California insurance regulators clash with Aetna over insurance rate hikes

California health insurance industry go head to head with regulators Aetna Life Insurance has raised the health insurance rates for small employers in the state of California this month. The company has plans to raise rates by an average of 8% for this sector each year. The plan has struck a chord with the state’s insurance regulators, with Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones accusing the company of being unreasonable. According to the state’s Department of Insurance, Aetna’s health insurance rates for small businesses will jump by more than 30% over the…

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Xavier University decides to cut contraceptive coverage for employees

The Xavier University of Ohio will be making cuts to the insurance it offers employees in July of this year. The university, which is one of the oldest Catholic colleges in the country, will stop providing coverage for birth control, railing against rules imposed by the federal government requiring all faith-based organizations to provide such coverage to their employees. The university’s decision has struck a chord with the Obama administration, which is now accusing the college of standing in the way of a regulation that would be beneficial to women’s…

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Things you might not know about group health insurance

Though most people feel that group health insurance – such as the plans offered by many employers – are highly beneficial, it should be noted that they were not all created equal, and that there are many surprising things that consumers can learn about those policies that might change their opinions about their value. Consider the following often unknown issues regarding group health insurance: • Some group health plans don’t provide pregnancy coverage – as a result of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, the majority of health insurance plans…

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Increase in visits to emergency rooms causes health insurance changes

A new study has indicated that Americans who have either gained new health insurance or who have lost their coverage make more emergency room visits than people who have had a continuous insured or uninsured status. The results of the study are causing some concern, as the healthcare overhaul will be requiring an additional 32 million Americans to become newly insured by 2014. At the same time, the study findings have also indicated that the number of trips to the emergency room do tend to even out when a person’s…

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Results of 2012 National Critical Illness Insurance Buyer published

The American Association for Critical Illness Insurance, in association with General Re Life Corporation, has released a report based on the results of the 2012 National Critical Illness Insurance Buyer Study. The study showed that there is a growing number of people purchasing critical illness insurance in the demographic of those between the ages of 25 and 45. They are buying the coverage in order to ensure that they will have immediate cash payments available to them should they ever receive a diagnosis of a serious health condition. Approximately 49…

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