NC Blues CEO: Reform law will drive up premiums
Although the health reform law has many benefits, including transforming the insurance industry, the chief executive of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina said it also will lead to increases in premiums.
Guest Commentary: Consumer empowerment in insurance exchanges
Remember when buying an airline ticket involved calling a specific airline to learn about flight options? Or, visiting a travel agent to flip through colorful brochures and get a broader variety of choices?It is a rarity to do any of that today; travelers can essentially peer directly into the airline reservations systems and comparison shop according to their individual priorities: number of stops, price, duration or even what one travel site aptly calls "agony."
These tools give consumers significantly greater visibility into the trade-offs they want to make between price and other measures, and ultimately, greater control over their own travel choices.
The health insurance market is on the cusp of a similar transition. Read more...
TOP HEADLINES
Bill would let HHS block unreasonable premium increases
Newly proposed legislation would establish a federal rate review to allow the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to block unreasonable rate increases, reported The Hill's Healthwatch.
Only 2% of insurers cover mandated essential health benefits
Very few insurers--only 2 percent--offer all the benefits they will be required to provide next year under the reform law, according to a new analysis from technology company HealthPocket.
4 more states will partner with HHS to run health exchanges
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has granted conditional approval to four more states to set up a health insurance exchange.
Aetna, Blue Shield defy regulators, implement double-digit rate hikes
Aetna and Blue Shield of California have defied state regulators an will proceed with double-digit rate hikes that were deemed unreasonable.
Employer-based coverage to continue for next 5 years
Large employers expect to continue providing health insurance for their workers, at least for the next five years, new survey findings show.
From Our Sister Sites
A new study from researchers in Norway has found strong evidence that interruptions from mobile devices are a problem for doctors in hospitals, and that a solution to reduce such interruptions is desperately needed.
While text messages and email have nearly replaced traditional phone and face-to-face communication, a survey recently conducted for The Atlantic determined that of 1,000 Americans, only one in 10 has ever emailed or texted with their doctor.
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