Latest Health Insurance Headlines

All the headlines from our Health Insurance Topic Page, ordered by recency.

State Regulators Back Strict Medical Ratio for Health Insurers

Oct 22 2010 // U.S. state insurance commissioners unanimously backed tough rules requiring health insurance companies to direct more of the premiums they collect to medical care, rather than corporate salaries and profits.Although the...

Illinois DOI Awarded $1.45M for Consumer Protection Efforts

Oct 22 2010 // The Illinois Department of Insurance says it will receive $1.45 million in federal funds to support its efforts to educate Illinois health insurance consumers and advocate on their behalf. The grant funds provided under...

California Commissioner Hopeful: Assemblyman Dave Jones

Oct 21 2010 // On November 2, Californians will select a new insurance commissioner, charged with regulating the fourth-largest insurance market in the world at about $160 billion. Assemblyman and Democrat Dave Jones recently shared why...

Georgia Insurance Commissioner Race: Top Priorities, State Role, Money

Oct 20 2010 // One candidate to be Georgia ‘s next insurance commissioner thinks the state should build on its risk management schools to become a national leader in alternative risk transfer innovation. Another wants the state to...

California’s Commissioner Hopefuls

Oct 18 2010 // Unlike many voters, the hundreds and thousands of independent insurance agents and brokers in California know the November 2 election will be a pivotal one. After all, on that day, Californians will select a new insurance...

Texas Agents Join Forces to Launch Health Insurance Coalition

Oct 15 2010 // Three insurance producer groups have joined forces to form the Texas Coalition of Health Insurance Agents to monitor, respond to and communicate on the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care...

House Report: Denials of Coverage by Large Health Insurers Up 49%

Oct 13 2010 // Coverage denials of individuals based on their medical histories by the nation’s top for-profit health insurance companies rose by nearly half in recent years, U.S. lawmakers said Tuesday.The findings raise questions...

Midwest States Getting $1M Each for Health Exchanges

Oct 6 2010 // Federal officials say Illinois, Nebraska and the Dakotas will each be getting $1 million to help the states establish a health insurance exchange.The exchanges, created by the federal Affordable Care Act, are meant to be...

Iowa-based Principal Financial to Exit Health Insurance

Oct 1 2010 // Principal Financial Group Inc., an insurance, retirement and financial services company, said it is getting out of the health insurance business.It said the move will eliminate 150 jobs initially and more later....

State Regulators Develop Rule on Health Insurers’ Medical Spending

Sep 24 2010 // U.S. health insurers should be able to exclude most federal taxes, but not all, in calculating spending rates to meet new healthcare law requirements, an insurance advisory group has proposed.Under a draft plan released...

Illinois Department of Insurance Highlights Pending Health Reform Changes

Sep 22 2010 // The Illinois Department of Insurance is reminding Illinois families and employers that significant new health insurance benefits and protections become effective Sept. 23, 2010. The changes — a result of the Patient...

Texas Commissioner: Health Insurance Reforms Effective Sept. 23

Sep 21 2010 // The federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and related Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, enacted by Congress in March 2010, include significant insurance market reforms effective for most...

U.S. Group Health Premiums Rose 3% in 2009; Individual Up 15%

Sep 17 2010 // U.S. health insurers took in 7 percent more revenue from premiums from individual, group and other policies in 2009 than in the previous year, even as the number of those people with coverage fell, according to a report...

Texas Public/Private Partnership Provides Small Employer Health Coverage

Sep 14 2010 // Healthy Texas, a statewide public/private partnership established by the 81st Legislature, provides a new health insurance option for small employers in Texas, the Texas Department of Insurance announced.Eligible employers...

Federal Reform Seen Having Moderate Impact on Health Spending

Sep 10 2010 // U.S. health spending is projected to reach nearly $4.6 trillion by 2019, growing at an average annual rate over the next decade of 6.3 percent, according to economists at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services...

Blue Cross Leads Health Insurers in Florida

Sep 10 2010 // Florida released a report yesterday listing the market share and earnings of accident and health insurers, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Inc. ranked first in premiums earned, with $3.9 billion in direct...

People

Sep 6 2010 // Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corp. (LWCC) promoted two key executives. Paul Buffone is now senior vice president of Risk Management Services, and David T. White is now vice president of Internal Audit.Buffone...

Georgia Advised to Apply for Health Insurance Scam Refund

Aug 26 2010 // Georgia Insurance Commissioner John W. Oxendine said Georgians who purchased a health insurance plan from American Trade Association, Inc. or its affiliates have until August 31, 2010 to request a refund of premium from...

U.S. Gives States Cash to Police Health Insurance Rate Hikes

Aug 17 2010 // A $46 million round of grants will help U.S. states boost oversight of health insurance premium hikes and keep down costs, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday.All but a few states will receive...

North Carolina Health Insurer Cuts Jobs

Aug 16 2010 // North Carolina’s largest health insurer says it plans to lay off about 90 people as part of cost-cutting moves to prepare for the new federal health care law. The News & Observer reports Friday that Blue Cross...