Report: Health Insurance Industry Doing Well Under ACA
The report from the Commonwealth Fund shows that industry profits remain nearly identical to before implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, experts predict the health care sector, like many others, will face pressure to raise wages as a result of tightening labor markets.
Marketplace:
The Health Insurance Industry Looks ... Well, Healthy
On Thursday, a new report out from the Commonwealth Fund finds the health insurance industry is doing just fine, thank you very much. That’s contrary to the deep-seated fears of some as the Affordable Care Act launched back in 2010. But with three years’ worth of data on the books now, and insurers’ stock prices soaring, those fears have faded. (Gorenstein, 3/26)
Modern Healthcare:
Tightening Labor Markets Pressure Health Care To Up Wages
Healthcare increasingly will face the type of wage pressure other sectors of the U.S. economy already have experienced, labor market experts predict. Signs of the building pressure already have begun to emerge. Health insurer Aetna said in January that all its employees will earn at least $16 an hour starting in April. That's more than double the federal minimum wage of $7.25, which has not been raised since 2009. (Herman, 3/26)
