The News Review:
- Millions in US Can’t Afford Health Insurance
- Anthem wants 20-32 percent hike in insurance rates
- Insurance commissioner signs deal with UK regulators
- bama Turns Health Care Sights to Insurance Companies
- Northwest Bancorp profit cut by half
- Lobbyists Spend Millions to Influence Health Care
Millions in US Can’t Afford Health Insurance
Atlanta Journal Constitution
A report by the Commonwealth Fund a private foundation that supports independent research on health policy reform found that roughly three of every four people who tried to buy a policy from the individual health insurance market in the past three years didn’t get one. The main reason cited was premium cost. About 57 percent said it was very hard or even impossible to find coverage they could afford. About 47 percent of the people surveyed said it was difficult or impossible to find a plan with the coverage they needed and 36 percent reported being charged more or denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition or had the condition excluded from their coverage.
Anthem wants 20-32 percent hike in insurance rates
Forbes
– Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Connecticut which covers nearly one in three state residents on Monday proposed raising some health insurance policy rates by as much as 32 percent. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and a legal representative of the state’s Heathcare Advocate office both argued against the proposal during a daylong hearing before the state Department of Insurance.
Related from Medcylopaedia: Soaring medical insurance costs are a sore spot for employers
Insurance commissioner signs deal with UK regulators
Bizjournals.com
The agreement formalizes an informal agreement on sharing information and coordinating investigations. “In our increasingly volatile globalized market a proactive approach to regulatory cooperation is critical for our responsibilities regarding the monitoring of financial solvency and general policyholder protection” Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty said in a news release. The agreement is similar to one that Florida entered into with the German regulator BaFin last month.
bama Turns Health Care Sights to Insurance Companies
FXBusiness
Calling the need for reform “indisputable” the President said “insurance company boondoggles and inefficiencies” are not “making us any healthier. He continued “Health insurance companies and their executives have reaped windfall profits from a broken system. In May America’s Health Insurance Plans the trade association that lobbies on behalf of health-insurance companies joined others in sending a letter to the President pledging to work together. “We stand ready to work with you” the letter stated.
Northwest Bancorp profit cut by half
Bizjournals.com
3 percent to $47 million for the quarter. The banking company said quarterly federal deposit insurance premiums rose by $870000 while it paid a $3. 3 million charge for a special emergency assessment by the. _BE508EB564A141F4968EEA511A6144F4.
Lobbyists Spend Millions to Influence Health Care
Washington Post
Allstate which spent less than $900000 on lobbying through March boosted its spending to more than $1. 5 million from April to June. thers simply kept up the pace including Johnson & Johnson at $1. 6 million and America’s Health Insurance Plans and Bayer Corp. both approaching $2 million in spending from April to June. The AMA has spent a total of $8. 2 million on lobbying through June of this year.