California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a number of health care legislations this month. Many of the laws were designed to bring affordable health insurance to those in greatest need. The new legislations are expected to make some major changes to the state’s health insurance industry as they introduce stiffer regulations concerning rates and practices. Small businesses in the state will be afforded a number of benefits from the laws in the hopes of ensuring employees are able to keep their insurance benefits. Of note, Senate Bill 51 will…
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Study shows cost for employees for health insurance is set to rise
The findings of an Aon Hewitt study are showing that the average per-employee cost for health insurance will increase beyond the $10,000 mark in 2012, regardless of the fact that costs are rising more slowly than the current 2011 rate of 7.5 percent. The rate for healthcare premiums is expected to increase by 7 percent, but the actual cost of premiums for each employee is forecasted to be over $10,400. When compared to the 2010 figure of less than $9,800, the 2012 is notably higher. Workers will be responsible for…
Read MoreAnother health insurance rate hike expected by next year
Mercer has released the results of its annual survey which have indicated that there will be an increase of 5.4 percent to employee health care benefit costs in 2012. Though the forecasted increase in health insurance rates will be the smallest one that has occurred in the last 15 years, it should still be noted that this increase is remarkably higher than salary growth and the inflation rate, the latter of which was at 3.9 percent. The employers who participated in the Mercer survey stated that they have been attempting…
Read MorePaul Ryan feels tax credits are the road to universal health coverage
Paul Ryan (R., WI), the House Budget Committee Chairman, gave a significant speech at the Hoover Institution about health reform. At this Stanford University think tank, Ryan spoke about his own Medicare and Medicaid reform plan called “Path to Prosperity”. That said, he also took a moment to speak about the third health-care entitlement in the United States, which is a tax subsidy of $300 billion per year, which helps to cover employer-sponsored health insurance. This reform offers the chance for universal coverage to run in a market-oriented way. Ryan…
Read MoreStudy shows employer-sponsored health insurance is becoming more costly, maybe due to federal insurance mandate
A new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-profit health care organization, has uncovered a startling trend concerning the cost of employer-sponsored health insurance. The study shows that the cost of health insurance for employers has been rising at a rapid pace this year, which runs contrary to reports citing moderate increases to insurance rates. Exactly why rates are currently soaring to new heights is unknown, but researchers from the foundation speculate that it may be due to the federal insurance mandate which requires all people to have health…
Read MoreNew Hampshire regulators to receive federal grants to improve state’s insurance system
New Hampshire insurance regulators are set to receive $3.56 million in federal grants over the next three years in accordance with the federal health care law. The state’s Insurance Department is welcoming the money with open arms, hoping to utilize the funds to help some of the regulatory shortfalls that have befallen the state in recent years. While regulators have yet to determine the breadth of their plans for the funds, officials have noted that some of the money will be used to instill more transparency in the state’s insurance…
Read MoreWellPoint purchases stake in private health insurance exchange
WellPoint Inc., along with two non-profit insurance companies, has obtained the majority stake in a private health insurance exchange based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The exchange, called Bloom Health Corp., was founded in 2009 and has helped employers in the state find insurance plans that are right for their business and employees. The exchange is one of the first in the country to see any degree of success and has become something of a standard by which other insurance exchanges can be modeled after. WellPoint, Health Care Service Corp. and Blue…
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