A new study from the Gallup Organization, a research and performance-management consulting firm that monitors public opinion, shows that employer-sponsored health insurance is on the decline. Gallup, well known for its studies and polls concerning the insurance industry and federal government, says that the number of people receiving health insurance from their jobs has fallen nearly 2% from the level it was at a year before. The study suggests that the decrease may be due to high levels of unemployment and new insurance regulations that make it more costly for…
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Almost 20 percent of Californians don’t have health insurance
New statistics released by the U.S. Census have shown that many Californians are going without health insurance, as almost one in every five did not have this coverage within the last three years. This is one of the highest rates of uninsured individuals in the country. According to the census, from 2008 through 2010, 18.9 percent of the residents of California – nearly 7 million people – did not have any form of healthcare coverage. The same census showed that the national average during that same period was 15.8 percent.…
Read MoreCalifornia health insurer holds off on rate increase
WellPoint Inc., one of the nation’s top health insurers based in California, announced earlier this year that it would be raising premiums on individual policies by 16.4%. After increased pressure from state legislators and insurance commissioner Dave Jones, however, the insurer has proposed a new increase of no more than 9.8%. Furthermore, the company has heeded Jones’ call for delays on rate hikes and has announced that the increases will not take effect until July. According to Jones, the rate increases will affect more than 600,000 policyholders in the state.…
Read MoreUncertain future for health insurance brokers
A growing number of insurance brokers are concerned for their livelihoods in light of the new health care reform law passed last year. They are urging Congress and state legislators to establish protections that will guarantee agents a role in the emerging online marketplaces that will accompany state health insurance exchange programs. The exchanges are a mandatory provision of the Affordable Care Act and each state must establish their own exchange by 2014. “The brokers are nervous,” said Sabrina Corlette, a professor at Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute who has…
Read MoreOpen forum for small group health reveals public opinion
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maine hosted a public comment forum Monday to discuss their impending rate hikes. A small group assembled in opposition of the proposed premium increases, most of whom were vocal with their disdain. The insurer is seeking to raise its rates as a result of rising medical costs and insists that the new rates will help ensure the quality of health care remains high. Many policyholders aren’t buying it. “We all know this is not about delivering quality care,” argues one angry Mapleton resident,…
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