Health insurer Aetna's 4Q profit jumps 73 percent

[xchrom]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_EARNS_AETNA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-02-01-07-08-10

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Health insurer Aetna Inc.'s fourth-quarter net income jumped 73 percent, as it continued to benefit from low use of health care and some key expenses fell.

The Hartford, Conn., insurer's earnings and revenue topped Wall Street expectations due in part to slower-than-expected growth in health care use, a trend that has helped insurers routinely outperform the past several quarters. Many analysts expect this trend to continue into 2012.

Aetna said Wednesday that it earned $372.6 million, or $1.02 per share, in the three months that ended Dec. 31. That's up from $215.6 million, or 53 cents per share, in the 2010 quarter. Revenue climbed slightly to $8.57 billion.

Earnings excluding capital gains and other items were 97 cents per share.

[marmar]

1. "some key expenses fell"

Like patient care?

[RB TexLa]

2. They also have more people like me who have a HSA but pay out of pocket for medical to not pull

from the HSA and keep the funds in it growing tax free.

[canoeist52]

3. "slower-than-expected growth in health care use"

Otherwise known as high deductibles and low coverage which disallow the use of said "insurance".

[Greybnk48]

4. They dumped my husband's entire company last January.

About 8,000, mostly families. We now have BCBS.

[n2doc]

5. Exhibit A in why the USA has the most expensive health care system in the world

Next shoe to drop: Aetna CEO gets record bonus....