Insurance

Mercury Auto Insurance Cuts Insurance Premium Hike After Challenge

December 31, 2010  ·  Mark Reback

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Former Google Lobbyist Resigns from White House

December 28, 2010  ·  Mark Reback

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Brown Plans Low-Key, Low-Budget Inaugural

December 23, 2010  ·  Mark Reback

<p> It'll be a little more upscale than the impromptu dinner at a Chinese restaurant where <a class="taxInlineTagLink" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/politics/government/jerry-brown-PEPLT007547.topic" id="PEPLT007547" style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); text-decoration: none; " title="Jerry Brown">Jerry Brown</a> celebrated his first swearing-in as California governor three decades ago — but maybe not by much.</p>

Is AHIP Having a Bernie Madoff Moment?

December 22, 2010  ·  Judy Dugan

<p> Massachusetts has the highest or near-highest health insurance premiums of any state in the nation and it's the only state that mandates the purchase of health insurance by every resident. Yet the health insurance industry, in hunting for ways to sell the mandate to Americans who hate the idea,  has concocted a ruse that a lot of people are actually buying.</p>

Obama Wants Health Insurers to Defend Large Hikes

December 22, 2010  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <strong>Plan would make insurers justify hikes above 10%</strong></p> <p> Health insurance companies that increase premiums by more than 10 percent would be required to justify those higher rates publicly, according to new rules proposed Tuesday by the <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/barack-obama/">Obama</a> administration.</p> <p> <span id="articlebody">Under the proposal, premium increases of more than 10 percent in 2011 for individuals and small businesses would set off a review by states or the federal government to determine whether those rates are unreasonable. </span></p>

Consumer Advocacy Group Urges Tougher Insurance Rate Review

December 21, 2010  ·  Mark Reback

<p> A California-based consumer advocacy group said Tuesday that federal regulations on health insurance rates should be "strengthened" to "prevent insurers from imposing unreasonable premium increases on consumers."</p>

Insurers Likely to Face New Reviews

December 21, 2010  ·  Mark Reback

<p> Rate review could get tougher for health insurers.</p> <p> Premium increases of more than 10% will be automatically reviewed by states starting in July, according to new preliminary guidelines from the Obama Administration detailed in <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703581204576033640288222736.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection">this WSJ story</a>.</p>

Obama Takes Steps to Cap Health Insurance Rate Hikes

December 21, 2010  ·  Mark Reback

<p> WASHINGTON — Health insurers that are seeking a rate increase of 10 percent or more in 2011 must detail publicly why the increase is needed, under proposed rules that the Obama administration released Tuesday.</p> <div id="story_body"> <p> Under the proposal, the flagged premium increases would be subject to review by the states — or the federal government, in some cases — to determine whether they're unreasonable.</p>

Ruling Has Some Mulling the Necessity of Mandating Insurance

December 15, 2010  ·  Mark Reback

<p> WASHINGTON -- Though they have battled for more than a year, President Obama and the health insurance industry agree that the requirement for most Americans to obtain insurance, struck down by a federal judge, is absolutely essential to the success of the new health care law.<br /> <br /> Without it, they say, the whole package collapses, dashing hopes for universal coverage and cost control. Ripping the mandate from the law would have ''devastating consequences,'' the White House said Tuesday.<br /> <br />

The Sticks and Carrots of Health Care Reform

December 15, 2010  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <a href="http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/12/15/pm-the-sticks-and-carrots-of-health-care-reform/#">Click here to listen</a> to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.<br /> <br /> Marketplace's Gregory Warner looks into what will motivate people to buy health insurance.<br /> <br />

White House And Progressives Should Be Cheering Virginia Ruling Striking Down Mandatory Health Insurance

December 13, 2010  ·  Jamie Court

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What BP’s Secrecy on Payout Deals Sacrifices

December 8, 2010  ·  Judy Dugan

<p> We've reported about what's wrong in the<a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/blog/feinberg-cant-do-public-job-take-secret-pay"> secrecy around BP's payments </a>to Kenneth Feinberg and his law firm, which is doling out compensation for BP's devastating oil spill in the Gulf.</p> <p> Monday, though, the <a href="http://centerjd.org/">Center for Justice and Democracy</a> got deep into the guts of the matter.</p>