AS HEALTHCARE REFORM MARKS 2nd BIRTHDAY, BAY AREA COUNCIL URGES CONTINUED FOCUS ON CONTROLLING COSTS, IMPROVING HEALTH

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – As the Affordable Care Act marks its second birthday and prepares for a date with the U.S. Supreme Court, the Bay Area Council continues its work to ensure that implementation of the landmark law remains focused on controlling costs, providing access for all and improving patient health. “The passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was an important step toward the creation of a healthcare system that provides high-quality affordable care,” said senior policy advisor, Micah Weinberg. “We are working with policymakers to ensure…

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California insurance commissioner issues report card for PPO

The California Department of Insurance has released the quality of care report card by insurance commissioner Dave Jones, called the “2012 Preferred Provider Organization (PPO)”. According to Jones, this report is a useful resource which provides consumers with a larger amount of practical data about the quality of the care they can expect to receive, so that they are better able to make decisions that will meet their healthcare requirements. He added that “I want to encourage all Californians to take a look at the findings of the PPO report…

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Health insurance companies in California to increase rates by 8 to 14 percent

The largest health insurance companies in California will be raising their average rates by approximately 8 to 14 percent for hundreds of thousands of policyholders with individual coverage, leaping ahead of the overall medical care costs. According to government data, within the last year, the national average cost of products and services associated with health care increased by 3.6 percent. However, the insurance premiums have continued to climb at a more rapid rate within the state. The rate increases were defended by the California insurance companies, which said that they…

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California is among the worst states in the country for residents without health coverage

The results of a new study are showing that in 2010, California was the state with the most residents – approximately 7 million – who do not have health insurance coverage. According to the California HealthCare Foundation’s data, around 1 million children and 6 million residents under the age of 65 did not have health insurance. Among the nonelderly population of the state, an average of 21 percent were not covered by health insurance over the three years from 2008 through to the end of 2010. On the national list,…

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Consumer group in California petitions lawmakers to grant more control to state insurance regulators

California consumer advocacy group Consumer Watchdog has submitted a new proposal to the state attorney general’s office regarding health insurance. Last year, the organization was a driving force behind new auto insurance regulations that pout caps on premiums. Now, the group is backing legislation that would require the state’s health insurers to wait for approval from regulators before collecting premiums from higher rates. Consumer Watchdog is awaiting the approval from the state’s attorney general before it begins to collect the 505,000 signatures needed to bring the issue before the state…

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