State News Health Insurance News

The Hill – Health insurance regulators gave reform advocates an early victory Tuesday by rejecting insurance lobbyists’ interpretation of the medical loss ratio should be calculated. The MLR dictates that health plans must spend at least 80 percent of premiums in the individual and small-group markets on medical care and 85 percent for large-group plans … or they must offer rebates to their policy holders.

HHS.gov – Forty-five states and the District of Columbia will each receive $1 million to more closely monitor proposed health insurance rate increases and to crack down on unreasonable rate hikes.

The Hill – Health Care for America Now (HCAN) – one of the most vocal grassroots campaigns in favor of health reform – is demanding that the health insurance industry disclose how much they’re spending to lobby regulators at the state level.

The Wonk Room – At least five states are suing the federal government over the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and more are threatening to fight the law’s provisions. Meanwhile, at least 19 states are moving forward with implementation.

Politico.com – Micha Weinberg, a senior research fellow at the New America Foundation, says that guaranteed issue without an individual mandate will actually increase the number of uninsured and increase costs for those who have coverage.

Clarionledger.com – Misssissippi Gov. Hailey Barbour says his state and others will prevail in the battle against the recently passed health reform law, specifically predicting that its individual mandate provision would not hold up in court.

The New York Times – Voters in Missouri gave a big thumbs-down to the new federal health reform legislation Tuesday, voting overwhelming in favor of a measure that would nullify the individual mandate provision of the law.

Denver Daily News – Libertarian Jon Caldara has submitted more than 300,000 signatures to the Colorado Secretary of State’s office in an attempt to get a November vote whether to exempt Colorado from major provisions of the new health reform legislation.

Public News Service – Missourians will vote Tuesday on whether to reject portions of the nation’s new health reform legislation – and specifically whether the state should opt out of an individual mandate to purchase health insurance.

Baltimore Sun – The recently passed national health reform legislation will save Maryland $829 over the next decade, while providing coverage to nearly 350,000, according a report released by state officials. The increased coverage will cut the number of Maryland uninsured in half.