Hospitals Hoping for Increased Insurance Coverage The combination of a bad economy and rising unemployment is contributing to unpaid bills and operating losses at U.S hospital companies such as Tenet Healthcare (THC), which missed analyst estimates last week by 3-cents with an adjusted 6-cent per share loss and lowered its full-year and 2009 guidance for EBITDA. Tenet's allowance for doubtful accounts increased 5.8% to $163M at hospitals run by the Company for over a year. With Tenet trading at all-time lows, several insiders were buying a combined 160,000 shares on the open market last week at prices ranging from $2.49-$2.71, while the stock closed the week at $2.26 ($1.1B market cap) with a loss of about 48% in ...

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASD: ANPI), a developer of treatments for cancer, arthritis, and other diseases characterized by inappropriate cell proliferation and blood vessel growth, recently announced that the company is considering various initiatives to decrease operating costs and to better structure its business focus, pending continued exploration of alternatives to support the organization’s balance sheet and current capital structure.

Angiotech’s senior management team is working to determine if it will be able to consummate the company’s previously announced transaction with Ares Management and New Leaf Venture Partners, or other potential transaction alternatives with Ares and New Leaf. Additionally, the company recently announced plans to withdraw its outstanding tender offers for its Senior Floating Rate Notes and its Senior Subordinated Notes.

Focusing on its most promising near-term product opportunities, including Quill™ SRS, HemoStream™ Chronic Dialysis Catheter, the Option™ Inferior Vena Cava Filter and the Bio-Seal™ Lung Biopsy System, the company expects

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Skilled Healthcare Group, Inc. (SKH) has been posting solid gains in 2008 as the company continues to benefit from strong underlying demand for its services. Analyst estimates have been rising, and the company's share price recently set a new 52-week and all-time high.

Skilled Healthcare Group, Inc. provides integrated long-term healthcare services in the United States. Its nursing facilities provide such services as chemotherapy, dialysis and rehabilitation. The company has a market cap of $596 million and is headquartered in Foothill Ranch, California.

Industry Trend

With a rapidly aging domestic population applying pressure to the healthcare system, healthcare providers have seen a big up tick in demand for their services. This environmental shift was evident when Skilled Healthcare Group reported strong second-quarter earnings on Aug 5.

Revenue was up 19.3% from last year to $180.3 million. Net income increased to $8.9 million, a big

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