[Guidance Overview]
New Review Process for 'Unreasonable' Premium Hikes
"The need for such a measure has been well documented. A Commonwealth Fund report found that employer premiums had increased an average of 41 percent across states between 2003 and 2009. And HHS itself has found that the majority of premium increases in the individual market over the last three years exceeded 10 percent."
(The Commonwealth Fund Blog)
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[Guidance Overview]
HHS Issues New Rules To Help Rein In Health Insurance Rate Hikes
"Under the new rule, which goes into effect on September 1, insurers seeking rate increases of 10 percent or more over a 12-month period would be subject to closer scrutiny by state and federal regulators as well as stricter public disclosure requirements. The rule will ensure that the public has an opportunity to provide input about rate increases when they are subject to review."
(Consumers Union)
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Employee Health Care Deductibles Rising: Survey
"Twenty-two percent of employers imposed deductibles of at least $1,000 this year for in-network services for their health care plans that had the largest enrollment, up from 16% last year and just 8% in 2008, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers L.L.P."
(Business Insurance)
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Rethinking Disability Pensions
"Disability pensions are under scrutiny again, as more evidence mounts that spurious claims are bleeding public pension funds and the nation's Social Security disability plan. At the federal level, the latest trustees' report shows that the Social Security disability fund will run out of money in just seven years, as claims for disability retirement have skyrocketed nationally in the wake of the last recession."
(Governing)
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Few Families Without Health Insurance Can Pay Hospital Bills; Costs Shifted To Insured
"Few families without health insurance have the financial assets to pay potential hospital bills, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). On average, uninsured families can only afford to pay in full for approximately 12% of hospital stays they may experience -- and even higher income uninsured families are unable to pay for most potential hospital stays, the HHS found."
(Wolters Kluwer Law & Business)
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Conservative Groups Urge States, Insurers To Seek Health Law Waivers
"Two groups on the right are urging states and insurers to seek waivers from the Democrats' health care law including exemptions from so-called 'mini-med' plans and medical-loss ratio requirements. HHS is also refusing to release the names of rejected waiver applicants."
(Kaiser Health News)
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Health Insurance Rate Hikes Face Tougher Scrutiny
"States -- or in some cases the federal government -- will review the flagged premium increases and insurers will have to justify increases deemed unreasonable. The law does not give the federal government power to reject increases, but many state regulators have that authority."
(Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)
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[Opinion]
AHIP Statement on Rate Review Regulations
"We agree that states are best suited to review premiums because they have the experience, infrastructure, and local market knowledge needed to ensure that consumers are protected and health plans are solvent. The federal government is not in a position to make these assessments."
(America's Health Insurance Plans)
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Benefits in General; Executive Compensation
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Majority in U.S. Back Same-S.ex Marriage, Poll Finds
"More than half of Americans say same-s.ex marriage should be legal, garnering the same rights as traditional marriages, according to a newly released Gallup poll showing for the first time since 1996 support by a majority of Americans."
(LiveScience.com via Yahoo! News)
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Summing Up Public-Sector Pay
"A new report sponsored by a pension-reform group provides unprecedented new data on the cost and value of public retirement benefits in California and compares the compensation and benefits with similar employees in the public and private sectors."
(Governing)
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Press Releases
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