Health care blazes ahead

Scott DeCarloBy Scott DeCarloVP of Research
Scott DeCarloVP of Research

Scott DeCarlo is the VP of research at Fortune, where he oversees the publication’s signature lists, including the Fortune 500, Global 500, World’s Most Admired Companies, and Fastest-Growing Companies.

We don’t have enough data to say whether Obamacare is good for the country, but one thing is certain so far: It’s been a boon for the health care industry. In 2014 companies have mostly benefited from the law, which brought new customers to insurers, new paying patients to hospitals, and new prescription users to the pharmaceutical industry. The ongoing wave of M&A activity and successful drug debuts were also key factors driving the leading sector’s sales growth. (Click to enlarge chart.)

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This story is from the January 2015 issue of Fortune.