Intuitive Surgical shares fell more than 12% before the bell on Friday after the company maintained its global growth forecast for procedures performed with its da Vinci surgical robots and warned that changes to some insurance plans could hurt demand.
Concerns Over Insurance Plans
The update came as a disappointment to Wall Street analysts, especially after medical device maker Abbott argued that enrollment declines related to the Affordable Care Act plans would not materially affect the medical technology and diagnostics industry. HCA Healthcare, the largest for-profit U.S. hospital operator, had earlier warned of softer demand for surgical procedures and increasing numbers of uninsured patients, with many Americans dropping Affordable Care Act plans after pandemic-era subsidies expired.
Intuitive expects 2026 worldwide da Vinci-assisted procedure growth to come near the midpoint of its forecast of 13.5% to 15.5%. Da-Vinci systems are used in a broad range of procedures, including weight-loss surgeries and treatments for digestive, urologic, and cardiac conditions. Second-quarter da-Vinci procedure growth in the U.S. was 12%, moderated from Intuitive’s expectations at the start of the year, predominantly in surgeries that can be deferred.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
