Report: Health insurance costs up 95%; income up 17.5% (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
A report released today crunches some numbers to confirm what most of us already probably knew: The cost of our health insurance is going up much faster than our pay.
Etheridge health-care meeting goes peacefully (The News & Observer)
A group of constituents gathered around plates of biscuits and eggs this morning to tell U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge that they want a national health insurance plan.
Group: Health care reform would help thousands of uninsured (Quad-City Times)
Thirty-six thousand Iowans in the state’s 1st Congressional District would get insurance coverage under a Democratic health-care proposal, according to an estimate touted Friday by local reform advocates trying to keep pressure on lawmakers.
The Health Insurers Have Already Won (BusinessWeek via Yahoo! News)
As the health reform fight shifts this month from a vacationing Washington to congressional districts and local airwaves around the country, much more of the battle than most people realize is already over. The likely victors are insurance giants such as UnitedHealth Group , Aetna , and WellPoint . The carriers have succeeded in redefining the terms of the reform debate to such a degree that no …
Group aims to help women without insurance (The Tuscaloosa News)
By Ashley Boyd Staff Writer In an effort to prevent unwanted pregnancies in the state, Tuscaloosa’s Plan First has been reaching out to women who don’t have health insurance. Women who meet Plan First’s eligibility requirements can receive free gynecological exams and pap smears, pregnancy tests, STD screenings and birth control supplies.
Blue Cross agrees to smaller health insurance rate increase — but still an average of 22 percent hike (The Grand Rapids Press)
LANSING — Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has tentatively agreed to raise rates for nearly 200,000 of its health insurance customers by an average of 22 percent, a significantly lower rate increase than originally sought….
Insurance cos withdraw deep discounts on group mediclaim (The Hindu)
“Prices get pulled down and loss ratios are high. Hospitals have a tendency to bill more when you are from a corporate that has group insurance scheme.”
THE INFLUENCE GAME: Health insurance lobby uses money, allies to fight government coverage (Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune)
WASHINGTON – Cast as a profit-hoarding villain by Democratic foes, the insurance industry still has a fighting chance to fend off the part of a health care overhaul it most despises — creation of a government-run plan to compete with private insurers.
Oklahoma state workers’ health insurance plan faces claims backlog (The Oklahoman)
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A state workers’ health insurance plan has a backlog of 87,000 claims more than seven months after a new vendor took over processing duties.Frank Wilson, the deputy administrator of finance for the Oklahoma State and Education Employees Group Insurance Board, said Wednesday the backlog in HealthChoice claims is down from more than 200,000.But Wilson says more work needs to …
CFO Sink Urges Self-Employed Floridians to Buy, Review Health Insurance During August Open-Enrollment (Clearwater Gazette)
TALLAHASSEE – Florida CFO Alex Sink has urged Florida’s self-employed individuals to take advantage of the August open-enrollment period that allows single-group employers, sole proprietors, independent contractors and others to obtain health insurance or switch plans on a guaranteed-issue basis.