Have insurers hit the top?

The New York Times wonders if 2006 might turn out to be a long overdue bad year for insurers in the wake of the recent problems at UnitedHealth Group. Shares of health insurers are down 8.6 percent since January first according to Standard & Poors. On the other hand, that's led some on Wall Street to wonder if companies like United and WellPoint are actually bargains at the moment. Some observers are wondering if the investor uncertainty may have a lot to do with the chaotic Medicare Part D rollout. There are some signs that investors are avoiding insurers with high Part D exposure, including Humana and Aetna. We'll know more next week when UnitedHealth Group reports earnings.

- read the report in The New York Times