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USA Today
17-07-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Her mom got sick, she moved in to help. Years later, they both feel trapped.
Connie Sabir lived independently before falling ill the day after Thanksgiving in 2022. The next day, a Saturday, she went to the emergency room and was diagnosed with COVID-19 and pneumonia. She spent four days in the hospital and returned to her home in Holladay, Utah. Her daughter, Miriam Sabir, was her new roommate. Miriam Sabir packed an overnight bag and expected to care for her 86-year-old mother for a couple of weeks, just to help her get back on track, she said. 'I thought it would be temporary,' Miriam Sabir, 65, said. 'But it has been, you know, 2 and a half years.' The average life expectancy in the U.S. is 78 years old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many people who live that long or longer need care in some way, and often that responsibility falls on their adult children. The role reversal can be uncomfortable at best and traumatic at worst, guilt-ridden on both sides as parent and child grapple with a new reality that sometimes includes a move to assisted living. For Connie Sabir, COVID-19 accelerated the process. A woman's retirement crisis: Between caregiving and gender wage gap, can they catch up? Both mother and daughter are troubled by what Miriam Sabir's role as caregiver has meant for their relationship. Connie Sabir said she doesn't want to be a burden. Miriam Sabir said the last two years have been incredibly difficult, but she doesn't want her mother to feel like a burden. Between them, these feelings have gone unspoken. 'It's been hard on her, really hard,' Connie Sabir told USA TODAY about her daughter. 'And I'm sorry. I feel really sad about it. And I know that she'd get really tired sometimes. And I wish I could have lifted her burden.' Dr. Sanjay Shetty, President of CenterWell, a senior-focused health provider with clinics and home health services, said this is common among seniors and their family caregivers. But it's important to remember aging is a good thing, he said, even if American society doesn't tout that idea. 'We have to remove the stigma of aging,' Shetty said. 'I worry that we've created this idea of when you age, that you should just quietly deal with your own issues. We don't ask that of any other population.' Seniors have health and wellness needs, Shetty said. But they also need social connection and joy. If the country can recast what it means to be a senior, he said, maybe individual families, too, can open up in conversations about aging and senior care so that everyone gets what they need and no one feels like a strain on their family. Miriam Sabir was upstairs working from home in mid-February when her sister brought their mother home from a doctor's appointment. As their mother came inside and hung up her coat, she fell and broke her leg. Doctors replaced her knee, but Connie Sabir hasn't regained the strength she needs to return home yet. Following her knee surgery, she's been in a care center and is on a wait list to move into an assisted living facility. Miriam Sabir visits her every Sunday morning so they can watch a church program together. 'Honestly, I feel like it's a big relief to have her being taken care of by other people,' Miriam Sabir said. She knows her mother wants to come home eventually. But neither of them is sure what that might look like, especially since their house doesn't have a bathroom on the main floor and the bedrooms are upstairs. Would her mother use a commode? Would they set up a hospital bed in the dining room? 'That looks like end of life,' she said. 'And, you know, I don't think she's at that point.' A mother's chronic fatigue, a daughter's elevated anxiety Connie Sabir used a walker before she got COVID-19, and she needed help going on outings to the doctor's office, meeting friends for lunch and grocery shopping. But she lived alone and managed well by herself for years after she retired from teaching in 2001. After her bout with COVID-19 and pneumonia, she suffered from chronic fatigue and brain fog, symptoms that lingered for more than a year. 'I wasn't able to cook anymore. Oh my gosh, I loved to cook. My favorite thing,' she said. 'I was so tired. I couldn't stand that long.' For Miriam Sabir, caregiving stress manifested in her elevated anxiety. She left her husband in 2020 and was living with her sister, Shireen Watanabe, before she moved in with their mother. They liked their routine. Watanabe said living together was "one of our happiest periods." When Miriam Sabir left to care for their mother, Watanabe noticed "it took a huge toll" on her sister. 'My sister has given up so much of her life. And it's a selfless act,' Watanabe, 54, said. 