Amazon in recent times has amassed a reputation for being disruptive to traditional firms and industries, and rightly so. The company has up-ended the traditional brick-and-mortar retail model, and the company’s ambitions do not end there. Rumours of Amazon’s desire to enter the U.S. healthcare value chain reached a fever pitch when Amazon.com Inc., Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase & Co. recently announced that they were creating an independent company that will attempt to reduce healthcare costs for their employees, and potentially all Americans in the future. continue…

by George Hadjia Posted in Consumer discretionary, Health Care

• save this article
• POSTED IN Consumer discretionary, Health Care

Recently there has been growing press and talk about the rising costs of health insurance and private patients going through public hospitals. In particular (click for article), Bill Shorten recently commented that “Prices are up, profits are up, quality and value down. Australians are paying a lot more for their health insurance policies and getting a lot less.”
continue…

by Lisa Fedorenko Posted in Health Care

• 2 Comments
• save this article
• POSTED IN Health Care

As an investor, there’s a lot to love about private hospital businesses, like Ramsay Healthcare (ASX:RHC) and Healthscope (ASX:HSO). For a start, they’re hard to disrupt. They also benefit from Australia’s ageing population, with its rising demand for health services. But the factors that influence profitability are a bit more complex. continue…

by Lisa Fedorenko Posted in Companies, Health Care

• 4 Comments
• save this article
• POSTED IN Companies, Health Care

The Australian government has just announced a raft of changes to private health insurance. The reforms should make health cover more affordable, and more attractive for consumers. And this in turn should be beneficial for hospital operators, at least in the short term. continue…

by Stuart Jackson Posted in Health Care

• save this article
• POSTED IN Health Care

The private hospital diagnosis this results season was as unpleasant as this year’s flu season. Since result day, Healthscope (ASX: HSO) has plummeted 25 per cent down to $1.68 and Ramsay Health Care (ASX: RHC) 19 per cent to $63.84. Roger Montgomery previously discussed some of the risks we had identified into the results in this June blog. Into the results we felt that both hospital operators were trading at stretched valuations and as a result reduced our positions. Following the share-price correction, we remain comfortable with our remaining holdings. continue…

by Lisa Fedorenko Posted in Health Care

• 9 Comments
• save this article
• POSTED IN Health Care

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Health Care

• 9 Comments
• save this article
• POSTED IN Health Care

Over the weekend, the results were released of a trial comparing the efficacy of two treatments for late stage liver cancer. The treatments were SIRT, pioneered by Australian biotech, Sirtex, versus Sorafenib. The results were generally positive for SIRT. So why has the market responded so harshly?
continue…

by Scott Shuttleworth Posted in Editor's Pick, Health Care

• 6 Comments
• save this article
• POSTED IN Editor's Pick, Health Care

Over the course of 2016, we provided insight into the competitive dynamics and aggregate prospects of several industry sectors, from financial markets to supermarkets, listed on the Australian stock market.

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Editor's Pick, Health Care, Stocks We Like

• 9 Comments
• save this article
• POSTED IN Editor's Pick, Health Care, Stocks We Like

Last November, Resmed launched its new range of AirFit masks. This led us to wonder if the uptick in growth in Resmed’s second quarter results was due to the new masks. Early indications are that the masks have been well received, and are increasing the company’s market share. continue…

by Ben MacNevin Posted in Health Care

• 1 Comments
• save this article
• POSTED IN Health Care

When it comes to political footballs, U.S. healthcare is hard to beat. Just seven years ago, in March 2010, the Affordable Care Act – nicknamed ‘Obamacare’ – became law. This significant overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system was, of course, strongly criticised by the Republican Party and its backers. Now, the Republicans are about to dismantle it. continue…

by George Hadjia Posted in Health Care

• 3 Comments
• save this article
• POSTED IN Health Care