Researchers find that U.S. insurers pay more for medical care than their counterparts in Canada

Health insurance rates are rising throughout the nation. Insurers are quick to justify these rate increases with the soaring costs of medical care and administration. While the nations insurance regulators are leery of these justifications, researchers at both Cornell University and the University of Toronto say that insurers claims may be accurate. According to a report released from the universities, health insurance administrative costs are almost four times higher in the U.S. than they are in Canada. The report finds that Doctors in the U.S. spend excessive amounts of money…

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WellPoint shares drop following second quarter Medicare spending analysis

Shares of the health insurance company with the highest enrollment, WellPoint Inc., fell dramatically after the insurer announced that its second quarter medical care costs spiked following an increase in its Medicare patients. For the second time this year, the Indianapolis-based insurer has increased its annual forecast following the increase in sales. The enrollment with WellPoint increased by 2.1 percent, reaching 34.2 million, primarily from a rise in elderly and disabled Medicare members. Approximately 75 percent of the new enrollees with Medicare had come from competitors that had withdrawn from…

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