WSJ: A windfall for HCA investors

Meanwhile, a report by Health Care For America Now details profits for the nation's five largest insurers and draws a strong reaction from the industry.

The Wall Street Journal: A Windfall For HCA Investors
Bain Capital, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., Bank of America Corp. and the brother of former Senate Majority Leader William Frist are each in line to make nearly $3 billion from $1.2 billion investments in the 2006 leveraged buyout of hospital chain HCA Holdings Inc. The gain — about 250 percent over five years that were trying for the economy and health care companies — would amount to one of the largest ever from a private-equity deal (Zuckerman, 3/4).

Politico Pro: Insurers Slam 'Misleading' Profit Data
The health insurance industry is blaming the fight over the health care overhaul for "misleading" data on profits. A report released Thursday by the advocacy group Health Care for America Now slams the five biggest health insurance companies for a 50 percent increase in profits between 2008 and 2010. The report finds the five largest health insurers made a combined profit of $11.7 billion "by reducing the share of premiums spent on the shrinking membership in private health plans." The report echoes previous data released by Democrats in Congress arguing that health insurers are making too much money (Nocera, 3/3).