A major provision of the Affordable Care Act is about to come into play. Beginning yesterday, September 1, health insurance companies will be subjected to stricter scrutiny when it comes to raising premiums. When proposing rate increases, insurers will now have to submit written justification for their want of higher rates. These justifications will be open to the public for the sake of transparency and insurance regulators will be able to reject rate proposals if the justifications are not satisfactory. The new rule is meant to curb the seemingly relentless…
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Health insurance analysts claim more guidance needed before insurance exchanges can take root in Nebraska
Despite assistance from the federal government, many states remain torn on what to do about health insurance exchanges. In Nebraska, legislators are currently weighing their options. The burden of unanswered questions and vague concepts of federal regulations have slowed the states progress toward an exchange. Nebraska has turned to insurance analysts for aid, but was met with disappointment after analysts told legislators that more guidance from the federal government was needed before any move on an exchange could be made. In light of this news, the state is confronted with…
Read MoreU.S. mortgage insurance on the brink of collapse, changes for the housing market loom
The U.S. mortgage insurance market is on the cusp of a major revolution, but not for the better. The problems stem from the 2008 worldwide economic recession. The recession took a massive toll on the U.S. housing market, resulting in a crisis that persists to this day. Several insurance companies that specialized in mortgages floundered in the wake of the recession and those that survived now hold too much risk to continue writing policies. Insurers lost billions as a result of the housing crisis, losing much of the surplus capital…
Read MoreInsurance agents oppose Federal Insurance Office study
Members of The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) are unsettled about a federal insurance study. They feel that the study is biased and will not produce accurate results. If the law is based on these inaccuracies, they feel this could be devastating to the insurance industry. Currently, the Federal Insurance Office (FIO) has been called upon to report the potential risks and benefits of federal regulation in the insurance industry. The current authority over insurance belongs to each individual state, preventing the FIO from regulating the insurance industry.…
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