Another View: Early signs show business is accepting Affordable Care Act

The legal bees may be busy at the U.S. Supreme Court preparing for March's oral arguments over the legality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but there's no question that health-care reform so far has been good for the major players of the health-care industry. Notwithstanding a fourth quarter that was less profitable than expected, health insurer WellPoint Inc. said Tuesday that it netted about $2.6 billion in 2011, the first full year since the Affordable Care Act became law. A week earlier, UnitedHealth Group Inc., the nation's largest health insurance provider, said it took in more than $100 billion in 2011 and had more than $5.1 billion left in net income.