Latest California Healthline Stories
Assembly Hearing Addresses Issues of Risk
It was not your usual subject for an Assembly hearing in the Capitol Building.
Yesterday’s hearing convened by the Assembly Committee on Health took on the arcane and important subject of adverse selection and risk pools. The nerdy-tech tone of the hearing was not lost on its participants.
“I have to applaud the committee — for taking on such a dry topic,” said David Panush, director of government relations for Covered California, the state’s health exchange. “But it is so important. I’m really glad to see it.”
Anthem, Jones Spar Over Premium Rate Hikes, Reinsurance Fee
California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones yesterday said a recent rate submission by Anthem Blue Cross was “unreasonable” and took particular issue with Anthem’s plans to charge a reinsurance fee which Jones said forces small businesses to pay for a 2014 fee a year early, in 2013.
Anthem Blue Cross officials said Jones’ numbers are off and that the reinsurance fee is a benign and standard business practice which has been used for many years without complaints from government or advocates.
“I’ve concluded that the rate increase imposed by Anthem Blue Cross on its small employers customers is unreasonable,” Jones said. He said the average rate increase of 10.6% is not justified given the data submitted to the Department of Insurance by Anthem.
New Year’s Resolutions: Tasks for California’s Exchange in 2013
California health insurance exchange officials have several significant tasks to accomplish in 2013, including implementing a marketing and outreach program and negotiating with insurers. Will the state be ready to launch the marketplace in 2014?
Dave Jones Reflects on 2nd Year, Stresses Need for Rate Regulation
California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones reflected on his first two years on the job and stressed the importance of the state gaining authority to regulate health insurance premiums during a question-and-answer session with California Healthline.
Five Things To Watch in Health Care in 2013
If 2012 was a high-wire political act, and 2014 will bring a rush of implementation, will next year be an intermission or sprint for health care? Here are five indicators to watch in the coming months.
Call for MLR Regulation Gets Mixed Reaction
The Commonwealth Fund on Wednesday released a study on the federal medical-loss ratio rule, which concluded that regulation may need to be introduced to maximize the effect of the MLR.
“In future years, the MLR rule may need to be coupled with regulatory pressure in order for any further reductions in administrative costs to be reflected in reduced premium rates,” the study said.
That squares with the opinion from the state insurance commissioner, but the medical insurance industry does not agree.
What Health Policy Wonks Are ‘Thankful’ for This Thanksgiving
Supporters of the Affordable Care Act are grateful that the law will survive, while some conservative health policy scholars remain glad that parts of Obamacare can still be delayed.
Can the GOP Still Stop Obamacare? Let’s Count the Ways
The Affordable Care Act has survived, but will it thrive? Republicans can still play a role in working to derail the law’s provisions and implementation, although their interest in doing so appears to be dwindling.
The Second Term: What’s Next for Obama’s Health Care Agenda
The president’s re-election cinches it: The Affordable Care Act will stand. But how the law is implemented — and which states will opt in — remains to be settled.
Exchange Picks New Name: Covered California
The California Health Benefit Exchange board voted Tuesday to adopt a new name for the health insurance coverage it will offer starting January 2014 — Covered California.
The decision comes after months of work. In August, the long list of potential names was winnowed to about a dozen possible names — including CaliHealth, CalAccess, Wellquest, PACcess and Covered California. The list alos included unusual trademark names such as Ursa, Healthifornia, Eureka, Beneficia, Cal-Vida and Condor, as well as the crowd favorite, Avocado.
After designing logos, holding focus group meetings and running trademark searches, that list was cut down to four finalists in September: Ursa, Eureka, CaliHealth and Covered California. Trademark concerns emerged around Ursa and CaliHealth, and those names were dropped, said Chris Kelly, who made the final name presentation to the exchange board.