On the services front, investors will listen intently for the potential impacts of the implementation of Obamacare in 2014, with managed care companies, like Aetna Inc. getting a boost in membership, but also facing continued pressure on premiums, and margins.
Hospital companies like HCA will certainly benefit from the coverage of the currently uninsured, which will be a welcome prescription for bad debt relief, but here too, government reimbursement will likely continue to head lower.
Investors will also be watching for whether utilization trends in the U.S. begin to improve with the economy, which could provide a much needed boost to the beleaguered device industry, and stocks such as Covidien, Stryker Corp, Baxter International, and Zimmer.
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