentage of (0.8)%. This was primarily driven by the fact that the change in prior year redundancy reported for 2022 as compared to 2021 increased, whereas the change in the prior year redundancy reported for 2021 as compared to 2020 decreased.

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Our consolidated goodwill and other intangible assets at December 31, 2023 were $35,590, and represented 32.7% of our total consolidated assets and 90.5% of our consolidated shareholders’ equity at December 31, 2023.

We follow FASB guidance for business combinations and goodwill and other intangible assets, which specifies the types of acquired intangible assets that are required to be recognized and reported separately from goodwill. Under the guidance, goodwill and other intangible assets (with indefinite lives) are not amortized but are tested for impairment at least annually. Furthermore, goodwill and other intangible assets are allocated to reporting units for purposes of the annual impairment test. Our impairment tests require us to make assumptions and judgments regarding the estimated fair value of our reporting units, which include goodwill and other intangible assets. In addition, certain other intangible assets with indefinite lives, such as trademarks, are also tested separately.

We complete our annual impairment tests of existing goodwill and other intangible assets with indefinite lives during the fourth quarter of each year. These tests involve the use of estimates related to the fair value of goodwill at the reporting unit level and other intangible assets with indefinite lives, and require a significant degree of management judgment and the use of subjective assumptions. Certain interim impairment tests are also performed when potential impairment indicators exist or changes in our business or other triggering events occur. We have the option of first performing a qualitative assessment for each reporting unit to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, which is an indication that our goodwill may be impaired. These qualitative impairment tests include assessing events and factors that could affect the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible assets. Our procedures include assessing our financial performance, macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, various asset specific factors and entity specific events. If we determine that a reporting unit’s goodwill may be impaired after utilizing these qualitative impairment analysis procedures, we are required to perform a quantitative impairment test.

Our quantitative impairment test utilizes the projected income and market valuation approaches for goodwill and the projected income approach for our indefinite lived intangible assets. Use of the projected income and market valuation approaches for our goodwill impairment test reflects our view that both valuation methodologies provide a reasonable estimate of fair value. The projected income approach is developed using assumptions about future revenue, expenses and net income derived from our internal planning process. These estimated future cash flows are then discounted. Our assumed discount rate is based on our industry’s weighted-average cost of capital. Market valuations are based on observed multiples of certain measures including revenue; earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization; and book value of invested capital (debt and equity) and include market comparisons to publicly traded companies in our industry.

We did not incur any impairment losses as a result of our 2023 annual impairment tests, as it was determined that it is more likely than not that the estimated fair values of our reporting units were substantially in excess of the carrying values as of December 31, 2023. Additionally, we do not believe that the estimated fair values of our reporting units are at risk of becoming impaired in the next twelve months.

If estimated fair values are less than the carrying values of goodwill and other intangibles with indefinite lives in future annual impairment tests, or if significant impairment indicators are noted relative to other intangible assets subject to amortization, we may be required to record impairment losses against future income.

For additional information, see Note 3, “Business Acquisitions and Divestitures,” and Note 10, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets,” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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Investments

Current and long-term marketable investment securities were $30,719 at December 31, 2023 and represented 28.2% of our total consolidated assets at December 31, 2023. We classify fixed maturity securities in our investment portfolio as “available-for-sale” and report those securities at fair value. Certain fixed maturity securities are available to support current operations and, accordingly, we classify such investments as current assets without regard to their contractual maturity. Investments used to satisfy contractual, regulatory or other requirements are classified as long-term, without regard to contractual maturity.

Our impairment review is subjective and requires a high degree of judgment. We conduct this review on a quarterly basis, using both qualitative and quantitative factors. Such factors considered include the extent to which a security’s market value has been less than its cost, the reasons for the decline in value (i.e., credit event compared to liquidity, general credit spread widening, currency exchange rate or interest rate factors), financial condition and near term prospects of the issuer, including the credit ratings and changes in the credit ratings of the issuer, recommendations of investment advisors, and forecasts of economic, market or industry trends.

If a fixed maturity security is in an unrealized loss position and we have the intent to sell the fixed maturity security, or it is more likely than not that we will have to sell the fixed maturity security before recovery of its amortized cost basis, we write down the fixed maturity security’s cost basis to fair value and record an impairment loss in our consolidated statements of income. For impaired fixed maturity securities that we do not intend to sell or if it is more likely than not that we will not have to sell such securities, but we expect that we will not fully recover the amortized cost basis, we recognize the credit component of the impairment as an allowance for credit loss in our consolidated balance sheets and record an impairment loss in our consolidated statements of income. The non-credit component of the impairment is recognized in accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income. Furthermore, unrealized losses entirely caused by non-credit-related factors related to fixed maturity securities for which we expect to fully recover the amortized cost basis continue to be recognized in accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income.

