Summary
What could make the venerable AMA, after fighting the bogeyman of "socialized medicine" since at least the Truman Administration support the recent U.S. House Democratic Party's national healthcare reform legislation which includes a public option health plan? According to its leaders, the promise of covering the 50 million uninsured and the prospect of improving the quality of care through the patient centered medical home and other innovations.
Analysis
If this endorsement turns the political tide in favor of a public insurance plan option in both House and Senate bills which the President is pushing to get passed before the August recess, the following companies might be most impacted:
1. United HealthGroup;
2. Aetna;
3. Cigna;
4. Humana; and
5. WellPoint.
Companies which may assist both these major private health plans and the public insurer in their efforts to demonstrate the relative value of their offerings to purchasers and patients include:
1. Premier, Inc.;
2. CSC;
3. IBM;
4. Accenture; and
5. Medco.