'I never overlook that.' Miriam Sabir said it made the most sense for her to care for their mom, since she didn't have kids like her siblings who live nearby. But she works full time as a software engineer and has a small vintage clothing business on the side. It was a lot to juggle, she said, and she soon felt her mental health start to deteriorate. She found herself stress eating protein bars and desperately seeking out time to be alone. She felt like she didn't have a space of her own in her mother's house. The emotional whiplash of returning to live at the home she grew up in didn't help. And she felt guilty that caring for her mother wasn't coming naturally. "It just got to the point where I didn't know where to turn," she said. She sought therapy in early 2025, for the sixth time in her life, to brush up on her coping skills for anxiety. Now when she's stressed, she turns on a guided meditation on YouTube. The slow breaths, in and out, help her to regulate her emotions. Seeking a 'What to Expect When You're Expecting' for caregivers Miriam Sabir said she's learned to give herself grace. Like many family caregivers thrust into a similar position, she's not a trained caregiver. More: When her mom got sick, her world turned upside down. Award-winning actress shares her story 'When somebody's pregnant, there's a book called 'What to Expect When You're Expecting,'" she said. "I wish there was a handbook that would say, 'What to Expect When You're Taking Care of an Aging Parent.'' Leslie Vick, a family caregiver in Minnesota, thought the same thing when her 84-year-old mother took a fall in December 2023 and went from living independently to assisted living in a matter of days. So Vick wrote one herself. "Finding Our Way: A Guide on Care, Finances and Helping Through the End of Life Journey" is a self-help guide for caregivers, Vick said. She is adamant that families should work proactively to prepare for the needs of aging loved ones. Having a folder or spreadsheet with their account passwords, doctor's phone numbers, insurance information and a list of monthly bills that need to be paid is a good start, she said. When it comes time to decide whether to move a family member to a care facility or assisted living, "communication is really hard because there are feelings involved," Vick said. But honesty is key. "Know that it's OK that you need help," she said. A CenterWell survey of more than 4,200 U.S. adults published in June found 2 out of 3 Americans prefer independence over longevity without self-sufficiency as they age. For those over 65, that desire increased to 78%. Having her daughter in her home caring for her was hard, Connie Sabir said. It was a reminder that she couldn't do the things she used to enjoy. 'I mean, hard for her because she needed her time, and it was hard for me because I wasn't independent anymore and that's very difficult for me," she said. 'I know she got sick of cooking all the time. I mean I'm sure she did, she never complained, but I'm sure she got tired of it.' Living for a long time and living independently aren't mutually exclusive, Shetty said, though seniors might need to shift their idea of what independence looks like. That's where care teams and family caregivers can collaborate, allowing for as much independence as possible for a senior, whether they are at home or at a facility. 'It took me a long time to relax.' Miriam Sabir said her mother calls her at least three times a day. Each call lasts anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. She sees her every Sunday, and brings her clean laundry. It took about two months after her mother left before she felt her anxiety lift. "It took me a long time to relax," she said. When her mom is in the assisted living facility she'll probably visit even more, since it will be a cozier, more inviting space. "It's hard to say" if her mother will ever return home, Miriam Sabir said. If she does, the family will need to hire a a paid caregiver. "This is her home," she said. "And I think she'd be happiest here." Meanwhile, Miriam Sabir is starting to think about her own aging experience. "It kind of scares me, actually. Because I don't have kids," she said. "I guess it makes you more cognizant of planning." This story is part of USA TODAY's The Cost of Care series highlighting caregivers from across the country. Previous feature for The Cost of Care: His sick wife asked him to kill her. Now that she's gone, he says the loneliness is worse. Madeline Mitchell's role covering women and the caregiving economy at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal Ventures and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input. Reach Madeline at memitchell@ and @maddiemitch_ on X.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Here's What to Expect From Humana's Next Earnings Report