The credit component of an impairment is determined primarily by comparing the net present value of projected future cash flows with the amortized cost basis of the fixed maturity security. The net present value is calculated by discounting our best estimate of projected future cash flows at the effective interest rate implicit in the fixed maturity security at the date of purchase. For mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, cash flow estimates are based on assumptions regarding the underlying collateral, including prepayment speeds, vintage, type of underlying asset, geographic concentrations, default rates, recoveries and changes in value. For all other securities, cash flow estimates are driven by assumptions regarding probability of default, including changes in credit ratings and estimates regarding timing and amount of recoveries associated with a default.

We have a committee of accounting and investment associates and management that is responsible for managing the impairment review process. We believe that we have adequately reviewed our investment securities for impairment and that our investment securities are carried at fair value. We have established an allowance for credit loss and recorded credit loss expense as a reflection of our expected impairment losses. Given the inherent uncertainty of changes in market conditions and the significant judgments involved, there is continuing risk that declines in fair value may occur and additional impairment losses on investments may be recorded in future periods.

In addition to marketable investment securities, we held additional long-term investments of $6,107, or 5.6% of total consolidated assets, at December 31, 2023. These long-term investments consisted primarily of certain other equity investments, the cash surrender value of corporate-owned life insurance policies and mortgage loans. Due to their less liquid nature, these investments are classified as long-term.

Through our investing activities, we are exposed to financial market risks, including those resulting from changes in interest rates and changes in equity market valuations. We manage market risks through our investment policy, which establishes credit quality limits and limits on investments in individual issuers. Ineffective management of these risks could have an impact on our future results of operations and financial condition. Our investment portfolio includes fixed maturity securities with a fair value of $30,490 at December 31, 2023. The weighted-average credit rating of these securities was “A” as of December 31, 2023. Included in this balance are investments in fixed maturity securities of states, municipalities and political subdivisions and asset-backed assets of $993 and $0, respectively, that are guaranteed by third parties. With the

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exception of 17 securities with a fair value of $9, these securities are all investment-grade and carry a weighted-average credit rating of “AA” as of December 31, 2023. The securities are guaranteed by a number of different guarantors, and we do not have any material exposure to any single guarantor, neither indirectly through the guarantees, nor directly through investment in the guarantor. Further, due to the high underlying credit rating of the issuers, the weighted-average credit rating of the fixed maturity securities without a guarantee, for which such information is available, was “A” as of December 31, 2023.

Fair values of fixed maturity and equity securities are based on quoted market prices, where available. These fair values are obtained primarily from third-party pricing services, which generally use Level I or Level II inputs for the determination of fair value in accordance with FASB guidance for fair value measurements and disclosures. We have controls in place to review the pricing services’ qualifications and procedures used to determine fair values. In addition, we periodically review the pricing services’ pricing methodologies, data sources and pricing inputs to ensure the fair values obtained are reasonable.

We obtain quoted market prices for each security from the pricing services, which are derived through recently reported trades for identical or similar securities, making adjustments through the reporting date based upon available market observable information. For securities not actively traded, the pricing services may use quoted market prices of comparable instruments or discounted cash flow analyses, incorporating inputs that are currently observable in the markets for similar securities. Inputs that are often used in these valuation methodologies include, but are not limited to, broker quotes, benchmark yields, credit spreads, default rates and prepayment speeds. As we are responsible for the determination of fair value, we perform analysis on the prices received from the pricing services to determine whether the prices are reasonable estimates of fair value. Our analysis includes procedures such as a review of month-to-month price fluctuations and price comparisons to secondary pricing services. There were no adjustments to quoted market prices obtained from the pricing services during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.

In certain circumstances, it may not be possible to derive pricing model inputs from observable market activity, and therefore, such inputs are estimated internally. Such securities are designated Level III in accordance with FASB guidance. Securities designated Level III at December 31, 2023 totaled $665 and represented approximately 1.9% of our total assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis. Our Level III securities primarily consisted of certain corporate securities and equity securities for which observable inputs were not always available and the fair values of these securities were estimated using inputs including, but not limited to, prepayment speeds, credit spreads, default rates and benchmark yields.

