Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams Law Cites Report about Health Insurance Company Margins

NEW ORLEANS, LA, March 03, 2011 (Press-News.org) Last year alone, according to John W. Houghtaling of Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams, the five major American health insurance companies earned around $12 billion in profits. John W. Houghtaling is managing partner of Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams with offices in Louisiana and Texas. The Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams managing partner was referencing a report from Congressman Pete Stark (D- California) that said these insurers earned more money than the top energy firms.

"According to the report which was referenced in The Hill congressional newspaper," stated attorney Houghtaling of Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams, "UnitedHealth, WellPoint, Aetna, Humana, and Cigna were named as being more profitable than not only the top energy firms but also the construction, aviation and other similar industries." Representative Stark maintains that three of those insurers "padded their pockets" with more than $3.5 billion. "The other two firms brought in around $800 million," added Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams managing partner John W. Houghtaling.

The report released by the senior House Democrat and dated February 24, 2011 was met with an immediate rebuttal from the health insurance lobby, the Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams' attorney said. "The response of the health insurance lobby simply claimed that profit margins as a whole have dropped since 2005," explained the Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams managing partner. The health insurance lobby response is in stark contrast to calls for greater transparency from major insurance companies, stated the Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams lawyer.

"The excessive profits of the health insurance industry come at a time when healthcare is an issue of importance to so many Americans. It is reminiscent of what we experienced with property insurers in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina," Houghtaling said. At the time the law firm of Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams was handling claims for hundreds of victims of the storm. "Losses all along the Gulf Coast were substantial and the proof was strong and undeniable," Houghtaling recalls. "Yet, the insurance companies repeatedly denied claims to avoid payouts.

Based on that behavior, Houghtaling said, it was no surprise to him to read research conducted by the Consumer Federation of America in 2006 which reported record profits for the insurance industry one year after Hurricane Katrina. According to the study, the profits were the result of excessive premiums and the reduction of coverage. "Now, we hear of similar profiteering from the health insurance industry at a time of crisis. It is very disappointing."


Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams is a nationally recognized law firm based in New Orleans, Louisiana with over thirty years of major litigation experience. The Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams law firm also has offices in Houston, TX and has extensive experience in insurance litigation. John W. Houghtaling has been managing partner of Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams since 2005.

For more information about Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams, go online to http://ghwlegal.com.

Redefining Excellence: The Law Firm of Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams

The law firm of Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams has redefined the meaning of excellence in legal representation of clients. Nationally and internationally respected for many years, the law firm of Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams is a continuation of the Gauthier firm that gained major prominence with a landmark decision for clients devastated by the 1980 fire at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. That wrongful death suit is only one milestone on a list that includes the $75 million in insurance recoveries for victims of Hurricane Katrina, $13 million for the families following a major airline crash, and the landmark $246 billion negotiated deal with tobacco companies concerning their hidden knowledge of the dangerous consequences of tobacco smoke.

On an international level, successful decisions won by the Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams law firm and its founder, the late nationally respected trial attorney Wendell Gauthier, include a $9.25 million breach of contract settlement in El Salvador and intervention on behalf of victims exposed to poisonous contamination in Bhopal, India. Since 2003, the law firm of Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams has collected over $100 million for businesses and individual clients, representing negotiated contracts totaling over one quarter of a billion dollars.

The law firm of Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams was one of the first in America to establish the use of mock trials. With a retired judge presiding, a jury of peers selected from the area of trial and set within a simulated courtroom, the Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams law firm is able to try a case before it ever goes to court. Using modern day technology, legal experts are able to adjust their strategies depending upon the reaction of the mock jury in deliberation. As well, the Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams law firm shares jury deliberation videos with opposing counsel to facilitate settlement. Over the years, the strategy of mock jury deliberation video sharing has recovered over $4 billion for clients.

The Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams law firm continues to redefine excellence by boasting some of the top legal talent in the nation. Wendell Gauthier, law firm founder, was ranked one of the "Nations Top 10 Litigation Lawyers" and named three times to the "100 Most Influential Lawyers in America" by National Law Journal. His legal acumen and success was featured in two major book publications and was the motivation for the central character in John Grisham's hit book and movie, "The Runaway Jury."

In 2005, Managing Partner John Houghtaling was named to the leadership position of the law firm of Gauthier, Houghtaling, and Williams. Mr. Houghtaling was named to the 2010 edition of Louisiana Super Lawyers, an honor that is achieved by peer recognition and professional achievement in twelve indicating areas. Only ten years prior, Mr. Houghtaling had embarked on his career with the Gauthier law firm by moving boxes in the file room. Now, at the age of 39, Mr. Houghtaling has negotiated for his individual clients of Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams law firm an astonishing $100 million dollars.

The law firm of Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams has been widely recognized for its legal excellence in the areas of product liability, wrongful death, personal injury, medical malpractice, insurance disputes, class actions and labor and employment disputes. The law firm of Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams also dominates in the areas of business, civil, commercial, complex, gaming, and hurricane litigation.

Legal representation is not the only area in which the Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams law firm redefines excellence. Whether it is participation in the Louis A. Martinet Society promoting social justice for the community and legal profession, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, or charity work following Hurricanes Katrina and Ike, the Gauthier, Houghtaling and Williams law firm believes in serving the community with excellence. Working in and supporting the New Orleans community is extremely important to John Houghtaling and the law firm of Gauthier, Houghtaling, and Williams.

For more information about the law firm of Gauthier, Houghtaling, and Williams, visit them online at http://www.ghwlegal.com or call (504) 456-8600.