(Reuters) -Humana beat Wall Street estimates for second-quarter profit on Wednesday, helped by strength in its government-backed Medicare Advantage insurance business for older adults.

The health insurer heavily depends on Medicare Advantage plans, under which the U.S government pays private insurers a set rate to manage healthcare for people aged 65 and older or with disabilities.

Humana raised its annual Medicare Advantage annual membership growth forecast by 75,000.

On an adjusted basis, Humana reported a profit of $6.96 per share, higher than the average analyst estimate of $5.85, according to LSEG data.

(Reporting by Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)