Record Flu Season May Be Boon for Hospitals, Bane for Insurers
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The worsening flu season may spell good news for hospitals that take in sick patients and bad news for health insurers that have to pick up the tab, Evercore ISI said.
The end of 2019 brought another upswing in doctor visits from patients with flu-like symptoms, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the last week of December, 6.9% of patient visits were due to influenza-like illness, up from 5.1% in the prior week. That’s worse than most recent years and not far behind the record 2017-2018 season, Evercore ISI analyst Michael Newshel told clients in a note.