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NEWS ABOUT: health insurance premiums

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Health Insurance Rate Hikes May Reach 80% in California

That's a cumulative increase of three hikes since October

(Newser) - Ouch. Blue Shield of California is requesting another rate hike to go into effect in May. Coming on the heels of two others in October and January, it would bring the cumulative increase in premiums to 50% for more for 45,500 customers and 80% or more for about 900,... More »

McD's: We'll Dump Worker Plans Over Health Reform

Chain wants waiver from 'mini-med' spending rules

(Newser) - McDonald's is threatening to drop employee health insurance because of new federal health care regulations requiring it to spend at least $4 out of every $5 its plan receives on health benefits. Mickey D's says that the requirement, meant to force companies to spend money on actual worker benefits rather... More »

Companies Shift Health Costs to Employees

Even as insurance premium growth slows

(Newser) - Employers foisted a lot more health insurance costs onto their employees this year than last, even though premiums only inched upwards, according to an annual survey. Though premiums for businesses rose just 3% this year—their lowest increase in a decade—the cost the average employee was paying jumped 14%,... More »

Health Insurance Execs Cash In, Jack Premiums

Those heading 5 biggest companies took home $200M

(Newser) - As their companies slammed policyholders with double-digit rate increases, top executives at the nation's five largest insurance companies gave themselves hefty raises last year, pulling in a total of almost $200 million. Of the heads of Cigna, Humana, UnitedHealth Group, WellPoint, and Aetna, only one took a paycut—Aetna's CEO... More »

Obama to Insurers: Don't You Dare Jack Premiums

Parts of health care reform kick in

(Newser) - With parts of the health care reform law about to go into effect, President Obama has called executives from 13 leading insurers to Washington for a stern lecture about rate gouging. Obama is afraid the insurers will use the law as an excuse to jack up premiums. “Our message... More »

Health Reform Bill Won't Stop Premium Hikes

Action on curbs didn't make final cut, leaving 'very big loophole'

(Newser) - Turns out the big health care reform bill doesn't actually rein in those out-of-control premium rate hikes. The Democrats used outrage over whopping increases to corral support for the overhaul, but the bill doesn't deliver, finds the Los Angeles Times , because it doesn't give the government the regulatory authority. "... More »

Oregon Tests New Approach to Health Insurance

Proven treatments are almost free, while others cost a bundle

(Newser) - A new type of insurance being tried out in Oregon has a great upside: free treatment for common maladies like diabetes or depression that have proven treatments. But if you wade into muddier or more elective treatments that critics say are overused, like knee replacement or bypass surgery, it’ll... More »

Get Ready to Pay More for Health Coverage

Employers plan to hike premiums, copays, penalties for obese

(Newser) - Large companies have big plans for their employees' health plans next year: sizable premium hikes, higher deductibles and co-payments, higher charges for covering spouses, penalties for results of certain lab tests, and tighter eligibility standards that may even exclude overweight people from the most desirable health plans. That's what 507... More »

White House Lashes Insurers Jacking Up Prices

Steep premium increases target individuals who buy policies

(Newser) - The White House has begun to call out health insurance companies attempting to drastically raise premiums for Americans who buy policies individually. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will hold a press conference today on the premium hikes, including the 39% increase in California she lambasted last week. A new report also... More »

House Scrutinizes Health Insurer's 39% Rate Hike

Anthem Blue Cross jacks some premiums in California

(Newser) - As Congress opened a probe into a health insurer's impending premium hikes of up to 39%, President Obama yesterday cited Anthem Blue Cross's rate increases as evidence of the need for health care reform. "If we don't act, this is just a preview of coming attractions," Obama said.... More »

CBO: Most Premiums Won't Rise Under Health Bill

People under employer plans will see rates fall or remain steady

(Newser) - Fears that the health bill before the Senate will send the cost of most health insurance plans skyrocketing are unfounded, according to a Congressional Budget Office report. The CBO found that premiums for people covered by employer plans will remain steady or drop slightly under the bill, while people buying... More »

Industry Report Distorts Health Reform Cost

Insurance firms' numbers blindside Baucus bill's backers

(Newser) - A new report that says the Senate Finance Committee’s reform bill would raise private insurance premiums is riddled with troubling exceptions, writes Jonathan Cohn. The report, commissioned by America's Health Insurance Plans, estimates the costs of premiums over time if the bill is implemented, but it doesn’t take... More »

Premiums Likely to Soar Under Obamacare

(Newser) - Current health care legislation would require every American to buy health insurance, but would do little or nothing to control the skyrocketing premiums they’d have to pay, the LA Times reports. Versions of the bill try to address the problem indirectly—with a public option in the House bill... More »

40% of Employers to Hike Health Plan Costs Next Year

Another 8% to drop coverage entirely, survey reveals

(Newser) - Many Americans are happy with their employer-sponsored health care plans and eager to keep them, but they won't be keeping them at the current price, the Washington Post reports. In a survey released yesterday, some 40% of employers said they expect to increase the amount their employees paid for health... More »

Health Care Bills Don't Offer Real Choice

Legislation in Congress seem to settle for status quo

(Newser) - Health insurance firms are essentially monopolies because employers, not individuals, choose which plans to offer. This freedom from competitive forces has allowed insurance to become flaky and opaque—and the reform currently being debated in Washington would do little about it, writes David Leonhardt for the New York Times. Even... More »

Insurers Offer to Stop Charging Sick People More

(Newser) - The push for health care reform got a significant boost today: Big insurers say they are willing to stop charging higher premiums to people with pre-existing medical conditions, the New York Times reports. In the surprise move, industry leaders say they are willing to give up the practice if Congress... More »

Hidden Health Care Crisis: The Underinsured

(Newser) - Health-care policy debate in America is usually framed around the 45 million (and rising) uninsured, but rarely do policymakers bring up the additional 25 million facing the “shadow problem” of under-insurance, Time reports. These people pay more than 10% of their income on out-of-pocket medical costs, often on flimsy... More »

Uninsured Young Adults Play Doctor

Some feel invincible but most just can't afford pricey premiums

(Newser) - Twentysomethings in low-paying jobs with no health coverage are taking up the slack with self-diagnosis and treatment, a potentially dangerous practice that may seem unavoidable. Many say they face a choice between buying insurance and making rent—and they're opting for the latter. "They’re new to the work... More »

Tsunami in Medicaid Need Batters Broke States

Demand from newly unemployed leaves states looking to stimulus package for help

(Newser) - A surge in demand for Medicaid is draining state coffers just when they can least afford it, a New York Times survey of 40 states reveals. Demand ballooned by up to 10% in many states last year as people lost their employer-sponsored health care with their jobs, and officials believe... More »

Critics Rip Gender Gap in Health Insurance Charges

Advocates call for an end to higher premiums for women

(Newser) - Health advocates and some politicians are crying foul over the huge price difference between men's and women's health insurance, the New York Times reports. Healthy young women are regularly charged up to 50% more than their male counterparts, even when maternity care is excluded. The practice is prohibited under job-based... More »

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