Valued at a market cap of $28 billion, Humana Inc. (HUM) is a leading U.S. health care plan provider offering medical and specialty insurance products. Operating through its Insurance and CenterWell segments, the company delivers a wide range of services including Medicare, Medicaid, pharmacy benefits, home health, and senior-focused care. The Louisville, Kentucky-based company is slated to announce its fiscal Q2 2025 earnings results before the market opens on Wednesday, Jul. 30. Ahead of the event, analysts forecast Humana to report an adjusted EPS of $6.32, down 9.2% from $6.96 in the year-ago quarter. However, it has surpassed Wall Street's bottom-line estimates in the past four quarterly reports. Creating a 38% 'Dividend' on SOFI Stock Using Options Nvidia Stock Regains Momentum. Is It Time to Buy, Sell, or Hold NVDA? Joby Aviation Just Hit a New 52-Week High. Should You Buy the Flying Car Stock Here? Tired of missing midday reversals? The FREE Barchart Brief newsletter keeps you in the know. Sign up now! For fiscal 2025, analysts project the health insurer to report adjusted EPS of $16.38, up 1.1% from $16.21 in fiscal 2024. Shares of Humana have decreased 38.8% over the past 52 weeks, underperforming both the S&P 500 Index's ($SPX) 11.5% rise and the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund's (XLV) 6.8% decline over the same period. Despite reporting weaker-than-expected Q1 2025 revenue of $32.1 billion, Humana's shares rose 1.1% on Apr. 30 due to its strong adjusted EPS of $11.58, which beat estimates and surged 60.2% year-over-year. Investors were also encouraged by a 190 bps improvement in the benefit ratio to 87% and a 74.8% jump in Insurance segment operating income, reflecting strong Medicare Advantage pricing and growth in PDP and state-based contract businesses. Additionally, robust CenterWell performance, with a 5.7% revenue increase and 34.6% rise in operating income, further supported positive investor sentiment. Analysts' consensus rating on Humana stock is cautiously optimistic, with a "Moderate Buy" rating overall. Among 22 analysts covering the stock, six recommend a "Strong Buy,' two have a "Moderate Buy," and 14 give a "Hold" rating. As of writing, the stock is trading below the average analyst price target of $289.05. On the date of publication, Sohini Mondal did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Humana agrees to purchase bankrupt Florida provider The Villages Health for $50M
This story was originally published on Healthcare Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Healthcare Dive newsletter. Humana has agreed to acquire a debt-laden Central Florida healthcare provider for $50 million as the insurer continues to build out its medical network nationwide. Humana's health services subsidiary, CenterWell, has agreed to acquire The Villages Health as part of the provider's strategic restructuring, which includes a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, according to a release. TVH said it decided to pursue bankruptcy after discovering significant Medicare billing errors which put it on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars in overpayments and penalties to the U.S. government. The provider's sale to CenterWell is still subject to court approval. CenterWell could also be outbid by other parties in the bankruptcy auction process for TVH's 10 medical centers. TVH, a provider in Florida's Sumter County that serves a large retirement community, discovered in the fall that it had been accidentally overbilling Medicare. It reported the problems to the government and has spent the past six months working with Medicare to correct them — work that continues and is separate from TVH's potential sale to CenterWell, according to the release. TVH owes the federal government $361 million, according to documents filed in bankruptcy court. And Washington is just one of the provider's more than 200 creditors: Overall, TVH has estimated liabilities of $100 million to $500 million against estimated assets of $50 million to $100 million, per the filings. According to TVH, reaching the deal with CenterWell, which allows it to remain operational during the sale process, was necessary to guarantee continuity of care for its more than 55,000 patients. 'This was by no means an overnight decision, nor has it been an easy one. We want to reassure our community that there will not be any effects on patient care experienced by our patient population,' Bob Trinh, TVH's CEO, said in a statement. CenterWell has entered into what's known as a 'stalking horse' purchase agreement to add TVH's eight primary care centers and two specialty care centers to its portfolio of medical offices. A stalking horse bid sets the floor for a subsequent action of a bankrupt company's assets and as such is not final. In the release, CenterWell President Dr. Sanjay Shetty said that the division is looking forward to bringing its 'personalized and integrated approach to care' to TVH. A Humana spokesperson declined to provide more details on why the company was interested in acquiring TVH. However, Humana has been steadily building up CenterWell to provide primary care to enrollees in its insurance programs, hoping to save money and improve outcomes by better coordinating care. By owning the providers, Humana can also pay itself for providing healthcare, keeping a greater share of members' healthcare spending in-house. And, offering medical services to other payers too bolsters Humana's revenue at a time when legacy health insurance businesses continue to struggle amid rising medical costs and policy turbulence. At the end of 2024, Humana operated more than 340 primary care centers through its CenterWell Senior Primary Care and Conviva Senior Primary Care brands. The payer said in February that its primary care division expects to add up to 30 new centers this year. CenterWell's profits are growing steadily as its network does. The division posted operational income of $392 million in the first quarter, up 39% year over year. Recommended Reading Humana's cautious defense of Medicare Advantage Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Novo Nordisk announces WeightWatchers collaboration for Wegovy
