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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Healthways, Inc. (HWAY) is a provider of specialized, comprehensive health and care support(SM) solutions to help millions of people maintain or improve their health and, as a result, reduce overall healthcare costs. Healthways’ solutions are designed to help healthy individuals stay healthy, mitigate and slow the progression of diseases associated with family or lifestyle risk factors, and promote the best possible health for those already affected by disease. Healthways also provides a national, fully accredited, complementary and alternative Health Provider Network, offering convenient access to individuals who seek health services outside of, and in conjunction with, the traditional healthcare system.

Research released last Friday from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index reveals that the downward trend in overall well-being appears to be cushioned when workers experience a positive work environment; one where they get to use their strengths, and where their supervisors create a trusting environment. In the first six

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Owning healthcare stocks in an election year, especially one in which universal healthcare has taken center stage on the Democratic agenda, is not surprisingly a wild ride. With less than six months to go until our country chooses its next president, near-term headline risk for healthcare stocks should stay elevated for a while. That said, some healthcare names, most notably the health insurance providers, have seen their share prices get beaten down to levels that can’t help but get value investors’ attention.A perfect example is United Healthcare (UNH), one of the largest health insurance providers in the country. The combination of political risk and a recent acceleration in healthcare cost inflation have investors nervous. The stock has fallen from a high of more than $59 in December and hit a new 52 week low on Thursday, trading below $32 per share. This dramatic 45 percent decline leaves UNH ...