Health Insurers Making Record Profits as Many Postpone Care
By REED ABELSON
The nation’s major health insurers are barreling into a third year of record profits, enriched in recent months by a lingering recessionary mind-set among Americans who are postponing or forgoing medical care.
The UnitedHealth Group, one of the largest commercial insurers, told analysts that so far this year, insured hospital stays actually decreased in some instances. In reporting its earnings last week,Cigna, another insurer, talked about the “low level” of medical use.
Yet the companies continue to press for higher premiums, even though their reserve coffers are flush with profits and shareholders have been rewarded with new dividends. Many defend proposed double-digit increases in the rates they charge, citing a need for protection against any sudden uptick in demand once people have more money to spend on their health, as well as the rising price of care.
Patrick says Romney plays both sides on health care
WALTHAM — Governor Deval Patrick, calling for tougher measures to control health care costs in Massachusetts, says Mitt Romney was playing politics in a Thursday speech in which the former governor stood by his role in crafting the state’s 2006 health care overhaul law while deriding President Obama’s national effort to expand health care coverage.
Providers, insurers are warned on fees
Last week, state Inspector General Gregory Sullivan fired off a letter to Governor Deval Patrick, saying he is worried that hospitals and doctors are trying to lock in fee increases from insurers now, before the Legislature passes a new law to control medical costs.
THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011
The Lightweight Romney Health Plan
Mitt Romney has outlined his new health plan. He outlined five key steps in an op-ed in USAToday. Here is a summary:
Hard feelings on health bill lead to letter of resignation
Forced to hold a late-night vote, Republican Rep. Pat Flood shows his frustration with L.D. 1333.
AUGUSTA – Acrimony from Thursday night's partisan rift over a Republican-sponsored plan to overhaul health insurance in Maine continued Friday as a co-chairman of the Legislature's powerful budget-writing committee tried to resign his post.
Rep. Pat Flood, R-Winthrop, House chairman of the Appropriations Committee, delivered a letter of resignation from his post to House Speaker Robert Nutting on Friday afternoon.
Nutting, R-Oakland, said Flood was upset by the hard feelings among committee members after they were convened late at night and exempted L.D. 1333, the controversial health insurance measure, from the committee's usual scrutiny.
"There was discussion in the Appropriations Committee last evening where things were said," Nutting said late Friday. "There were a lot of hard feelings all around."
http://www.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?expire=&title=Hard+feelings+on+health+bill+lead+to+letter+of+resignation&urlID=452876567&action=cpt&partnerID=561087&cid=121815433&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pressherald.com%2Fnews%2Fhard-feelings-on-health-bill-lead-to-letter-of-resignation_2011-05-14.html
No comments:
Post a Comment