Aug
1
2006
Health Insurance Mess Arrives on Wall Street
Author: Valeria WeberForty six million Americans have no health insurance. They either rely on public health facilities for emergency care or find themselves seeking private care for which they cannot pay. The private health insurance model is increasingly moving to a “consumer driven” model that puts more of the burden on the insured party than the HMO systems do. The result is changing behavior that is beginning to impact major corporations:
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Health Management Associates Inc., one of the biggest U.S. hospital chains, on Friday warned quarterly and annual results will fall short of Wall Street estimates, blaming weak patient admissions and the rising burden of unpaid medical bills.
More after the jump…