Health industry players offer insights, expectations about overhaul's impact

Health Industry Cool To Complete Repeal Of New Law
Republicans made major gains in the midterm election, running vowing to "repeal and replace" the health law passed with solely Democratic votes earlier this year. But while a large majority of GOP voters told exit pollsters they strongly support the idea of starting from scratch on the health overhaul issue, major players in the health care industry - usually strong Republican allies - are a lot less enthused about the idea (Rovner, NPR, 11/19).

Small Businesses May Find Health Insurance Help in Tax Credits
It's never been easy for small business owners to provide health insurance for their employees. But a tax credit tucked into the federal health care overhaul may help (Varney, KQED/The California Report, 11/18).

Private Medicare Plans Are Retrenching
Seniors enrolling in private Medicare policies starting this week are finding fewer options, as health insurers close down certain types of plans due to legislative changes and looming cuts to federal funding. Cigna Corp., Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, several Blue Cross Blue Shield plans and others aren't renewing hundreds of Medicare Advantage plans, which are Medicare policies administered by private insurers. The moves will displace some 700,000 beneficiaries who must find new policies, according to Humana Inc., a large seller of Advantage plans (Johnson, The Wall Street Journal, 11/19).

Humana Says 2011 Profit Will Drop On Medicare Funding Cuts; Shares Fall
Humana Inc., the U.S. health plan with the best-performing stock this year, said it expects earnings to fall in 2011 as Medicare funding cuts and the U.S. health law reduce profit. The company's shares dropped. The health-care law signed in March calls for $130 billion in funding cuts over a decade to private Medicare Advantage providers, after Democrats said the plans received more than the U.S. government spends to provide the same services (Nussbaum, 11/18).