For additional information, see Part II, Item 7A, “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and Note 2, “Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies,” Note 5, “Investments,” and Note 7, “Fair Value,” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

New Accounting Pronouncements

For information regarding new accounting pronouncements that were issued or became effective during the year ended December 31, 2023 that had, or are expected to have, a material impact on our financial position, results of operations or financial statement disclosures, see the “Recently Adopted Accounting Guidance” and “Recent Accounting Guidance Not Yet Adopted” sections of Note 2, “Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies,” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Introduction

Our cash receipts result primarily from premiums, product revenue, service fees, investment income, proceeds from the sale or maturity of our investment securities, proceeds from borrowings, and proceeds from the issuance of common stock under our employee stock plans. Cash disbursements result mainly from claims payments, operating expenses, taxes, purchases of investment securities, interest expense, payments on borrowings, acquisitions, capital expenditures, repurchases of our debt securities and common stock and the payment of cash dividends. Cash outflows fluctuate with the amount and timing of settlement of these transactions. Any future decline in our profitability would likely have an unfavorable impact on our liquidity.

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We manage our cash, investments and capital structure so we are able to meet the short-term and long-term obligations of our business while maintaining financial flexibility and liquidity. We forecast, analyze and monitor our cash flows to enable investment and financing within the overall constraints of our financial strategy.

A substantial portion of the assets held by our regulated subsidiaries are in the form of cash and cash equivalents and investments. After considering expected cash flows from operating activities, we generally invest cash that exceeds our near term obligations in longer term marketable fixed maturity securities to improve our overall investment income returns. Our investment strategy is to make investments consistent with insurance statutes and other regulatory requirements, while preserving our asset base. Our investments are generally available-for-sale to meet liquidity and other needs. Our subsidiaries pay out excess capital annually in the form of dividends to their respective parent companies for general corporate use, as permitted by applicable regulations.

The availability of financing in the form of debt or equity is influenced by many factors, including our profitability, operating cash flows, debt levels, debt ratings, contractual restrictions, regulatory requirements and market conditions. The securities and credit markets have in the past experienced higher than normal volatility. Interest rates on fixed debt income securities have increased since the beginning of 2022, which may increase our borrowing costs if we elect to issue debt. During recent years, the federal government and various governmental agencies have taken a number of steps to strengthen the regulation of the financial services market. In addition, governments around the world have developed their own plans to provide stability and security in the credit markets and to ensure adequate capital in certain financial institutions.

A summary of our major sources and uses of cash and cash equivalents for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 is as follows:

Liquidity—Year Ended December 31, 2023 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2022

The decline in cash provided by operating activities was primarily due to the timing of working capital changes, partially offset by higher net income in 2023, when excluding the non-cash impact of the business optimization charges recorded in the third quarter of 2023, as well as the non-recurrence of the Subscriber Settlement Agreement payment made in September 2022.

Other significant changes in sources and uses of cash year-over-year included a) lower sources of cash from other sources of cash, net, issuances of short- and long-term debt, net of repayments and issuances of common stock under

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employee stock plans and b) increased uses of cash from purchases of subsidiaries, net of cash acquired, purchases of investments, net of proceeds from sales, maturities, calls and redemptions, the repurchase and retirement of common stock, cash dividends, the purchase of property and equipment and other uses of cash, net.

Financial Condition

We maintained a strong financial condition and liquidity position, with consolidated cash, cash equivalents and investments in fixed maturity and equity securities of $37,245 at December 31, 2023. Since December 31, 2022, total cash, cash equivalents and investments in fixed maturity and equity securities increased by $2,201, primarily due to cash generated from operations. This increase was partially offset by cash used for common stock repurchases, acquisitions, purchases of property and equipment and cash dividends paid to shareholders.

Many of our subsidiaries are subject to various government regulations that restrict the timing and amount of dividends and other distributions that may be paid to their respective parent companies. Certain accounting practices prescribed by insurance regulatory authorities, or statutory accounting practices, differ from GAAP. Changes that occur in statutory accounting practices, if any, or other regulatory requirements, could impact our subsidiaries’ future dividend capacity. In addition, we have agreed to certain undertakings to regulatory authorities, including the requirement to maintain certain capital levels in certain of our subsidiaries.

At December 31, 2023, we held $1,564 of cash, cash equivalents and investments at the parent company, which are available for general corporate use, including investment in our businesses, acquisitions, potential future common stock repurchases and dividends to shareholders, repurchases of debt securities and debt and interest payments.

