Wellpoint stock surges as public plan struggles

Indianapolis Star: "As the health-care reform debate boiled over this week, so did WellPoint's stock price. Shares of the Indianapolis-based health insurance giant surged to a 52-week high Thursday as the prospects for a new government-run 'public option' health plan faded amid intense Senate debate.

WellPoint rivals Cigna and UnitedHealth Group also hit 52-week highs. It's a sign, more than one observer suggested, of victory for private health insurers, which strenuously fought the public option. ... Through the first nine months of 2009, the health services and HMO industry has spent $52.8 million and used 988 lobbyists, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That's almost 12 percent more than the amount spent during the same time period in 2008" (Lee, 12/11).