Novo Nordisk (NVO) said it expanded patient access to Wegovy through a new collaboration with WeightWatchers, beginning July 1. WeightWatchers will work with CenterWell Pharmacy as the dispensing pharmacy managing prescription fulfilment and delivery for NovoCare Pharmacy. 'By extending access to Wegovy through their integrated support system, WeightWatchers aims to provide patients with a more streamlined experience, along with convenient access to FDA-approved medication with the lifestyle support shown to improve outcomes,' the company said. Starting on July 1, Novo Nordisk is also introducing a new cash-offer price of $299 available through July 31. This $299 introductory price is available for self-paying patients who are new to the Wegovy savings offer or those who have not previously filled a prescription through NovoCare Pharmacy. This builds on the previous $199 Wegovy cash-offer patient price that expires on June 30, Novo added. Patients who redeemed the $199 Wegovy savings offer between May 22 and June 30, will be eligible for the $299 price on one fill between July 1 and July 31. For subsequent months, self-paying patients will pay $499 per month. Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter Published first on TheFly – the ultimate source for real-time, market-moving breaking financial news. Try Now>> See today's best-performing stocks on TipRanks >> Read More on NVO: Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue Is the Hims & Hers Stock (HIMS) Crash a Hidden Buying Opportunity? Citi sees tiered orforglipron pricing $15B opportunity for Eli Lilly Needham Downgrades Hims & Hers Stock (HIMS) on Novo Nordisk Fiasco. Wall Street Sees Legal Risks California seeks to cut Medicaid coverage for weight loss drugs, Bloomberg says Hims & Hers litigation risk 'back on the table', says Truist Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Humana reports strong first quarter earnings as Medicare Advantage costs hit the mark
Humana (HUM) reported first quarter earnings that topped Wall Street expectations Wednesday, helping drive shares 5% higher in pre-market trading. The healthcare company beat on adjusted earnings per share of $11.58, compared to Wall Street's estimates of $10.09. Revenue came in at a slight miss of $32.11 billion, just under the consensus of $32.15 billion. Humana results stayed in line with its own expectations, and it reaffirmed its full-year guidance. The company expects its medical loss ratio — the ratio of premiums taken in versus paid out — to be between 90.1% to 90.5% for the year. While that is on the higher side of the Affordable Care Act's required threshold of 85%, Humana said that it's confident in its pricing strategies and that the Medicare Advantage spend is in line with expectations. "Medicare Advantage is performing as expected, and we are excited about our progress in expanding CenterWell and Medicaid,' Humana president and CEO Jim Rechtin said in a statement. Humana is one of the larger Medicare Advantage providers, and its quarterly report has been on investors' watchlist after UnitedHealth Group's (UNH) earnings miss earlier this month, which was in part related to higher costs in its Medicare Advantage book than expected. That impacted Humana's stock as well, which sank more than 12% on April 17. It did not fully recover from that and was up only about 6% at the end of trading on Tuesday. Humana has also faced other headwinds in its Medicare Advantage business, including losing the most star ratings among its peers this year. This means it will get lower revenue from Medicare payments and will likely see a loss of members as the plans' ratings go down. Humana has about 18% of the Medicare Advantage market, while UnitedHealth boasts 29%. The third largest is CVS (CVS) at 12%, with its Medicare Advantage plans under Aetna. CVS reports earnings on May 1. The company is focused on expanding CenterWell, its health services and mail-order pharmacy business unit. Humana said NovoCare, the online pharmacy for Novo Nordisk (NVO), was chosen as part of Novo's latest effort to dispense the blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy directly to cash-paying patients. Anjalee Khemlani is the senior health reporter at Yahoo Finance, covering all things pharma, insurance, care services, digital health, PBMs, and health policy and politics. That includes GLP-1s, of course. Follow Anjalee as AnjKhem on social media platforms X, LinkedIn, and Bluesky @AnjKhem. Click here for in-depth analysis of the latest health industry news and events impacting stock prices
