Insurance

Insurer Wants Focus On What Drives Up Health Costs

March 19, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> When health insurers notify members that rates are going up - often in the punishing double-digits - they typically blame rising medical costs.</p> <p> <span id="articlebody">They say the problem really isn't theirs; it's all the other pieces of the health-care puzzle that drive up costs that must be passed on to customers. This triggers a backlash of frustration and bad publicity.</span></p> <p> <span id="articlebody">On Wednesday, Blue Shield of California called off rate increases for the rest of the year for its 340,000 individual and family policyholders. </span></p>

Blue Shield Cancels Pending Hike

March 17, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <strong>Insurer Was Under Pressure To Moderate Stance</strong><br /> <br /> Blue Shield of California had the numbers to support its third rate hike on its 194,000 individual policyholders in the past seven months, but apparently overwhelming public disapproval prompted the abrupt cancellation of the last increase this week.<br /> <br /> The San Francisco-based insurer announced Wednesday it would back off the rate hike scheduled to go into effect on May 1, and would impose no further rate increases on its individual policyholders in 2011.<br /> <br />

Google Feels Heat On Shady Ads

March 16, 2011  ·  John M. Simpson

<p> <img class=" size-full wp-image-2023" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/googlehq.jpg" style="width: 120px; height: 90px;" width="120" height="90" />It took a lawsuit from <a href="http://www.rosettastone.com/">Rosetta Stone</a>, the language software company, and a Congressional hearing, but Google apparently has finally been embarrassed into taking responsibility for policing some shady ads on its search engine site.</p>

Excessive agent fees bloat premiums

March 16, 2011  ·  Carmen Balber

<p>

You Did It!

March 16, 2011  ·  Jamie Court

<p> <a href="http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=fQ%2BPWBthDQ%2Bqraty18ld0XjmhT9V2puV"><img class=" size-full wp-image-2016" alt="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/video/kgotv-rally-blue-shield-headquarters-results-60-day-delay-rate-hikes" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/blueshieldrally-tv.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 129px;" width="325" height="168" /></a>People power works. I just learned that Blue Shield of California is canceling its outrageous rate hikes, which totaled as much as 86% for some patients, after we turned up the heat on the company together!</p>

Blue Shield Backs Off On Rate Hike

March 16, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<div style="font-weight: bold;"> <p> •  Retreat follows criticism from consumer groups, state</p> <p> •  Says individual and family plan rates won’t change this year</p>

Blue Shield Of Calif. Cancels Rate Hike

March 16, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <b>CEO Says Nonprofit Wants To Keep Coverage Affordable</b></p> <p> SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Blue Shield of California said Wednesday it was withdrawing its plan to increase health insurance rates for individual policyholders in what would have been the third such rate hike since October.</p> <p> The three hikes combined would have raised rates by as much as 87 percent for some of its 200,000 policyholders, according to the California Department of Insurance.</p>

Will HHS exceptions become the rule?

March 15, 2011  ·  Carmen Balber

<p> <img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2012" alt="" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/images_healthreform_2_0.jpg" style="width: 120px; height: 90px; float: right; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px;" width="120" height="90" />HHS’s head of insurance oversight Steve Larsen got heat from a hostile <a href="http://oversight.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1202%3A3-15-11-qobamacare-why-the-need-for-waiversq&catid=35&Itemid=1">House committee this afternoon</a>, where he was asked why, if the federal health reform law is so great, is HHS granting waivers to its rules?</p>

Blue Shield 86.5% Rate Increase??????

March 12, 2011  ·  Jamie Court

<p> <img class=" size-full wp-image-2006" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/blueshieldsnakewht_0.jpg" style="width: 120px; height: 90px; " width="120" height="90" />The Los Angeles Times is <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-blue-shield-20110312,0,2694903.story">reporting </a>today that Blue Shield's premium hikes are hitting some policyholders with as much as an 86% premium increase.  If this outrage doesn't get even cynical California legislators to act, nothing will.  How can we afford insurance if an insurance company can raise rates at will by 86.5%!</p>

Anthem To Boost Deductibles On Some Individual Plans — Doing A Number On Health Policyholders

March 11, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <b>You soon may not be able to judge your cost for healthcare by the name on the PPO insurance plan. For example, the PPO Share 500 plan will have a $550 deductible. State regulators are looking into it.</b></p>

Pressure On To Merge State Agencies — Two Offices Oversee Health Insurance

March 11, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> Debate is heating up over whether California should continue to be the only state with two agencies regulating health insurance.<br /> <br /> The Department of Managed Health Care oversees health plans - mostly HMOs - that cover 21.6 million Californians. The Department of Insurance regulates most preferred provider and traditional indemnity plans, which cover 2.4 million state residents.<br /> <br />

Cindy Ehnes: One Of A Kind

March 11, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <strong>Head of nation's only HMO watchdog looks for a change of scenery after seven years of spearheading regulatory action</strong><br /> <br /> Seven years at the helm of the only HMO watchdog agency in the nation was enough for Cindy Ehnes. Monday was her last day.<br /> <br /> Chief deputy director Edward Heidig - No. 2 at the California Department of Managed Health Care for the last four years - became interim director Tuesday. No permanent replacement appears likely while Gov. Jerry Brown wrestles with the $26.6 billion budget deficit.<br /> <br />