Health care providers and service companies mostly fell with the market Friday, with insurers taking some of the biggest losses.

Shares of health care providers and service companies rose Thursday as reports of lower unemployment claims and strong retail sales lifted the markets.

Among the earnings stories for Thursday, May 1, from AP Financial News:

Health insurer Cigna Corp. posted an 80 percent drop in first-quarter profits due to softness in its core health care unit and hefty charges in its annuity reinsurance business.

Among the earnings stories for Thursday, May 1, from AP Financial News:

Shares of health care providers and service companies are wavering in afternoon trading after the Federal Reserve lowered two key interest rates by one-fourth of a point.

Shares of health insurer Humana Inc. gained slightly Monday after the company's first-quarter profit topped Wall Street forecasts, but its peers mostly slipped lower following last week's series of disappointing results.

A profit warning from WellPoint suggests that U.S. health insurers may not be a safe bet for investors to put their money in a troubled economy.

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday said he will sue Ingenix, its parent UnitedHealth Group and three subsidiaries, saying the insurers are defrauding consumers by manipulating how much doctors and hospitals are reimbursed.

The New York Attorney General's Office said it plans to file suit against Ingenix, its parent UnitedHealth Group, and three additional subsidiaries, as part of an investigation into a "scheme by health insurers to defraud consumers by manipulating reimbursement rates."

Health insurer Cigna said on Wednesday that fourth-quarter profit rose 13 percent, helped by its international operations and disability and life business.

Cigna reported a 22 percent increase in third-quarter profit on Friday as strength in its international and reinsurance segments helped offset slightly weaker earnings in its main health insurance business.