TweetAs the federal health care reform moves forward, insurers are finding ways to insulate themselves against the inevitable redefintion of “business as usual.” In both Florida and Oklahoma (and likely in other states as well) insurers have stopped writing certain … Continue reading
TweetThe Obama administration is beginning to make steps toward enacting the new national health care laws and insurers are looking for the best ways to both respond to those legal imperatives and to protect their profit margin. The question remains, … Continue reading
TweetThe politics of health insurance continues to plague the Obama administration as the November mid-term elections draw ever nearer. After several months of U.S. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius criticizing insurers for rate increases — even to the point of calling … Continue reading
TweetWell, the news on the premiums for the new high risk insurance pools (government backed coverage for people with pre-existing conditions) is going to be steep. According to Richard Popper from Health and Human Services, who is deputy director of … Continue reading
TweetYesterday President Obama had a little sit down with the chief execs of more than a dozen major insurance companies. The president is concerned, and rightly so, given the track record of some of these companies, that they will use … Continue reading
TweetIn the wake of almost three years of political in-fighting and public debate about the ethics and behavior of the insurance industry, the Obama administration and insurers have discovered the need to kiss and make up. Both sides need the … Continue reading
TweetModern Healthcare is reporting this morning on the results of a new report published by the Commonwealth Fund, which says that up to 13.7 million young adults who are currently without insurance could qualify for coverage under several provisions of … Continue reading
TweetThe National Institutes of Health are proposing new rules for reporting and managing financial conflicts of interest among scientists and other investigators working on NIH-funded medical research. Frances Collins, NIH Director, said in a press briefing earlier today that updated … Continue reading
TweetThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced the launching of a new initiative with the goal of more quickly identifying central-line-associated bloodstream payments in hospital patients. The initiative, sparked by the fact that roughly 250,000 patients in … Continue reading
TweetLos Angeles, California-based health insurer Anthem Blue Cross announced this week that policyholders will not see an insurance rate hike on May 1st, after all. Kristin Binns, speaking for Anthem’s parent company, Wellpoint, Inc, told the Los Angeles Times that … Continue reading