Humana to Appeal Ruling Upholding Medicare Star Bonus Cuts

Humana Inc. filed to appeal a ruling upholding cuts to its Medicare quality bonus payments, the next chapter in the company’s long-running attempt to restore the lost revenue.

On Tuesday, the Medicare insurer filed a notice that it will appeal the ruling to the Fifth Circuit. In October, the Texas district court judge ruled against Humana’s challenge to the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and upheld the agency’s downgrade of its quality ratings.

The metrics, called star ratings, are meant to gauge quality and patient experience in private Medicare insurance plans. High-performing plans get extra money from the ...