See Wellpoint, Inc. (WLP) Soar! Up almost 4% when market opened today!

[flpoljunkie]

http://www.google.com/finance?q=WLP

Check out the related companies who are likewise soaring, below the graph.

[burning rain]

1. Like the avatar!

She's doing better by progressive legislation than the sad sacks of the Senate; that's for sure.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[treestar]

3. Did you buy any stock yesterday?

Or last week? You should buy low.

[phleshdef]

4. The ENTIRE market is having a rally early today because overseas stocks are looking up.

[BeyondGeography]

5. That's because they're getting a one-year tax holiday that investors weren't expecting

Party ends in 2011:

UnitedHealth Group Inc., WellPoint Inc. and smaller U.S. insurers gained a year under Senate Democrats’ proposed health-care legislation before the start of a tax that industry lobbyists say will drive up premiums.

The measure proposed yesterday by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid would also exempt some nonprofit insurers from the tax, shifting more of the burden to the for-profit companies, said Elizabeth Hall, a vice president at Indianapolis-based WellPoint. Device makers won a postponement of a proposed levy, while drugmakers would see no change in their taxes. A possible tax on cosmetic surgery was abandoned.

The insurer tax, amounting to about $70 billion over 10 years, was to start next year under a previous version of the Senate measure. That would have forced insurers to take $6.7 billion out of profit, since they’ve already signed contracts setting rates for 2010, said Matthew Borsch, a New York-based analyst for Goldman Sachs Group Inc., in a Dec. 16 interview. The new version also postpones more of the tax until after other parts of the health overhaul kick in.

...The one-year delay would be only a temporary help for insurers, since the phased-in tax increases their bill in later years, said Hall. WellPoint opposes the tax whatever the schedule, since it will only increase premiums for customers, she said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=asyq1HrjE1LY&pos=2

[TeamJordan23]

6. Aetna is up over 5% today. nm

[Phx_Dem]

7. Good for them. I couldn't care less if a company makes money.

It's the screwing people I find objectionable.

[uponit7771]

8. Broader market is up...

[Nite Owl]

9. Broader market is up

about 1% not anywhere near what the health insurance sector is up.

[flpoljunkie]

15. Wellpoint Health Networks Hits 52-Week High

WellPoint Health Networks (WLP) NewsBite - WLP Hits 52-Week High

Posted: Monday, December 21, 2009 10:59 AM EDT

WellPoint Health Networks (NYSE: WLP) hit a new 52-Week high of $60.89 so far today. Currently the stock is up $2.18 (3.74%) to $60.49 on 4,043,462 shares traded. Today's high is up $31.17 from a 52-Week Low of $29.32. WLP announced this morning that it elected Alec Cunningham, president of its Florida and Hawaii division, as the company's chief executive officer, effective December 28, 2009. WellPoint Health Networks stock has been showing support around $57.44 and resistance in the $59.24 range. Technical indicators for the stock are bullish and S&P gives WLP a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking. If you are looking for a hedged play on WLP the stock seems like it could be a candidate for a March out-of-the-money bull-put credit spread below the 50 range.

http://www.marketintelligencecenter.com/articles/1011608

[phleshdef]

16. The makers of the palm pilot is up as much as Wellpoint today, is that also because of the bill?

[Nite Owl]

18. No, they made a deal with

Verizon.
http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/story/10650297/1/palm-has-verizon-in-hand-says-analyst.html?cm_ven=YAHOO&cm_cat=FREE&cm_ite=NA

[Forkboy]

21. LOL

[onenote]

23. there are many reasons why both the overall market and individual companies are up today

in the case of health care related stocks, its probably that they are closer to certainty -- its certainty as much as the precise result, that gives investors confidence to buy a specific stock.

And, anyone want to bet me a dollar that some of these same stocks have days when they decline between now and the end of the year?

[tridim]

10. While GOP stock crashes to historic lows.

Of course the bill is good for the insurance companies' bottom line, but it's also good for the millions of people who currently can't afford health care. I don't see a single reason why that's a bad thing. Lots of regular people work in the insurance industry and even more people need affordable insurance.

Stop looking at just the trees, and check out the whole forest.

[2 Much Tribulation]

11. Thread with similar theme but additional information at this link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7287564

[LiberalFighter]

12. Who's wife is a board member of Wellpoint?

Susan Bayh, wife of Senator Evan Bayh from Indiana.

[GreenArrow]

13. Senators and Reps and their friends buying up insurance stocks. n/t

Getting in on the ground floor.

[KansasVoter]

14. It is because they HATE the bill! :-)

[karynnj]

17. The entire market is up today and the one thing the market hates is uncertainty

They knew that HCR was likely and until yesterday, they did not know the form it would take. The goal was not to destroy the industry and the legislation doesn't. Still, I suspect that it is more that the market as a whole is up.

[PBS Poll-435]

19. WFC up 2.32%, AMD up 2.97%, BAC up 1.93%

At this moment.

[Clear Blue Sky]

20. Windfall for insurance companies. Crap sandwich for those of us forced to buy their pricey policies.

[kenny blankenship]

22. Those Senate bribes have ALREADY paid for themselves then. Money well spent.

Probably there's nothing they've ever spent money on with a greater return on investment than political bribery.