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These companies should benefit from a normalization of the healthcare market in 2026, making them cheap buys today. It seems as though every industry outside of artificial intelligence (AI) is in the dumps. Even health insurance stocks had one of the wildest years in the sector's history in 2025. Why? Because of an unforeseen rise in healthcare costs from multiple sources, which crushed insurance profitability. This has led to declining values across the board for health-insurance stocks. Giant healthcare provider UnitedHealth Group is down 53.6% from its highs, while technology-forward Oscar Health is down over 60%. This is presenting investors with a buying opportunity, with profits set to rebound in 2026. Here's why these are two of the best stocks you can buy with $1,000 in February. A would-be health insurance disruptor Oscar Health is a disruptive force in the health insurance market. The company was formed to make health insurance easier for individual payors, focused on the ACA marketplace. With better technology, reasonable prices, and happier customers, Oscar Health has been able to steal market share in the individual health insurance market. A legacy insurer set for a rebound Many developments have been headwinds for UnitedHealth Group in 2025, including the two mentioned above that are also dragging down the company's earnings. On top of these, the company had a cybersecurity incident, allegations of exaggerated health claims for Medicare patients, and even an antitrust lawsuit. Today, the stock trades at a market cap of about $260 billion, or barely over 10x these operating earnings. With rising healthcare inflation and an aging population in the United States, even a legacy insurer like UnitedHealth could continue to grow steadily over the next decade. Paying just 10x earnings for the stock today will look like a steal a few years from now.
Premium gym chains are entering a “golden era” that is ending or already in decline, as rising operating costs collide with shifting consumer preferences toward more flexible, community-based ways to exercise. Long-term memberships are shrinking, margins are pressured by higher rents and facility expenses, and competition from smaller, more personalized…
