Money matters: Some of the health law's big winners, possible costs emerge

MarketWatch reports that insurance companies appear to be coming out in the win column. Meanwhile, a new industry report details some of the health law's "hidden" costs.

MarketWatch: Insurers Gain Big In Health Reform's First Year
It was supposed to make insurance companies tow the line, but a year after the Affordable Care Act won contentious passage in Congress, the nation's managed-care providers don't seem to be suffering much. Shares of the six major insurance companies in the S&P 500 are up an average of 16 percent over the last year, which beats all other multiple-company sectors in health care (Britt, 3/22).

CNN Money: Health Care's Hidden Costs: $363 Billion
A year after the passing of health reform, a new industry report revealed that consumers may be paying billions of dollars more in out-of-pocket health care expenses than was previously thought. These "hidden" costs of health care — like taking time off to care for elderly parents — add up to $363 billion, according to a report from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, a research group (Kavilanz, 3/23).

In related news:

Modern Healthcare: Senators Request Alternative Projection
Two senior Senate Republicans have asked the Medicare trust fund trustees to include an alternative projection in their next report that shows the $413 billion that the health care reform law would delete from the program. The request is based on one of the major Republican criticisms of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: that its projections showing a net increase in federal funds were based on unrealistic financial assumptions (Daly, 3/22).