New, proposed regulations - which result from the health overhaul - were issued yesterday by the Department of Health and Human Services and would require health insurers to justify proposed double-digit premium increases. In addition, administration officials signaled their plan to step-up...
Boehner's Health Delusion The Washington Post The same swing voters who used the election to hurt the Democrats might learn that America's health-care system is No. 1 only in health-related bankruptcies. It is best in the world only for the rich and the amply insured. Everyone else can crawl...
"Health system reform, in combination with economic factors and trends in play, is expected to speed consolidation of health insurers and hospitals, leaving physicians to figure out how they should adapt," American Medical News reports. "The prospect for mergers and acquisitions throughout the...
The White House pressured insurers to begin covering kids with pre-existing conditions as soon as the health overhaul law was enacted, The New York Times reports. But after a few months, some insurers decided to stop offering "child only" plans altogether to minimize their losses. The...
Health insurers have started to back down "on their decision to pull out of the child-only coverage market after the Obama administration addressed their concerns about the potential damage to their bottom lines," The Hill reports. "The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Tuesday...
Two leading insurers reported second-quarter earnings with rising profits this week. First, on Tuesday night, Aetna said its second-quarter profits rose 42 percent, with a net income of $491 million, compared with $346.6 million for the same quarter last year, The Associated Press reports...
Consultants are pushing big companies to apply quickly for money from a $5 billion fund to help cover retiree health costs as part of the new health law, The Wall Street Journal reports. "Big employers shaped the health overhaul bill to tap a $5 billion fund to offset the cost of health benefits...
Medicare Advantage: You Get What You Pay For Kaiser Health News In the long run, there's no getting around the fact that Advantage plans will shrink in generosity and availability (Austin Frakt, 6/14). Leveling The Playing Field MarketWatch If and when this bill is passed, health and medical...
Massachusetts officials are imposing stricter oversight on insurers they say are financially unstable after refusing to allow them to increase premium rates, The Boston Globe reports. "State officials said they sent letters to three health insurers earlier this year asking them to accept more...
I'm not flying out until August (Gatwick to Ibiza) but I've just heard on the news that the volcanic ash cloud is probably going to cause a "summer of disruption" as it hangs around airspace. I normally book my insurance with the Post Office but they've just told me they won't be covering for...
I'm not flying out until August (Gatwick to Ibiza) but I've just heard on the news that the volcanic ash cloud is probably going to cause a "summer of disruption" as it hangs around airspace. I normally book my insurance with the Post Office but they've just told me they won't be covering for...
The Washington Post explores the use of riders on health insurance policies to cover abortion, a proposal that has sparked controversy in the national health overhaul debate. "In North Dakota, where insurers can cover abortions if customers pay a separate premium, the state's largest provider...
In today's Kaiser Health News column, Austin Frakt and Ian Crosby write: It is well known that concentration in the health insurance industry is to blame for rapidly rising premiums. Well known, but wrong. Taking political advantage of this common misconception, last week the House passed a bill...
A House bill would revoke the antitrust exemption from health insurers but keep the exemption for medical malpractice insurers. "House Democrats agreed to exclude medical malpractice insurers from legislation that would apply antitrust laws to health insurance companies, clearing the way for a...
The health overhaul plan unveiled Monday by President Barack Obama puts the heat on insurers by requiring federal oversight of increases in health insurance premium rates, something the industry has strenuously objected to. The Wall Street Journal: "The plan, which Mr. Obama hopes to...
State legislation sponsored by the California Medical Association aims to protect patient access to care, hold private insurers accountable and ensure that vaccinations continue to be widely available and administered. Three bills sponsored by CMA are among those filed this week to meet the...
Dow Jones Newswires/Wall Street Journal reports that Humana, one of the nation's largest health insurers, "said it will shed nearly 1,400 jobs, or 5% of its work force, this year" because of declines in enrollment. The company will cut a total of 2,500 jobs, but plans to hire 1,100 new employees...
Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby explores the following concept advanced in current health overhaul plans. "Both the House measure and the newly recast Senate bill would force insurers to spend the vast majority of premium revenue on medical care for their customers, reducing the...