A return to insurance companies' dominance in the group health market?

Financial hardships have caused a consolidation in the health maintenance organization (HMO) industry. Down-sizing and mergers have occurred throughout the spectrum of investor-owned and insurance and hospital-sponsored plans. Some regional HMOs seem to have fared better. Further, it is likely that investor-owned HMOs will have limited access to capital markets in the forseeable future. The question of continued and/or expanded involvement by the major national health insurers remains unsettled. It does not appear that these institutional investors will resume their domination of health care financing in the near future.