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Here's HSAPAY's weekly update for August 7th, 2023 that'll help you and your growing family navigate the complexities of utilizing and investing in your HSA.

Your HSA Weekly Watchlist

• ‘We Can Be More Selective About Who We Treat’: UHS CFO’s Comments Spark Concerns About Cherry-Picking
• CMS Anticipates a 1.8% Decrease in Medicare Part D Monthly Premiums for 2024
• AMD Stock - Unusual Stock Options Activity in Out-of-the-Money Puts - a Bullish Sign

Macro Minute & Commodities

• If they come for Social Security and your retirement accounts, this is how they will do it
• Humana shares rise after insurer's medical costs came in lower than expected
• Private sector added 324,000 jobs in July, well above expectations, ADP says
• How Vertical Farming Can Transform Unused Office Buildings
• Stocks Tumble as Bond Yields Surge
• Global Steel Scrap Market to Surpass 918 Million Metric Tons by 2030

‘We Can Be More Selective About Who We Treat’: UHS CFO’s Comments Spark Concerns About Cherry-Picking

💰💊💭 The CFO of the biggest private psychiatric hospital operator in the country spilled the tea last week, saying they choose patients based on insurance payments 💸👀. Steve Filton from Universal Health Services (UHS) said they only admit those with the insurance plans that pay the most 💰, and are even cancelling contracts with low-paying insurers 🙅‍♂️. Filton blamed the consolidation of healthcare corporations for creating an oligopoly 🤝 that dictates terms to insurers. UHS rakes in billions in revenue annually 💰💰💰.

CMS Anticipates a 1.8% Decrease in Medicare Part D Monthly Premiums for 2024

💸📈Good news for Medicare beneficiaries! The monthly premium for Medicare Part D coverage is expected to drop to $55.50 in 2024, a 1.8% decrease from 2023's $56.49. Thanks to improvements in the prescription drug law, Medicare enrollees can enjoy reduced costs for brand-name and generic drugs. Over 51 million people are enrolled in Part D plans, and the average total premium is composed of a basic premium and a supplemental premium. So, get ready to save some 💰on your medication!

AMD Stock - Unusual Stock Options Activity in Out-of-the-Money Puts - a Bullish Sign

🚀 Traders are jumping on board the out-of-the-money (OTM) put options of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) stock! 😎 According to Barchart's Unusual Stock Options Report, this is actually a great sign because those traders shorting these puts don't believe the stock will fall to this OTM strike price. 💪

However, the report comes after AMD's Q2 results were a bit of a bummer. 😔 Revenue remained flat from the prior quarter and was down 18.3% from a year ago. 😱 Plus, their free cash flow (FCF) was lower at $254 million compared to $328 million in the prior quarter and $906 million a year ago. 😬

As a result, AMD stock has taken a dip and is now below $110 in morning trading on Aug. 10 ($109.91), down from $117.60 the day before. 😢 

If they come for Social Security and your retirement accounts, this is how they will do it

📜 The federal government just dropped a new document 📝 that lays out a possible plan to fix Social Security 🤑. The report, requested by Senators Bernie Sanders and Sheldon Whitehouse, highlights the disparities in retirement accounts for older workers based on income and race 🧐.

But there's a catch 🤔. The GAO report doesn't mention the obvious solution of investing some of the $2 trillion Social Security trust fund in the stock market 📈. This move would have easily filled the $20 trillion hole, but alas, it's not on the table.

Instead, the report suggests that those who benefit from the current system need to step up and help fix it 💪. In other words, it's time for the wealthy political donor class to pay their fair share and stop avoiding taxes 🤑.

Humana shares rise after insurer's medical costs came in lower than expected

🚀💰💊 Humana's shares skyrocketed today! Why? Because their second-quarter earnings report showed that medical costs were lower than expected! 😎 This calmed investors' worries about rising claims due to nonurgent surgeries and outpatient services among seniors. Humana and their rival UnitedHealth Group, the two biggest providers of Medicare Advantage plans, have both hinted that this trend may be slowing down. 🤞 Humana's medical loss ratio for the quarter was 86.3%, slightly lower than analysts' estimates. 📊 The company also mentioned a "stabilizing Medicare Advantage utilization environment" based on recent claims. 🙏 Overall, a great day for Humana! 🎉

Private sector added 324,000 jobs in July, well above expectations, ADP says

🎉 Private sector companies crushed it in July with a whopping 324,000 job gains! 🙌 The hospitality and leisure industry saw a huge boom with a 201,000 increase in jobs. 🔥 This exceeded expectations (175,000) and although it was less than June's 455,000, it's still a great sign for the job market. 💼 The US economy is holding strong, despite the Fed's efforts to slow things down. 🤑

How Vertical Farming Can Transform Unused Office Buildings

💻🏢😷 The U.S. office vacancy rate has 📈 34.6% since Q4 2019 due to COVID-19. 🏠👨‍💼 Remote work has reduced demand for office space and layoffs/bankruptcies have increased supply. 🏢 Some landlords are converting offices into apartments, but others are getting 🎨. The Burnham Center in Chicago may soon have 🌿 growing in over 70,000 square feet of empty office space thanks to a lease negotiation with Farm Zero! ♥️

Midweek Fading in Cotton Futures

🌾😔 The cotton market is not doing well today, with losses ranging from 2.1% to 2.4%. Dec contracts are also down by 15 points and have turned red for the week. 😢 📊 The monthly NASS Cotton Systems report didn't include June consumption data due to confidentiality reasons. However, stocks have only slightly decreased to 2,853 RBs from May. 📈 💰 The Cotlook A Index remains steady at 94.9 cents/lb as of July 31, while the AWP is set at 69.74 cents/lb until Thursday. ICE Certified Stocks are reported at 560 bales for 7/31. 💸 💔 Unfortunately, Dec 23 Cotton is down by 211 points, Mar 24 Cotton by 205 points, and May 24 Cotton by 198 points. It's a tough day for the cotton industry. 😞

Stocks Tumble as Bond Yields Surge

📉 The stock market today is not looking too great 😔. The S&P 500 is down -1.02% 💔, Dow Jones is down -0.62% 😞, and the Nasdaq 100 is down -1.67% 😢. This morning, stocks opened lower due to Fitch Ratings downgrading U.S. government debt 📉. It caused a risk-off sentiment in stocks 😔. Things got worse as T-note yields jumped after the Treasury boosted the size of next week's quarterly refunding more than expected 😱. To add to that, July ADP employment change rose more than expected 😬. Fitch Ratings cut the sovereign credit rating of the U.S. by one level to AA+ from AAA 😢. They cited expected fiscal deterioration, high and growing government debt, and erosion of governance 😞.

Global Steel Scrap Market to Surpass 918 Million Metric Tons by 2030

💕 The Steel Scrap market is going strong! By 2030, it's estimated to reach a whopping 918.3 million metric tons 🌟 That's a 4.9% growth rate over the next 8 years 🚀 Obsolete segment is leading the pack with a projected 5.8% CAGR, expected to reach 525.1 million metric tons 💪 The U.S. market is holding strong at 55.8 million metric tons, while China is predicted to grow at an impressive 5.7% CAGR and reach 361.7 million metric tons by 2030 🌏 #SteelScrapMarket #GrowthIsGood #ExcitingTimesAhead 🙌

DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.

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