…but I think there is a lot of Obama-fear already cooked in to those stocks. With the crumbling support for the government unconstitutionally becoming a competitor to these businesses, perhaps a little bit of the negative pressure is relaxing.

(Wow, obamizing is easy. I just say I would never do something and then do it in the next sentence. I need a shower.)

I’m far from knowledgeable about the situation, but wouldn’t tort reform solve a large chunk of the cost problem? What other factors would lower the cost?

I have family in Holland who have told me all about their travails with public healthcare: They all pay insurance premiums to private insurance companies (400+/mo. for a family of 4) to ensure that actual doctors can take care of them. Perhaps your hypothesis that this is actually a win-win for these companies could be true.

Are their profit margins really that slim? I don’t understand how that can be true - does it include depreciation of assets or some other tax-purposed financial inconspicuousness? I’m not trying to paint them as the boogeymen they’re constantly labeled as, but I don’t quite understand how that business can be run at such a staggeringly low profit margin.

What you’re indicating is upsetting, however, because I sincerely hoped that these companies would emerge as a force against this legislation, and if they’re really just being positioned as a hegemony along with a growing government, then that presents a problem. That could curtail doctors from standing up against this.

It sheds some light on why we spend so much on healthcare.

http://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/publications/US_healthcare/pdf/US_healthcare_Chapter1.pdf

The scary one is that the market has discounted the likelihood that national health care is coming, but that they are confidenct that these large insurers will cut a good deal for themselves as the price of their smoothing the way.

A more optimistic interpretation (that Francis mentioned) is that the market believes that the “public option” is off the table, which means that insurance companies have a clear path to continuing in business - and with universal coverage, they expect that they will prosper under the new regime.

In any case, it would seem apparent that these stocks prices are no longer factoring in a “fear premium” - hence the sharp rise in prices.

Then incompetent Senators and Congressman that have built a mafia style good ole boy network with Kennedy, kerry, schummmer, reid, peloski obama, rangel, frank, feinstein, murray, and any other Senator or Congressman that has been in Congress 20 years or more. The change we have to have is throw the thugs out of office and put successful teachers, preachers, businessman, housewives in Congress for 1 or 2 terms and then get out and go back to their successful endeavors.
I will take a house wife any day that is managing with 2 kids on a budget under $30,000 a year then these highly educated incompetent that still have to read words off a flash card. Most of us gave the flash cards up by the second grade. I think as many times obama has used inappropiately BOLD, HISTORIC, INDESPUTIBLE the list goes just go on and on.
I’ve heard obama boogy man story and both times it was from obama. People get tired of the same old Saul Alewinsky, billy ayers the terrorost, frankie the communist and rev wright the i hate America Radical. We have had all these forces driving heath care and all other products and services up
It time for less government not more government doles..

Texas Tort Victories
The plaintiffs-lawyer lobby blows $9 million and gets nowhere.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124484677048211303.html

Among the more notable failed proposals were a bill that would have shifted the burden of medical proof away from plaintiffs and on to defendants in asbestos and mesothelioma cases; an attempt to rip up Texas’s successful system of trying multidistrict litigation in a single court; and legislation to allow plaintiffs to sue for “phantom” medical expenses.

Republicans also got a helping hand from a number of brave, antilawsuit Democrats, many of them from South Texas, where litigation has exacted more of an economic toll.

Speaking of the economy, it’s notable that Texas created more new jobs last year than the other 49 states combined. Texas’s low tax burden is one reason. But also important is a fairer legal environment in which companies are less likely than they were a generation ago to face jackpot justice.

to be competitive. I cancelled my policy after the premium soared 3 months ago. They would not consider reducing it,so I went elsewhere. Yesterday I signed a policy that had the same coverage and deductibles for a 25% less cost. This price is locked for 2 years.

Shopping for Insurance period is a pain but the controversy right now is bringing down the cost. What would more open markets do for the costs of insurance and medical costs? Competition is part of the answer for the private sector.
Our local clinic relies on volunteer doctors and nurses who donate their time once a month and the cost is based on your ability to pay.(prescriptions are samples supplied by drug companies). The equipment is donated by doctors offices and hospitals who would have otherwise thrown them away. Our community holds fundraisers for cash donations along with regular donors who give what they can.

There are many alternatives to costs and care being made by individuals and groups. We should encourage them and make their efforts known.

During the years that I was in business I received many reports on insurance industries and the health and P&C industries have very thin profit margins. I left the business in 1999.

The out right lying is why I abhor politicians. The average person will buy their BS but those in the know, it will drive them crazy. I often thought it would be best to be fat, uninformed and happy.

The man heading the country is a big, big liar. But those welfare recipients don’t know or care if he is a liar.

In a market where many are looking for opportunities, companies such as UNH have some pretty solid fundamentals. They are also pretty well run, cost conscious and fiscally savvy.

UNH continues to grow after tax income and that trend looks like it will continue upward (although if I remember correctly there are some analysts who are not convinced (shocker- I know). They also recently had their debt rating confirmed and have revenue growth over the past five years somewhere above 20%. (Caution, ObamaCare Mendacity Spoiler Follows) As you correctly pointed out, their margins are slim compared to similar sized companies in other industries.

If I had to conduct any divination, it would be that UNH’s product diversity is what some analysts are looking at. UNH has a big role in the Medicaid/Medicare manage care area and decent related growth trends. Given these fundamental facts, some are betting at a minimum UNH will continue to grow in those areas based on population/social demographics. A potential bonus is that any watered down healthcare plan may have a positive affect on those programs (the lobbyists are working overtime).

Overall, the current outlook is good, but could change with the advent of a truly socialized program which will destroy the private market. But it is just way to early to tell. Think short term profits.

With the new proposed rules that will allow Treasury to take over companies that pose a ‘threat’ to the American economy, Obama will have the tools to take over the healthcare industry in the same way that the government took over General Motors.

This gang looks like they are randomly throwing crap up in the face of the American people, but it’s possible that there is a method to their insanity. Hard to give them that much credit, but there are probably some evil intelligent people like Soros behind the scenes who have been planning this for an awfully long time.

…When we talk about “health insurance,” let us only be discussing “insurance,” that is, “a financial instrument to protect against the unexpected.”

Most of the time, when pundits discuss “healthcare” or “health insurance,” they are actually discussing “health maintenance.” This is a pre-paid payment plan for the normally expected annual cost of medical care.

These are two different concepts, and the GOP needs to wake up to that fact and start talking about it.

Health “insurance” is not even available in most states unless it is combined with a health maintenance plan. If I could, I’d buy insurance and dump maintenance. I’m 28 and healthy. I need something that will cover me if they find a tumor in my brain or I get in a car wreck, not a case of the sniffles. That’s insurance.

We’re actually privately-owned (and that could be the case with other Blues, as well). That might explain the dearth of info on the financials for the Blues.

*Stock market is unpredicable in itself.

*They think they can become followers in a hurry if they have to..

*They doubt socialized Medicine will happen.

*HSA&HIgh-deductible policies will happen em masse during Obama.

Despite losses seem like an inevitable thing that will survive even the next years.

A common argument made in favor of universal insurance is that the US spends more than any other country yet we rank way down on “quality of health care.”

The reason for those rankings is the health care that 18% of those without insurance get. The remaining 82% get the best care in the world.

Lets not ruin the best care in the world that those 82% get to “fix” things for the remaining 18%.