Elevance perks up in 2026 though Medicare Advantage payout could ding profits

Elevance perks up in 2026 though Medicare Advantage payout could ding profits Rebecca Pifer Parduhn Wed, April 22, 2026 at 7:55 AM EDT 7 min read ELV UNH This story was originally published on Healthcare Dive . To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Healthcare Dive newsletter . Elevance on Wednesday became the second major insurer to raise its 2026 earnings guidance on the back of better-than-expected first quarter results — though, a massive potential payout over faulty data reporting in Medicare Advantage could cut into Elevance’s bottom line this year. The Indianapolis-based payer raised its annual adjusted diluted earnings per share guidance from at least $25.50 to at least $26.75. Investors had expected a raise, but not of this magnitude, echoing UnitedHealth’s unexpectedly robust beat-and-raise on Tuesday. However, Elevance’s new outlook is still well below the $30.29 the company posted in 2025. And Elevance slashed its guidance for unadjusted earnings per share, which includes factors outside of the company’s control, to at least $19.85. Previously, Elevance had expected to bring in at least $22.30 . The insurer had to revise the outlook down after accounting for hundreds of millions of dollars it may have to pay the CMS this year. In February, regulators warned Elevance it could face weighty sanctions — including a halt on new enrollment in its MA plans — after finding Elevance failed to correctly subm…