Wall Street Weather

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12 Comments

    • More on Technical Analysis [view article]
      Felix: Beyond the silliness of how astrology is portrayed in the media, I believe that just as geophysical forces can influences the tides, so can they influence human behavior. And we all know that human behavior is the greatest force in the stock market. Deborah Jun 24 04:01 PM
    • Hospitals to Underinsured: Pay Upfront [view article]
      To Mark R: You do realize that if the information stated by the WSJ reporter was untrue that the hospital would sue the Journal for libel. I find it interesting that you fail to address the key issues in this piece such as insured individuals being charged full retail price for medical procedures. Just because you find it "hard to believe" does not mean it isn't true. I suppose you defend all the $million+ pay packages these "nonprofit" executives receive at the expense of the middle class. The poorest are taken care of because they have no assets. The wealthy are taken care of. It is the middle class who gets screwed because they have some assets. If you are as educated on the subject as you claim to be, then please comment on SA the federal law that cites turning away patients is illegal. I'm sure the WSJ would be interested. Please tell SA readers where you get your health insurance. Apr 29 07:56 PM
    • Hospitals to Underinsured: Pay Upfront [view article]
      AmericanSphinx: Please explain how you acquired your health insurance. Was it through employment? Did you have to go through medical underwriting? I think it is important to understand whether a person who is critical of healthcare reform is so because they are guaranteed access to insurance already.

      As for cost, part of the purpose of any consumer oriented health insurance is for the insurer to negotiate rates for services for their customers. Then the insurers and policy holders pay their portions based on the insurance contract.

      The WSJ was not specific as to whether the hospital was “in network”, the rejection of the insurance was based on the policy limit.

      Lastly, the hospital asked for payments in advance without the patient being able to approve each service on a line by line basis. Have you ever bought any other service by writing a blank check?       Apr 29 12:15 PM
    • UnitedHealth Group: An Unsustainable Model [view article]
      Doug Parker has nothing to do with UNH. It is just that his statement parallels the point that UNH wants to only expand with profitable customers.


      On Apr 24 06:48 AM pander wrote:

      > Exactly, why is Doug Parker of US Airways responding to UHC. What
      > does this have to do with events in the airline. Thank you for clarifying.       Apr 24 12:08 PM
    • Merck's Ghost Story [view article]
      To "No Big Deal": Of course you'll have "someone that is outside the company agreeing with the facts" when they're receiving compensation to do so. Apr 18 11:21 AM
    • Banks Using Leverage to Force Home Equity Repayments [view article]
      Dr.LKR. (thedoctor): Clarification on “When home equity line of credit [HELOC] securitizations reach a certain delinquency level, banks are no longer reimbursed for HELOC advances to borrowers.”

      Before the predetermined delinquency limit for the trust is hit; every time the bank or mortgage servicer provides an advance to their HELOC customer, the bank or mortgage servicer is reimbursed an equal amount from the securitization trust.       Mar 08 08:56 PM
    • Miami Condo Vultures: A Fool's Game [view article]
      Elliott Burrell: I agree with you that property taxes are expensive in Florida. Property taxes are around 2% of assessed value for areas like Boca Raton, and close to 3% in the cities of Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. For non-homesteaded and new buyers, the assessed value is the market value determined by the property appraiser. Market value is based on the prior year’s sales.

      As to your other point about wanting to control the building and the association board, I would like to tell the other readers about rental restriction. The condo board has the right to “approve” all leases and can take up to 30 days to do so. Boards can also restrict rentals entirely, or restrict renting during the first year or two of ownership. Some boards are now requiring tenants pay a refundable building deposit of up to one month’s rent. Buildings that allow rentals might restrict owners to one lease per year and impose minimum and maximum lease terms. All these restrictions make it difficult to keep the unit rented continuously.

      Again to your point of controlling the board, the other readers should realize how quickly expenses can get out of control with a runaway board.
      Feb 29 11:55 AM
    • No Real Competition in Drug Prices [view article]
      DrMark27: Under a straight co-pay, it is easy for a patient to compute their drug cost. The difficulty comes with the new high deductible healthcare plans. The insurance company negotiates the patients’ drug cost with the pharmacy or distributor, and the patient does not know the negotiated cost in advance. Feb 26 01:01 PM
    • No Real Competition in Drug Prices [view article]
      Norman Lepoff, M.D.: Do you think consumers are capable of shopping for medical services? Do you think doctors want to be more transparent on pricing? Feb 25 04:17 PM
    • Ackman's Proposal for Bond Insurers - Some Thoughts [view article]
      Have any of the ratings agencies committed to giving a triple-A rating to a municipal subsidiary in either a parallel or hierarchical structure? I understand Ackman’s desire to find a structure that cuts off dividends to the holding companies, but he has does not bring any assurances the Moody’s, S&P and Fitch will play along. Feb 21 08:40 AM
    • Ackman's Proposal for Bond Insurers - Some Thoughts [view article]
      Have any of the ratings agencies committed to giving a triple-A rating to a municipal subsidiary in either a parallel or hierarchical structure? I understand Ackman’s desire to find a structure that cuts off dividends to the holding companies, but he has does not bring any assurances the Moody’s, S&P and Fitch will play along. Feb 21 08:35 AM
    • More Than Just Insurance: Monolines Provide an Efficient Municipal Market [view article]
      searchbonds.com: The Wall Street Journal’s editorial “The Eliot Indicator” (2/20/08) warns of “fraudulent conveyance” lawsuits.

      online.wsj.com/article...       Feb 20 06:57 AM
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