Periodically, we access capital markets and issue debt (“Notes”) for long-term borrowing purposes, for example, to refinance debt, to finance acquisitions or for share repurchases. Certain of these Notes may have a call feature that allows us to redeem the Notes at any time at our option and/or a put feature that allows a Note holder to redeem the Notes upon the occurrence of both a change in control event and a downgrade of the Notes below an investment grade rating. For more information on our debt, including redemptions and issuances, see Note 13, “Debt,” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We calculate our consolidated debt-to-capital ratio, a non-GAAP measure, from the amounts presented on our audited consolidated balance sheets included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our debt-to-capital ratio is calculated as total debt divided by total debt plus total shareholders’ equity. Total debt is the sum of short-term borrowings, current portion of long-term debt and long-term debt, less current portion. We believe our debt-to-capital ratio assists investors and rating agencies in measuring our overall leverage and additional borrowing capacity. In addition, our bank covenants include a maximum debt-to-capital ratio that we cannot and did not exceed. Our debt-to-capital ratio may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. Our consolidated debt-to-capital ratio was 38.9% and 39.9% as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Our senior debt is rated “A” by S&P Global Ratings, “BBB+” by Fitch Ratings, Inc., “Baa2” by Moody’s Investor Service, Inc. and “bbb+” by AM Best Company, Inc. We intend to maintain our senior debt investment grade ratings. If our credit ratings are downgraded, our business, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely impacted by limitations on future borrowings and a potential increase in our borrowing costs.

Capital Resources

We have a shelf registration statement on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to register an unlimited amount of any combination of debt or equity securities in one or more offerings. Specific information regarding terms and securities being offered will be provided at the time of an offering. Proceeds from future offerings are expected to be used for general corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, the repayment of debt, investments in or extensions of credit to our subsidiaries and the financing of possible acquisitions or business expansions.

We have a senior revolving credit facility (the “5-Year Facility”) with a group of lenders for general corporate purposes. The 5-Year Facility provides credit of up to $4,000 and matures in April 2027. Our ability to borrow under the 5-Year Facility is subject to compliance with certain covenants, including covenants requiring us to maintain a defined debt-to-capital ratio of not more than 60%, subject to increase in certain circumstances set forth in the credit agreement for the 5-Year

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Facility. As of December 31, 2023, our debt-to-capital ratio, as defined and calculated under the 5-Year Facility, was 39.1%. We do not believe the restrictions contained in our 5-Year Facility covenants materially affect our financial or operating flexibility. As of December 31, 2023, we were in compliance with all of our debt covenants under the 5-Year Facility. There were no amounts outstanding under the 5-Year Facility at December 31, 2023.

We have an authorized commercial paper program of up to $4,000, the proceeds of which may be used for general corporate purposes. Should commercial paper issuance become unavailable, we have the ability to use a combination of cash on hand and/or our 5-Year Facility, which provides for credit in the amount of $4,000, to redeem any outstanding commercial paper upon maturity. At December 31, 2023, we had $0 outstanding under our commercial paper program. Beginning in 2023, we have reclassified our commercial paper balances from long-term debt to short-term debt as our intent is to not replace short-term commercial paper outstanding at expiration with additional short-term commercial paper for an uninterrupted period extending for more than one year.

While there is no assurance in the current economic environment, we believe the lenders participating in our 5-Year Facility, if market conditions allow, would be willing to provide financing in accordance with their legal obligations.

We are a member, through certain subsidiaries, of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta and the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (collectively the “FHLBs”). As a member, we have the ability to obtain short-term cash advances, subject to certain minimum collateral requirements. At December 31, 2023, we had $225 of outstanding short-term borrowings from the FHLBs.

As discussed in “Financial Condition” above, many of our subsidiaries are subject to various government regulations that restrict the timing and amount of dividends and other distributions that may be paid. Based upon these requirements, we currently estimate that approximately $4,400 of dividends will be paid to us by our subsidiaries during 2024. During 2023, we received $4,909 of dividends from our subsidiaries.

