Democrats in Congress have asked the nation’s biggest health insurers to provide data on executive compensation and bonus, profit margins, corporate retreats and spending and premium charges as part of its investigation of the private health insurance industry.

The inquiry is in an effort to change the debate to focus on health insurers rather than focusing on the solutions to health care concerns. There was also dispute over the creation of a government-run health system along private insurers. The Democrats are trying to examine whether business practices of the industry oppose Obama’s proposal for a public health insurance plan.

The US House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Henry Waxman sent letters to 52 insurance companies on Monday, asking them to provide details on CEO pay, profit and other data by next month. These include American International Group Inc. (AIG), Hartford Financial Services (HIG), Aetna Inc. (AET),

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Last week, Japan approved the first ever generic version of biotech drug industry, thus increasing the affordability of the expensive biotech drugs. This is a great opportunity for the generic players. One fallout of the approval is greater competition - a blessing for customers. However, the market is large enough to accommodate many players. Estimates put the global biotech market (growing at 12% a year) value in the range of $80-90 billion.

Leading players in the biotech space to be affected from the move are Amgen (AMGN), Gilead Sciences (GILD), and Genzyme (GENZ) among others.

The issue of data exclusivity is yet to be decided in the US. The period of protection for branded companies is the most debatable point, where they are asking for 12-14 years' exclusivity. The US law-makers are aware of this delay. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House of Representatives Energy

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Quick Analysis of Follow-On BiologicsOn June 10, 2009, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a 120-page report providing a competitive analysis of allowing generic biologics, or follow-on biologics (FOB).  The full report can be found on the FTC's website here.The Hatch-Waxman Act, which essentially created the generic pharmaceutical industry in 1984, does not apply to biologics. Hatch-Waxman paved the way for generic small molecules by allowing two pathways for approval. The first is an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA), which allows for the filing for approval by a generic manufacturer using safety and efficacy data from the original developer, and the 505(b)(2) pathway, which allows for use of non-originated data to support changes in formulation of administration without having to conduct large-scale clinical programs.There is currently no path to approval for generic or alternative biologic molecules as exists for small ...

It’s bold. It’s ambitious. And if it works, it should make America a healthier nation. Reform plans are a dime a dozen in Washington - many of which get stuck in political gridlock without ever reaching a satisfactory resolution. And healthcare reform is no different, with multiple presidents trying - and failing - to pass a plan that would see every American covered by healthcare insurance.

The Obama administration is the latest to step up to the plate and take a swing. And with Congress currently chewing over the details of its plan, it has healthcare investors shaking in the knees, wondering how an overhaul of the system will impact biotech, pharma, medical devices, insurers and other medical stocks.

Are their fears rational? And what are the best stocks to play? I’ve got three for you…

An American Healthcare Utopia

Imagine a world where poor Americans no longer have to ration their medication. A

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WASHINGTON -- May 15 2009 -- A group of representatives from major wind industry companies today released a letter to key members of Congress urging them to strengthen the renewable electricity standard (RES) contained in the draft bill unveiled this week by House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Henry Waxman.

GWS Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: GWSC), an alternative energy company developing renewable energy solutions, stands to benefit from a recent EPA ruling and proposed climate bill.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman has proposed a climate bill that would require businesses to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by twenty percent by 2020. The bill will begin its opening round of debate in Congress this week. The hearings will follow the Environmental Protection Agency’s ruling last week that greenhouse gases pose a danger to the public, a finding that opens the way for new regulation of cars, power plants and factories.

Mr. Waxman also stated that he believes that most of the estimated $646 billion in revenue raised from carbon permits under the proposed cap-and-trade system should be spent on green technologies.

These developments make the recent announcement from GWSC that it has teamed with Sustainable Eco-Green Development Co. to develop

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Obama's Healthcare Plan Is Big Bark, Small Bite by Jason Napodano, CFA

When President Obama's administration released the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, drug stocks quickly dropped. Fears of socialized medicine, or "Hillary-Care 2.0" turned investors away from the sector.

Was the drop warranted?

There are 6 key components to healthcare reform that could have a meaningful impact on pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the near future.Four of these are potentially negative, whereas the other 2 are potentially positive.

First Potential Negative: Increasing Pricing Rebates

The new proposal calls for an increase in Medicaid rebates from the current level of 15% to 21%. This equates to a 6% decrease in pricing power by all the companies in our universe into the Medicaid market. If we delve deeper into the ramification of this

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Highlighted companies include Genentech, inc. (DNA), Amgen, Inc. (AMGN) and Wyeth (WYE).Waxman's Bill Bad for Biotech Companies (and Doctors, Patients and America)California Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has proposed legislation, along with his colleagues, that would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to approve generic (bioequivalent) versions of biotech drugs. As of now, there exists no path to approval for so called follow-on biologics as there is with small-molecule pharmaceutical products.According to the Wall Street Journal, the main contention on the bill remains how many years of market exclusivity a product would receive after approval. Mr. Waxman is calling for 5 years, whereas the biotech companies and trade organizations are asking for 14 years.This is a serious issue for investors in biotechnology stocks, in our view. Allowing ...

President-elect Barack Obama has made no bones about wanting to jump-start the renewable energy markets – pledging $150 billion for the development of biofuels, solar and wind power, other alternative energy sources during his first term.

But what might the new administration mean for more traditional – and more reliable –energy sources?

Oil is always the first energy source to spring to mind. But it’s hardly a solo act – coal and nuclear make up the other two-thirds of the top fuel trio. Coal delivers 50% of U.S. electricity needs, and nuclear power brings another 20% to the table.

The cold truth is that demand for energy of all types – and especially electricity – is going to keep advancing, domestically and worldwide. And developing alternatives to coal and nuclear will take time. For instance, tying wind and solar into the existing power grid will be enormously expensive and is likely

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The $800 billion bailout, and billions more being pumped less obviously into the global economy, will cure nothing. Americans are clamoring for a savior. No one is willing to believe that the party is over. In the past, someone always came to our rescue.

Like a parent dispelling a childhood nightmare, FDR soothed the masses with the assurance that they had nothing to fear but fear itself. To this day, he is revered for turning a depression into the Great Depression. In the aftermath of the dot-com bubble, Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan came to the rescue with a brand-new bubble in real estate.

Even if there was someone out there who could pull off one more illusionary rescue, it would only delay the inevitable and worsen the pain. Pain now or more pain later. The compassionate solution is to let Adam Smith’s invisible hand guide us, as should have been happening all

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