Beginning in 2012, there will be a new federal fee applied to health insurance policies which will be applied to research studies that will help to determine which types of treatments, tests, procedures, and drugs are the most effective. The purpose of these medical studies is to identify whether new tests and treatments truly are as effective as their less expensive generic counterparts. This is a portion of the Obama administration’s health care law that has not received as much hype as other elements such as the state insurance exchanges.…
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Health insurance price increases may slow next year, shrinking profits for smaller insurers
An analyst at Wedbush has released estimates that have shown that in 2012, there may be a slowing in the rising cost of health insurance, but that this may cause smaller insurers that concentrate on commercial coverage to achieve smaller profit margins. The Wedbush analyst, Sarah James, released a research note that showed that employer and insurer surveys have been indicating that price increases will be slower next year than they were in 2011, as a result of some of the health care reform elements having been implemented. Though this…
Read MoreMarket stability placates insurance rates, protects from wild increases, say analysts
As insurers begin to feel the weight of the Affordable Care Act, speculation abounds that suggests insurance companies may be raising their rates to offset the effects of the law. Indeed, health insurers throughout the nation have been raising rates, but most claim that higher premiums are being spurred by soaring medical costs and nothing more. Analysts from research firm Avalere Health say that rates should be rising much faster than they are now, yet the insurance industry confounds this estimation. The reason insurance rates are not soaring out of…
Read MoreAmerican Medical Association gives the health insurance industry a poor grade in new report
The American Medical Association has announced disturbing finding regarding the nation’s health insurance companies. The AMA has released their latest National Health Insurer Report Card, which is a report that informs both the public and the health care industry about the accuracy insurance claims processing. Last year, the report found that nearly one in five of claims received by insurers had been processed incorrectly. The AMA had hoped that their report would spur health insurer to make changes to how they process claims. The latest report, however, shows that little…
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