Page 26 - ATODAY

BUSINESS A25
Wednesday 23 March 2016

Insurers plot test U.S. indexes mostly fall; travel
companies drop after attacks
to build better
ALEX VEIGA In this Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014, file photo, a street sign for Wall
provider directories AP Business Writer Street hangs near the New York Stock Exchange. U.S. stocks are
U.S. stock indexes closed opening broadly lower, Tuesday, March 22, 2016, led by de-
TOM MURPHY mostly lower Tuesday as clines in travel-related companies following the attacks in Bel-
AP Business Writer airlines, cruise companies gium.
Some health insurers are hoping to ease headaches and travel booking sites
that can flare when customers try to confirm whether fell following the deadly Associated Press
a doctor is covered in a plan’s network of providers. bombings in Belgium.
The trade association America’s Health Insurance News of the attacks, which percent. The FTSE 100 in- to $75.99, while Carnival
Plans will soon start testing a more efficient way to up- killed at least 31 people, dex of leading British shares lost $1.03, or 2.1 percent, to
date insurer provider directories, which are becoming pulled the broader mar- was up 0.1 percent. Bel- $48.75.
critical for finding the right fit as insurance evolves and ket lower for much of the gium’s BEL 20 index rose 0.2 American Airlines Group fell
coverage networks shrink. morning. An early after- percent.“What happens is 71 cents, or 1.6 percent, to
Health insurers generally offer much better coverage noon rally erased some of investors and traders go in $42.76, while Delta Air Lines
for customers who seek care from doctors or provid- the losses, but the rebound and start to bottom-fish on fell 73 cents, or 1.5 percent,
ers inside their networks. In some cases, they provide didn’t hold. sectors that have sold off,” to $49.39.
no coverage for treatment sought outside a network. Oil drilling companies also said Quincy Krosby, mar- Travel website operators
More insurers, especially on the Affordable Care Act’s slumped following a down- ket strategist at Pruden- Priceline Group and Expe-
public insurance exchanges, have started offering beat forecast on drilling. tial Financial. “It flies in the dia also fell.
plans with narrow networks of doctors or hospitals in Health care and technol- face of the headlines and Priceline slid $31.10, or 2.3
an attempt to squeeze better rates out of those pro- ogy stocks gained ground. the human cost of these percent, to $1,319.41, while
viders and control health care costs. The last-minute slide terrorist attacks, but the Expedia lost $1.96, or 1.8
This makes finding so-called in-network care crucial snapped a four-day win- stock markets tend to turn percent, to $108.92.
for insurance shoppers, especially those who have es- ning streak for the mar- around.” “The only sector that ap-
tablished relationships with a provider. But matching ket. Trading was relatively In the U.S., travel-related pears to be truly suffering,
a doctor with an insurance network can be no simple light, reflecting the Easter companies slumped and naturally, is anything hav-
task. holiday weekend. It also never quite recovered. ing to do with travel,” said
Brokers say insurance directories are constantly evolv- signaled that traders were Royal Caribbean Cruises J.J. Kinahan, TD Ameri-
ing as doctors retire, sell their practices or join provider not rattled by the potential shed $2.24, or 2.9 percent, trade’s chief strategist.
groups that may not be in a network. On top of that, market implications of the
they find that customers often get confused because attack. Open House
one insurer may have several networks, some that “This is the new investing
cover their doctor and some that do not. normal now,” said Chris Reduced to Price $245.000
“It can be overwhelming,” said Susan Rider, a consul- Gaffney, president of Ev- Must Sell Now
tant with the Indianapolis-based insurance agency erBank World Markets.
Gregory & Appel. “You’re going to have Aruba Palms Realtors, N.V. invites you to a:
America’s Health Insurance Plans, known as AHIP, will these big tragic events, so Wine & Cheese Open House!
attempt to streamline directory updates by testing a I don’t think investors are
new concept next month in California, Florida and In- really too concerned with Thursday, March 3, 2016 from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
diana. AHIP will have one health information technol- it long-term.” at:
ogy company contact providers for regular updates The Dow Jones industrial
on standard information like whether they are accept- average lost 41.30 points, Cunuku Abao 139, behind Elmar Hato
ing new patients and if they are still in a coverage net- or 0.2 percent, to 17,582.57. WE'LL PICK YOU UP!
work. Then AHIP will share that information with several The Standard & Poor’s 500 The Shops at Sand. #1
insurers. index dipped 1.80 points,
This can spare a doctor’s office multiple phone calls or or 0.1 percent, to 2,049.80. Yrausquin Blvd. 370 | Palm Beach, Aruba
faxes from insurers seeking updates, and it could lead The Nasdaq composite O ce: +(297) 280-0339 | Mobile: +(297) 593-4551 / + (297) 561-1108
to more accurate directories, AHIP officials say. They added 12.79 points, or 0.3
add that the six-month test is nothing consumers will percent, to 4,821.66. From U.S./Canada: O ce: +1 877-586-8962
notice, but it may help create a blueprint for building The three main U.S. stock www.arubapalmsrealtors.com www.facebook.com/ArubaPalmsRealtors
more efficient directories in other states. indexes headed lower
Rider and Naples, Florida-based broker Wayne Saka- early on Tuesday as trad-
moto say they haven’t noticed many problems with ers digested the news that
inaccurate directories, especially since they can be bombs had struck the Brus-
updated quickly online. That said, Sakamoto still rec- sels airport and one of the
ommends that his customers call a doctor to confirm city’s metro stations. Bel-
that the provider is in a specific network simply be- gium raised its terror alert
cause these networks evolve so frequently. to the highest level. Airports
“I think the biggest concern is really having consum- across Europe tightened
ers understand these networks,” he said. “It’s very security. The Islamic State
confusing.”q group claimed responsibil-
ity for the attacks.
The major European stock
markets declined early on,
but ultimately closed high-
er.
Germany’s DAX rose 0.4
percent, while the CAC-
40 in France edged up 0.1