Health companies see relief in U.S. Senate bill

[villager]

Source: reuters

Health companies see relief in U.S. Senate Bill

By Susan Heavey and Ben Hirschler

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Health insurers, drugmakers and other companies expect U.S. Senate lawmakers to soften the blow from health reform legislation narrowly passed by the House of Representatives that calls for a greater government role in the industry.

Pharmaceutical and insurance sector stocks were all in positive territory in line with the overall market on Monday, following the approval of the House bill late Saturday calling for a public insurance option and a government role in drug prices under Medicare.

Investors took the House vote in stride, with expectations growing that a final measure could be delayed until next year.

"The Senate remains very unlikely to pass any bill containing an unbridled public plan that potentially could ultimately threaten significant price deflation for US sales," said Morgan Stanley pharmaceutical analyst Andrew Baum.

"We continue to feel very comfortable with our projection that any eventual healthcare reform is likely relatively benign to the pharmaceutical part of the healthcare value chain," Baum said in a note to clients.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE5A83WD200...

[msongs]

1. lol they see $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ coming to them - billions n billions nt

[DJ13]

2. Are we SURE this is a good idea?

Really?

[derby378]

3. "Unbridled," hell...

The House did a damn good job of bridling what was supposed to be a public option.

And any health insurance reform that passes should be anything but benign to our mortality and bankruptcy rates - it should drive them both down. The pharmaceutical companies have enough cash as it is.

[villager]

4. To paraphrase Joseph Heller: "That's some kind of 'reform,' that U.S. health care reform!"

n/t

[emulatorloo]

5. They can count on LIEBERMANN to make it all right for them

"expectations growing that a final measure could be delayed until next year."

[mbperrin]

6. Yes, mandatory purchase of insurance means BILLIONS of dollars to them.

Kill the insurance industry. Get single payer. Anything else is corporate capture of the political process. Doubt it? Look at the stocks today.

[emulatorloo]

7. GET A COPY OF THIS TO EVERY LIBERAL IN THE SENATE

Not that they are unaware of this bullshit, but it won't hurt to remind them that they are being fucked with.

[WriteDown]

8. They're jumping for joy....

This is going to be a huge payday.

[salguine]

9. Thanks God...If anyone needs relief, it's healthcare cartels and Big Pharma.

[Sunnyshine]

10. WTF is the "healthcare value chain" and if the eventual reform is "relatively benign"...

then what have we done to reign in the power of these for profit institutions and their meddling over our health care reforms?

Google it up and see it is all about making money as in Commoditization of healthcare services and retail healthcare.

The Wharton School Study of Health Care Value Chain:
This book analyzes developments in the U.S. health care value
chain over the past decade. Wharton School researchers spent three
and one-half years (January 1998–June 2001) studying three major
players at various stages of the value chain: producers (product man-
ufacturers), purchasers (group purchasing organizations, or GPOs,
and wholesalers/distributors), and health care providers (hospital
systems and integrated delivery networks, or IDNs)

Again: Where is equality in access/patient rights/quality of care factored in to these studies?

It just sounds like inequality is built right in that "health care value chain" and with no real benefit for us human beings.

[Psephos]

12. Bizspeakin' their way down Happy Street, kicking their heels in the air.

They managed to get the You Ass CongrAss to write a law that will force people to buy their stuff.

The future's so bright they need new Oakleys. Subsidized, of course.

[dreamnightwind]

11. great find!

That Morgan Stanley analyst says it about as clearly as anyone ever will.

"The Senate remains very unlikely to pass any bill containing an unbridled public plan that potentially could ultimately threaten significant price deflation for US sales,"

"any eventual healthcare reform is likely relatively benign to the pharmaceutical part of the healthcare value chain"

We wouldn't want to threaten significant price deflation for US drug sales, now, would we?

Spread this far and wide.

[dflprincess]

13. Given the fine job they did with credit card reform

did we really expect them to any better with health care "reform"?