Industry Outlook: Is Health Care Recession-Proof?

In the current credit crisis, the widely held notion that health care is a recession-proof industry is being put to the test. The pretext has been that no matter how poor the economy becomes, people will still need medical treatment, and private and public insurers will still have money set aside to pay for those treatments. Although there's some validity to that oversimplification of health care as a business, it doesn't take into account the real fuel that keeps any business running--the availability of credit. While medical supply manufacturers may be in a better position than many companies in other industries, hospitals, which purchase those medical supplies, are not faring as well. That should be a concern to all.