Climate change is often a controversial issue, especially when the federal government is concerned. The insurance industry, however, is beginning to take the matter more seriously, as a new report shows that purely environmental factors may be causing the high costs seen in the health care system. The report comes from the Natural Resources Defense Council, an international environmental advocacy group based in New York. The report suggests that natural disasters that have struck the U.S. in the past decade may be having a significant impact on the health of…
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Cigna purchased HealthSpring Medicare provider in $3.8 billion deal
Cigna, a global health insurance company based in the U.S., has announced the acquisition of HealthSpring, a health insurer specializing in Medicare Advantage plans. Cigna is looking to expand its presence in the Medicare sector as well as its senior care services. The move may be inspired by an aging populace that will soon enter the ranks of seniority, enabling them to take advantage of new insurance plans. The acquisition is priced at $3.8 billion. HealthSprings serves more than 350,000 Medicare Advantage policyholders across 11 states. The insurer also boasts…
Read MoreDiscontented Occupy Wall Street protesters may soon target the insurance industry
Views on the Occupy Wall Street protests vary depending on which news medium is presenting the issue. Some call the protest a meager gathering of discontented hipsters, while others claim it as a full-fledged revolution that will change the foundation of the nation’s financial industry. Whatever the case may be, the protest continues to generate a great deal of hype and has begun attracting the attention of other industries. The insurance industry, in particular, may be a target as many people see the industry as being at fault for the…
Read MoreToo big to fail insurance corporations should be governered by different rules than the banking industry
The term “too big to fail” rose to prominence in the wake of 2008’s economic recession. Much like the effects of the recession, the phrase has lingered and has come to define certain aspects of the business world. Too big to fail is a categorization often attributed to massive corporations that have complex and expansive global business operations and deep ties with financial institutions. If these businesses were to fail, there may be disastrous implications for the global economy that go well beyond the problems born during the 2008 recession.…
Read MoreInsurance market may be softening, but insurers will continue to combat costly health care
The beginning of the year was punctuated with a rash of insurance rate increases coming from many of the nation’s insurance companies. Insurers had defended their weighty rate proposals with the claim that the cost of medical care was rising out of control. Higher rates may also be due to a provision of the Affordable Care Act that requires insurers pay no less than 80% of their collected premiums on health care. While insurers have been quick to propose rates that are, in some cases, astronomically high, industry experts believe…
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