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Universal Health Services a big tax-cut winner, Moody's says

Among for-profit hospital companies nationally, Universal Health Services Inc., of King of Prussia, will benefit the most on a percentage basis from the lower corporate tax rate and other changes in U.S. tax laws that took effect this year.

Universal Health Services corporate headquarters in King of Prussia.
Universal Health Services corporate headquarters in King of Prussia.Read moreUniversal Health Services

Among for-profit hospital companies nationally, Universal Health Services Inc., of King of Prussia, will benefit the most on a percentage basis from the lower corporate tax rate and other changes in U.S. tax laws that took effect this year, Moody's said Friday.

Moody's estimated that UHS's gain in cash flow would be in the range of 16 percent to 19 percent, which works out to a range of roughly $170 million to $200 million a year. The significantly bigger HCA Healthcare Inc. is expected to save between 10 percent and 15 percent, or $500 million in taxes this year, Moody's said.

Hospitals with heavier debt loads, including Prospect Medical Holdings Inc. and Acadia Healthcare Co. Inc., both with significant operations in the Philadelphia region, will not benefit much from the lower corporate tax rate because of new limits on how much interest can be deducted, according to Moody's, which analyzed 11 companies.