Hospital Stocks Rise Amid Broader Slump
March 27 2017 - 3:44PM
Dow Jones News
By Melanie Evans
U.S. hospital stocks rose Monday amid a broader market downturn
as investors welcomed the stalling of White House efforts to
overturn the Affordable Care Act.
Monday's climb in hospital stocks continues a rally that began
last week, as the Trump administration and House Republicans failed
to win support for a bill to dismantle the ACA. House Speaker Paul
Ryan on Friday canceled a vote on the legislation, conceding it
lacked enough Republican backing.
Hospitals benefited from more paying patients under the
Affordable Care Act, most notably in states that expanded Medicaid.
The House Republican bill, the American Health Care Act, would have
slashed federal Medicaid funding, leaving some states to rollback
expansion, a Congressional Budget Office said.
Shares in HCA Holdings Inc., the largest publicly traded
hospital company, were up 4.9% Monday afternoon from the market's
close Friday. Rural hospital operator LifePoint Health Inc. stock
was up 1.61% Monday from Friday's close. Tenet Healthcare Corp. and
Community Health Systems Inc. shares rose by 1.12% and 0.94%,
respectively.
Hospital stocks' ascent contrasts with a broader market slump as
investors grow anxious over the prospects for the Trump
administration's other ambitious policy goals, such as tax reform.
The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average were down 0.23%
and 0.29%, respectively, Monday afternoon. The Nasdaq Composite
rebounded by mid-Monday afternoon.
"We had significant concerns about the loss of [insurance]
coverage," under the House GOP plan, said Shannan Murphy, a health
care analyst with S&P Global Ratings.
But hospitals continue to face uncertainty after Republicans'
failed health policy push, analysts said. The next steps for
Republican health policy are unclear, said David Peknay, also a
health care analyst with S&P Global Ratings.
Republicans' setback also leaves in place the Affordable Care
Act's struggling health insurance exchanges, where low-income
consumers can purchase subsidized health plans. Some health
insurers have exited the markets, leaving fewer choices for
consumers. Without more options, some consumers may decide to forgo
insurance in 2018, said Megan Neuburger, a health care analyst with
Fitch Ratings, Inc.
Write to Melanie Evans at Melanie.Evans@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 27, 2017 15:29 ET (19:29 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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