Insurance

Big Money, Complex Issues Make Prop. 45 Tough Issue For State Voters

October 16, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Almost three decades ago, a small band of consumer activists persuaded California voters to slap tough new rate regulations on auto insurance.</p> <p>Now that same group wants to crack down on health insurance rates.</p> <p>And the insurance industry and its business allies are back with a multimillion-dollar war chest to fight Proposition 45 with an omnipresent media campaign.</p>

EDITORIAL: ‘Yes’ Vote On Prop. 45 Will Rein In Health Premiums

October 16, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Powerful forces are opposed to Proposition 45, which would give California's publicly elected insurance commissioner the power to reject excessive health insurance rate hikes.</p> <p>These forces — you know them as Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Kaiser, Health Net and United Healthcare — don't want voters to approve Prop. 45 on the Nov. 4 ballot because it would force them to justify premium increases and bring transparency to the process.</p>

Insurers’ Spending Against Prop. 45 Tips Scale In Its Favor

October 15, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Proposition 45, which would allow California's insurance commissioner to regulate rates for certain medical plans, is a close call for this voter.</p> <p>On the one hand, the commissioner would be touching on — although not exactly duplicating — work already performed by the state entity created to administer Obamacare. That could slow down the work of Covered California in managing an exchange in which people can obtain health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.</p>

Prop. 45 Poop Protest

October 14, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<div class="atclear"> </div> <p><img alt="" border="0" src="http://content.clearchannel.com/cc-common/mlib/616/10/616_1413320456.jpg" style="float:right;" width="180" />Photo: Jo Kwon</p> <p>A pickup truck packed with poop has been hand-delivered to Blue Shield in El Segundo.</p> <p>The delivery was from a group that supports Proposition 45. If passed, the state insurance commissioner would have to approve insurance rate hikes.</p> <p>Consumer Watchdog’s Cody Rosenfield was deep in the dung and volunteered to shovel the stuff into buckets.</p>

Consumer Watchdog Calls for Investigation of Covered California’s No-Bid Contracts

October 14, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>The group backing a health insurance rate-control measure on next month’s ballot called on Attorney General Kamala Harris on Monday to investigate millions of dollars in no-bid contracts by Covered California and reported links between the health exchange’s executives and and the <a class="lingo_link" href="http://topics.sacbee.com/insurance+industry/" rel="nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",Times,serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal;">insurance industry.</a></p>

Covered California Becomes a Prime Target in Proposition 45 Debate

October 14, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Proposition 45 would extend the regulatory power that Proposition 103 gave the state Insurance Commissioner over property and casualty coverage to a new branch of the insurance market: the health policies sold to individuals and small groups. So it's no surprise that the Proposition 45 campaign would turn into a reprise of 1988's battle over Proposition 103, pitting the consumer advocates at Consumer Watchdog against big insurance companies.</p>

Why I Support Prop 45: Health Insurance Hell on Three Fronts

October 13, 2014  ·  rob

<div class="rtecenter" style="font-size: 12px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><em style="font-size: 16px;"><strong style="font-size: 16px;">“Premiums for our company have gone up 37% since 2010, and our yearly health insurance dread just came in for 2015: HMO premiums up 7% and PPO up 9%. We can’t afford this. I don’t know what to do.”</strong></em></span></span></div>

California Gives No-Bid Health Pacts

October 12, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p> </p>

Editorial: Prop. 45: Health Insurance

October 10, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<div class="entry"> <p><strong>Editorial:</strong></p> <p><strong>Prop. 45: Health Insurance. Allows state’s insurance commissioner to reject health insurance price changes.</strong><br /> <em>Requires insurance commissioner’s approval before health insurer can change its rates or anything else affecting the charges associated with health insurance. Provides for public notice, disclosure, and hearing, and subsequent judicial review. Exempts employer large group health plans.</em></p>

Prop 45 Would Give Insurance Commissioner Final Say on Health Premiums

October 9, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p><a href="http://kvpr.org/post/prop-45-would-give-insurance-commissioner-final-say-health-premiums">Click here to listen to the audio of this radio news segment</a>.</p> <p>A measure on the November ballot would give California’s elected insurance commissioner power to reject health insurance premium increases for people in individual and small group plans. But as Health Care Reporter Pauline Bartolone in Sacramento explains, that policy change would be more complicated than it seems.</p>

Op-Ed: Why California Needs Prop. 45

October 8, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p><strong>For health insurance to be affordable, someone has to keep rates in check.</strong></p> <p>If you believe the advertising on television, health insurance in California is now the best deal since sliced bread.</p> <p>Four health insurance companies, which control 84% of the California market, are spending tens of millions of dollars to convince voters they have it so good that the state doesn't need Proposition 45. The November ballot measure would simply give the insurance commissioner the right to reject excessive health insurance rates.</p>

CityBeat’s Nov. 4 Election Endorsements

October 8, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p><font face="verdana" size="2"><b>Proposition 45 </b></font></p> <p><font face="verdana" size="2">Health-insurance behemoth Blue Cross Blue Shield and managed-care companies Well-Point and Kaiser Permanente have spent a combined $37 million to try to convince you to vote no on Prop. 45. If you hate insurance companies—and we don’t blame you—voting yes should make you feel <i>really </i>good.</font></p>