Dialysis stocks hit by proposed U.S. reimbursement cuts

By Zeba Siddiqui and Ludwig Burger (Reuters) – A proposal to slash reimbursements to kidney dialysis centers in the United States drove down shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG and Davita Healthcare Partners Inc, two of the world’s leading providers of dialysis services. The proposed 9.4 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements to dialysis centers, announced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Monday, was described by JP Morgan as “worse than even our most pessimistic scenario had envisioned”. …