Tag Archive
Competitive Health Insurance in Florida
Some consumer groups and policy advocates claim a lack of competition is preventing affordable health insurance in Florida. Reports show that a handful of large insurers dominate the state’s urban regions. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida currently holds nearly 50% of the market in the central Florida region stretching from Lakeland to Kissimmee…. »
RI health insurers ask for rate increases
Rhode Island’s largest health insurance companies are seeking rate hikes.
Health Insurance Commissioner Christopher Koller says Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island is proposing a 16.3-percent rate increase for businesses with 50 or more employees.
UnitedHealthCare of New England has asked to raise its large group rate by 11.6 percent.
Blue Cross insures 70 percent of… »
Health insurance premiums continue going up
A new report from a group pushing for health care reform finds health insurance premiums for “working families” in Iowa increased 73% from 2000 to 2007. Betty Ahrens of the Iowa Citizens Action Network says just a few insurance companies hold a “near monopoly” in Iowa, allowing them to raise rates without fear competitors will… »
Coping with rising costs of health insurance
For the first time in decades, health care reform has risen to near the top of the nation’s “to-do” list.
The Obama administration has made it a priority this year, and Democrats in Congress are planning an all-out legislative push this summer.
The statistics explain part of the reason for the urgency:
•The U.S. spent an estimated $2.4… »
Health insurance industry acknowledges discrimination
Health insurance companies have offered to stop charging higher premiums to women than to men for the same coverage.
Karen M. Ignagni, president of America’s Health Insurance Plans, a trade group, made the offer Wednesday while testifying before the Senate Finance Committee. It was the latest concession by an industry trying to fend off a government… »
Health Insurance Industry Agrees to Gender Parity on Rates
Amid pressure from lawmakers, the health-insurance industry said it shouldn’t charge women higher rates for health insurance coverage than it charges… »