Health Insurance News & Opinion » State News

On health-care reform, Republicans target Democrats’ division over reconciliation

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:57:05 +0000

The Washington Post – As Republicans work to prevent a health-care bill from reaching President Obama, they are scrambling to exploit divisions between Democrats in the House and the Senate.

Stupak: Health bill abortion fight can be resolved

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:06:02 +0000

Associated Press – Prospects are good for resolving a dispute over abortion that has led some House Democrats to threaten to withhold support of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, a key Michigan Democrat said Monday.

Insurance Industry’s Final Ad Blitz: Don’t Blame Us For Your High Costs

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:09:56 +0000

Huffington Post – As President Obama makes his final push to get health care reform through Congress, he is “seizing on a report showing that market concentration for health insurance is so monopolized that insurance companies are willing to raise prices and lose customers in an effort to help their bottom line,” HuffPost’s Sam Stein reported.

Virginia health bill could foil Obama proposal

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:26:09 +0000

Boston Globe – Here in the former capital of the Old Confederacy, where resistance to the supremacy of federal law has a long and tortuous history, a new battle is being waged over a question that could undercut a key part of President Obama’s health care proposal: whether Washington can require that most Americans have health insurance.

30! Five More Democrats – Including Durbin – Say They Support a Public Option Through Reconciliation

admin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:08:23 +0000

TPMDC – Five leading Democrats – including Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin – have publicly announced that they will vote for a public option if it’s offered up during the budget reconciliation process, where legislation can pass with a majority vote.

Wellmark Raises Individual Insurance Premiums in Iowa

admin — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:00:25 +0000

Blog for Iowa – “In many ways, buying health insurance is similar to buying a lottery ticket. We hope for the best when time comes for the drawing, knowing that the odds of winning are against us.”

Clout of health care providers drives costs: Study

admin — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:29:56 +0000

Business Insurance – Insurers have been targeted throughout the health care reform debate, but an underlying driver of escalating insurance premiums – the growing market power of hospitals and physicians to negotiate higher reimbursement rates – also needs to be addressed, according to a report by the Center for Studying Health System Change.

Deaths Rising for Lack of Insurance, Study Finds

admin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:47:22 +0000

The New York Times – As members of the Obama administration and Congress met on Thursday to try to find common ground on health care, a new report warned that without comprehensive legislation, more than 275,000 adults nationwide will die over the next decade because of a lack of health insurance. Nearly 14,000 of those deaths would occur in New York State.

REPORT: WellPoint Raising Premium Rates By Double Digits In At Least 11 States

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:44:31 +0000

Think Progress – If Democrats move to pass health care reform after tomorrow’s summit, their newfound momentum can be at least partly attributed to WellPoint’s decision to drastically increase premiums in California’s individual health insurance market. The rate increases highlighted the broken health care system and pressured lawmakers to drastically reform the individual health insurance market. The administration’s strong response also enunciated the differences in lawmakers’ approach to reform and may have pushed the President to add stronger cost control provisions into his health care blue-print.

Anthem Blue Cross plans to go ahead with rate hikes in California

admin — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:58:45 +0000

Los Angeles Times – Reporting from Sacramento – Executives from California health insurance giant Anthem Blue Cross, under fire for scheduled rate hikes of up to 39%, insisted Tuesday that their premiums were fair and legal, and they told lawmakers they expected that the increases would go forward.