Shares of health care providers and service companies were mixed Monday, with several insurers losing ground, while the broader market posted solid gains.

Shares of health care providers and service companies fell in morning trading Monday, missing out on gains in the broader market.

Hospital operator Tenet Healthcare Corp., trying to turn around after years of battling financial and legal troubles, lost $31 million in the first quarter but showed it may be reversing a long slide in patient admissions.

Health insurer WellPoint Inc. on Monday said its National Government Services Inc. subsidiary received a contract from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services worth up to $323 million.

Magellan Health Services Inc.'s profit shrank 18 percent in the first quarter as higher health care costs ate into gains in revenue in its radiology and pharmaceutical businesses, but still met Wall Street expectations.

Health insurer WellPoint Inc. is offering a new provider directory designed for a patient's cell phone or BlackBerry.

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 Net Inc. managed to gain ground Wednesday as analysts said the health insurer's revised outlook was mostly to be expected and highlighted the company's takeover possibilities.

With stocks sharply lower today, shareholders need to protect their portfolios. So what are some of the best defensive stock picks? CNBC asked the experts.

Kevin Rendino describes himself as a "large-cap value contrarian."  What could that mean for your portfolio?  "I sort of go where the world is not focused on today," the BlackRock portfolio manager told CNBC.  "I end up selling stocks when valuation and expectation levels get very high."

The rally on Wall Street ran out of gas Wednesday as oil prices jumped past $110 a barrel and enthusiasm for the Federal Reserve's liquidity plan faded.

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.

Blue Cross of California quickly halted its practice of asking doctors to report conditions it could use to cancel new patients' medical coverage after a widespread wave of criticism.

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."