In addition to regulations regarding the timing and amount of dividends, our regulated subsidiaries’ states of domicile have statutory risk-based capital (“RBC”) requirements for health and other insurance companies and health maintenance organizations largely based on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (“NAIC”) Risk-Based Capital (RBC) for Health Organizations Model Act (the “RBC Model Act”). These RBC requirements are intended to measure capital adequacy, taking into account the risk characteristics of an insurer’s investments and products. The NAIC sets forth the formula for calculating the 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 insurance company’s business. In general, under the RBC Model Act, an insurance company must submit a report of its RBC level to the state insurance department or insurance commissioner, as appropriate, at the end of each calendar year. Our regulated subsidiaries’ respective RBC levels as of December 31, 2023 were in excess of all applicable mandatory RBC requirements. In addition to exceeding these RBC requirements, we are in compliance with the liquidity and capital requirements for a licensee of the BCBSA and with the tangible net worth requirements applicable to certain of our California subsidiaries. For additional information, see Note 22, “Statutory Information,” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Future Sources and Uses of Liquidity

Short-Term Liquidity Requirements

As previously described, our cash disbursements result mainly from claims payments, administrative expenses, taxes, purchases of investment securities, interest expense, payments on borrowings, acquisitions, capital expenditures, repurchases of our debt securities and common stock and the payment of cash dividends. We believe cash on hand, operating cash receipts, investments and amounts available under our commercial paper program, our 5-Year Facility and borrowings available from the FHLBs will be adequate to fund our expected cash disbursements over the next twelve months.

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Long-Term Liquidity Requirements

As of December 31, 2023, our long-term cash disbursements required under various contractual obligations and commitments were:

•Debt and interest expense: Future debt and estimated interest payments were $40,491, with $2,661 due within the next twelve months. For additional information, see Note 13 “Debt,” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

•Operating leases: We lease office space and certain computer equipment, for which the future estimated payments were $956, with $195 due within the next twelve months. For additional information, see Note 18, “Leases,” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

•Other liabilities: These liabilities primarily consist of future policy reserves, projected other postretirement benefits, deferred compensation, supplemental executive retirement plan liabilities and certain other miscellaneous long-term obligations. Amounts due within twelve months were $31, with $1,210 due in future periods. Estimated future payments for funded pension benefits have been excluded from these numbers, as we had no funding requirements under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, at December 31, 2023, as a result of the value of the assets in the plans. In addition, gross liabilities for uncertain tax positions and interest for which we cannot reasonably estimate the timing of the resolutions with the respective taxing authorities have not been included. For further information, see Note 8, “Income Taxes,” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

•Purchase obligations: These obligations include estimated payments for future services under contractual arrangements from third-party service vendors. Amounts due within the next twelve months for these purchase obligations were $2,188, while longer term payments were $1,580. For further information, see Note 14, “Commitments and Contingencies,” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

•Investment commitments: These include unfunded capital commitments for alternative investments and low-income housing tax credits. Estimated amounts due were $1,321, including $298 due within the next twelve months.

In addition to the contractual obligations and commitments discussed above, we have a variety of other contractual agreements related to acquiring materials and services used in our operations. However, we do not believe these other agreements contain material noncancelable commitments.

We regularly review the appropriate use of capital, including acquisitions, common stock and debt security repurchases and dividends to shareholders. The declaration and payment of any dividends or repurchases of our common stock or debt is at the discretion of our Board of Directors and depends upon our financial condition, results of operations, future liquidity needs, regulatory and capital requirements and other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Directors.

On January 23, 2024, our Audit Committee declared a quarterly cash dividend to shareholders of $1.63 per share on the outstanding shares of our common stock. This quarterly dividend is payable on March 22, 2024 to the shareholders of record as of March 8, 2024.

Under our Board of Directors’ authorization, we maintain a common stock repurchase program. As of December 31, 2023, we had Board authorization of $4,200 to repurchase our common stock. No duration has been placed on our common stock repurchase program, and we reserve the right to discontinue the program at any time. We intend to utilize this authorization over a multi-year period, subject to market and industry conditions.

We believe that funds from future operating cash flows, cash and investments and funds available under our credit facilities and/or from public or private financing sources will be sufficient for future operations and commitments, and for capital acquisitions and other strategic transactions.

We do not have any off-balance sheet derivative instruments, guarantee transactions, agreements or other contractual arrangements or any indemnification agreements that will require funding in future periods. We have not transferred assets to an unconsolidated entity that serves as credit, liquidity or market risk support to such entity. We do not hold any variable interest in an unconsolidated entity where such entity provides us with financing, liquidity, market risk or credit risk support.

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See Note 2 “Subsidiary Transactions,” of the Notes to Condensed Financial Statements (Parent Company Only) included in Part IV, Item 15 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional detail on the Elevance Health, Inc. parent guarantees of certain subsidiaries.