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July 21, 2014 01:00 AM

Bottom-line ACA gains starting to show in hospital financials, Zacks says

John N. Frank
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    Happy days are here, financially, for hospitals thanks to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, says Zacks Investment research in a recent blog post.

    “The positive implications of these (ACA) reforms have started showing up in the financials of hospital and healthcare stocks,” Zacks says, pointing to preliminary quarterly results for HCA, which handily beat analysts' expectations.

    “After all the opposition and lobbying to annul the law, the multi-year implementation of ACA is finally reflected in positive signs from healthcare providers (in the form of improved earnings), consumers (higher enrolments) and the market (wider coverage at lower healthcare spending),” Zacks notes.

    Hospital earnings are being pressured by declining payment levels from Medicare, Medicaid and elsewhere, the blog notes, but in response, “hospitals like never before are keener to join forces with doctors and insurers for healthy competition and to serve their customers better, which will translate into higher admissions.”

    Other balance sheet positives are reductions in bad debt thanks to be formerly uninsured patients now carrying insurance and expected growing demand for healthcare services as the newly insured become more comfortable using their insurance.

    In addition to HCA, other publicly traders providers Zacks sees in strong financial positions include Acadia Healthcare, Tenet Healthcare Corp. and Universal Health Services.

    Universal releases its quarterly earnings Thursday; Acadia is scheduled to releases its quarterly report July 29; Tenet is scheduled to release its earnings Aug. 4.

    Follow John N. Frank on Twitter: @MHJFrank

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      • Virtual Briefings
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        • - Value Based Care
        • - Hospital at Home
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        • - Digital Health
        • - Future of Staffing
        • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
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