Major health insurers show signs of recovery – but a key test looms

Solid first-quarter results from major insurers like UnitedHealth, Elevance, Cigna and Humana have helped lift investor sentiment, even as insurers continue to grapple with higher medical costs. But analysts caution that insurers have incomplete data on medical costs in the first quarter due to a lag in claims processing, which sets up the second quarter as the real proving ground.