Consumer Watchdog has filed a lawsuit against Anthem Blue Cross, claiming that the insurer is using “bait and switch” tactics to increase the out-of-pocket expenses and deductibles which must be paid by some of their consumers. This is the second time in a period of eight months that the largest for-profit insurance company in California has faced a lawsuit over claims that its contracts with customers had been breached by mid-year deductible increases. In this most recent case, Consumer Watchdog alleges that over 100,000 policyholders have experienced a misrepresentation of…
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Agriculture Secretary recommends changes to nation’s crop insurance system
Agriculture insurance is becoming a major issue in the U.S. Federal legislators are currently working on a new bill that would reform the crop insurance system, but have yet to define any major benefits that should be awarded to farmers. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has issued recommendations to lawmakers, noting that more emphasis should be put on natural disasters and other environmental factors when reforming the insurance system. Vilsack believes that farmers will benefit most from policies that help them recover from extreme flood events or severe droughts. An…
Read MoreInsurance denial rates run rampant throughout the country, new data shows
New data from the federal Department of Health and Human Services shows that a large number of health insurance applications sent to Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield are rejected. While rejections are not uncommon in the insurance business, the rate at which insurers are denying applicants has raised the concerns of federal regulators. Reportedly, some of these rejections are spurred by what may appear to be minor events, such as an applicant visiting an emergency room because of injury or going to see a chiropractor for back pain. According…
Read MoreIndiana to lose five different health insurers
Five individual health insurance companies, including two of the largest in the country, have chosen to stop selling their policies in Indiana, leading the Indiana Department of Insurance to ask that certain elements of the reform law of 2010 be phased in. The third and fifth largest health insurance companies in the United States, Aetna Inc., from Hartford, and Cigna Corp., from Philadelphia, have decided that they will no longer be taking part in the market for individual health insurance in Indiana. Moreover, American Community Mutual Insurance Co., from Michigan,…
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.…
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