Published: Sunday, January 11, 2015 at 1:25 p.m. Last Modified: Sunday, January 11, 2015 at 1:25 p.m.

Driving an increase in stock value are the Affordable Care Act and expanded Medicaid in many states (although not Florida). This provides more people with health insurance and thus more access to hospitals.

HCA shares reached $74.65 on Friday, up from $48.77 a year ago. HCA owns Ocala Health System, the parent company of Ocala Regional and West Marion.

Community Health Systems, now the largest chain by hospital count since absorbing Health Management Associates in January, saw its stock climb to $55.10 on Friday, up from $41.35 a year ago.

HCA reported third-quarter 2014 revenues of $9.22 billion, a 9 percent increase over the same quarter in 2013.

Net income for HCA Holdings Inc. totaled $518 million during the third quarter, according to company earnings reports.

CHS saw third-quarter revenues of $4.8 billion, a 51.1 percent increase compared with $3.2 billion for the same period in 2013. The increase in revenue also reflects revenues from newly acquired HMA.

CHS' adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for the three months ending Sept. 30 was $663 million, compared with $382 million for the same period in 2013, according to company reports.

At first glance, the positive stock performance might seem out of line with the recent trend in health care spending. Year-over-year increases in overall health spending have been modest in the past five years, with a high annual increase of 3.4 percent (2012 compared to 2011) and a low of 2.9 percent (2013 compared to 2012), according to the Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker, which uses federal data.

"The share of gross domestic product devoted to health care spending has remained at 17.4 percent since 2009," the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reported last month.

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Health care overhaul has hospital stocks surging