Health-Care Stocks the All-Stars Prescribe

Where do you turn for answers to your pressing medical questions? Do you get advice from pharmaceutical reps pushing their own products, or seek out the best independent physicians for an unbiased cure to what ails you? I'd imagine that most people want the best information available, from an independent source with no stake in their final decision. Why should your financial health be any different?

The 115,000-member Motley Fools CAPS investment community can provide the diagnosis your portfolio needs. All the stock rankings and pitches are provided by investors like you, independent thinkers who want their voices to be heard. The best members -- those proven to be the cream of the crop -- are given All-Star status. Overall, the community has demonstrated the wisdom of crowds, with five-star rated stocks outperforming the S&P 500 by an annualized 12% over the past 20 months.

Using the CAPS Screener, we can harness the power of the CAPS community to prescribe the best stocks for your portfolio.

I believe the health-care sector is a great place to invest right now, with rising medical costs and a partial immunity to the general economic cycle that's crippling consumer spending. I used the screen to find the best of the best. The following stocks -- all rated five stars -- have been given outperform ratings by at least 97% of the all-stars sharing an opinion.

Data provided by Motley Fool CAPS as of Aug. 18, 2008.

These aren't the kind of doctor's orders that should be followed blindly. Seek a second opinion, or better yet, perform your own due diligence before investing. But with so many intelligent investors in favor of these companies, they must be in good health and a wise place to begin your research.

Want to share your own diagnosis of your favorite (or least favorite) stocks? Stop by the Motley Fool CAPS community today.