Health Insurance Company Stock Prices Say it All

[niceypoo]

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/19532

Shares of the Indianapolis-based health insurance giant surged to a 52-week high Thursday as the prospects for a new government-run "public option" health plan faded amid intense Senate debate. WellPoint rivals Cigna and UnitedHealth Group also hit 52-week highs.

It’s a sign, more than one observer suggested, of victory for private health insurers, which strenuously fought the public option.

"Obviously, the market thinks WellPoint’s a winner," said Daniel Evans, chief executive of Clarian Health, an Indianapolis-based hospital system. "If the public option is no longer on the table, then WellPoint is a winner because it’s not threatened by a government competitor."


http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/19532">Insurance company stocks “on fire” – they’re winning, we’re losing

Stock prices rise with every health care bill loss, go figure

[ShortnFiery]

1. We're still occupying two foreign nations and now we have to PAY to stay well ...

Like LAMBS to the slaughter. Damn, we're DOCILE. :grr:



It's time we stop fighting the corporations' wars and re-electing CORPORATIST representatives ... no mater what stripes they wear.

[dkf]

2. That is where your premium is going to.

Yup pass this bill. Make wall street rich. Yay for Obama. I guess if the stock market is his gauge of approval he is off the charts.

[treestar]

3. There could be a lot of reasons for that

I'd like a lot more facts before concluding that. F

[w4rma]

4. Hahaha!!! You're funny.

Oh, you're serious...

There is only one reason the stocks are going up for health insurance companies: Lieberman's demand to remove the public option AND the Medicare expansion.

[Zynx]

5. Pretty much every stock is close to a one year high so this isn't the best way of analyzing this.

I will say that since the Lieberman compromise these stocks have been outperforming the rest of the market, but until that it was difficult to separate the trend in insurance stocks from the rest of the market.

[Armstead]

10. Um, if the Democrats had come out for real reform you think they'd be rising?

[Zynx]

22. My point is that it does not appear that the reform is what is driving them higher.

I would like it if they were falling, but if it weer the bonanza that some are portraying it as, these stocks would be shattering their old all time highs. They are not. Aetna is not even close to its old all time high. Neither is Wellpoint.

[cherokeeprogressive]

12. Insurance stocks are at a FIFTY-TWO YEAR high. Not fifty-two week high. n/t

[BklnDem75]

15. Which stocks? nt

[cherokeeprogressive]

18. Look up Manulife, for one.

http://www.stockhouse.com/Bullboards/MessageDetail.aspx?s=MFC&t=LIST&m=27316791&l=0&pd=1&r=0

[Zynx]

20. Nope.

http://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/charts/big.chart?symb=MFC&compidx=aaaaa%3A0&ma=0&maval=9&uf=0&lf=1&lf2=0&lf3=0&type=2&size=2&state=8&sid=156154&style=320&time=13&freq=1&comp=NO%5FSYMBOL%5FCHOSEN&nosettings=1&rand=7454&mocktick=

52-week high yes. 52-year, not even close.

[BklnDem75]

24. That says 52 week high

http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=MFC#chart2:symbol=mfc;range=5y;indicator=volume;charttype=line;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=on;source=undefined

This reads Manulife at 17.47 on Friday. It was at 46 on October 29, 2007.

[cherokeeprogressive]

26. From the link I provided...

"Manulife will be approaching its 52 year high of close to 40 $ soon." Emphasis mine.

[BklnDem75]

28. Your link is incorrect

That's someone posting on their message board back in July. Manulife is nowhere close to $40. It's not even halfway there.

[cherokeeprogressive]

29. Then I stand corrected. Thanks for straightening that out for me. n/t

[BklnDem75]

30. It's no problem

Everyone, myself included, is on edge with these nonstop reports we're being bombarded with. I just want to get all the facts before I let my outrage take over.

[Zynx]

19. Not. Even. Close. Aetna is nowhere near a 52-year high. Neither is Wellpoint. Or Cigna.

http://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/charts/big.chart?symb=AET&compidx=aaaaa%3A0&ma=0&maval=9&uf=0&lf=1&lf2=0&lf3=0&type=2&size=2&state=8&sid=403348&style=320&time=13&freq=1&comp=NO%5FSYMBOL%5FCHOSEN&nosettings=1&rand=5373&mocktick=1

http://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/charts/big.chart?symb=WLP&compidx=aaaaa%3A0&ma=0&maval=9&uf=0&lf=1&lf2=0&lf3=0&type=2&size=2&state=8&sid=1881894&style=320&time=13&freq=1&comp=NO%5FSYMBOL%5FCHOSEN&nosettings=1&rand=8262&mocktick=1

http://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/charts/big.chart?symb=CI&compidx=aaaaa%3A0&ma=0&maval=9&uf=0&lf=1&lf2=0&lf3=0&type=2&size=2&state=8&sid=980&style=320&time=13&freq=1&comp=NO%5FSYMBOL%5FCHOSEN&nosettings=1&rand=8579&mocktick=1

http://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/charts/big.chart?symb=CB&compidx=aaaaa%3A0&ma=0&maval=9&uf=0&lf=1&lf2=0&lf3=0&type=2&size=2&state=8&sid=1210&style=320&time=13&freq=1&comp=NO%5FSYMBOL%5FCHOSEN&nosettings=1&rand=1662&mocktick=1

[BklnDem75]

6. Genius!!! Did you look at the DOW?

Almost every stock that survived is doing that. It's called a recovery.

[Ildem09]

8. i never thought

i would see liberals defend health insurance stocks

[Armstead]

11. What;s good for Big Insurance is good for America

The new Democratic Mantra

[BklnDem75]

14. I never thought

I would see pull crap out of their ass and call it facts, either. But you've only been here 11 days. I'm sure there's a lot you haven't seen.

[Zynx]

21. We are defending proper analysis. Screaming based on notions of what you think the

facts are is not proper analysis.

[Ildem09]

7. Those Pesky stocks

took a slight dip when the House passed their bill. you can almost look at the trend line and see how the HCR debate played out. Hope and Changealicious

[Armstead]

9. Well at least Obama succeeded in goosing the Stock Market

We wanted him to fix the economy.

Too bad it is being fixed at the expense of the people.

[Egnever]

13. what do they say exactly?

That insurance com[anies wont be killed off outright as many had feared that own stock in them? It means nothing.

[ClarkUSA]

16. So when insurance stock prices were lower, everyone should've been for HCR, right?

Because you believe that the merits of passing landmark legislation should be based on the ups and downs of the Stock Exchange.

Gee, what a concept.

[Teaser]

17. when a health insurance exec gets a flat tire, I come out ahead somehow

got it.

[Phx_Dem]

23. Yeah, that's a great way to measure legislation.

I think progressives are more interested in destroying insurance companies than actual health care reform.

[Progressive_Angel]

25. hey

Dylan ratigan told dws the same thing

[swilton]

27. Thanks Senator Bayh

:sarcasm: