Anthem Blue Cross dramatically raising rates for Californians with individual health policies

[Newsjock]

Source: Los Angeles Times

California's largest for-profit health insurer is moving to dramatically raise rates for customers with individual policies, setting off a furor among policyholders and prompting state insurance regulators to investigate.

Anthem Blue Cross is telling many of its approximately 800,000 customers who buy individual coverage -- people not covered by group rates -- that its prices will go up March 1 and may be adjusted "more frequently" than its typical yearly increases.

The insurer declined to say how high it is increasing rates. But brokers who sell these policies say they are fielding numerous calls from customers incensed over premium increases of 30% to 39%, saying they come on the heels of similar jumps last year.

Many policyholders say the rate hikes are the largest they can remember, and they fear that subsequent premium growth will narrow their options -- leaving them to buy policies with higher deductibles and less coverage or putting health insurance out of reach altogether.

"I've never seen anything like this," said Mark Weiss, 63, a Century City podiatrist whose Anthem policy for himself and his wife will rise 35%. The couple's annual insurance bill will jump to $27,336 from $20,184.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-insure-anthem5-2010feb05,0,3002094.story

[tularetom]

1. Public option sounding a little less like "socialism" now, folks?

[MBS]

2. my thoughts exactly n/t

[ShockediSay]

7. Fascists call everything not yielding them more money, they call it socialist

Fascists don't like liberals, socially conscientious,
so the Fascists call them socialists, communists, it's
all part of their corporate funded propaganda war effort.

AND it's all history repeating itself.

[lovuian]

24. What amazes me is the GREED of the Insurance companies

they are insatiable

[tazkcmo]

3. Holy crap!

"I've never seen anything like this," said Mark Weiss, 63, a Century City podiatrist whose Anthem policy for himself and his wife will rise 35%. The couple's annual insurance bill will jump to $27,336 from $20,184."

27k is almost double what I make in a year and people are spending this much just on insurance? Holy friggin moly!

[Jefferson23]

4. This is not a surprise, just another disgrace.

[ShockediSay]

5. Screwed me like that too, after taking over not-for-profit BCBS nt

[msongs]

6. anthem has learned it has nothing to fear from congress or the white house nt

[alfredo]

8. Everybody needs to drop their insurance policies at once.

[Auggie]

9. Ours went up 60%. No joke.

We're shopping around.

[azygous]

10. I'm a Calif. state retiree

on the PERS group plan. Anthem B/C just raised my rates so that they're now raking 30 percent off the top of my retirement check, before all the other deductions.

This is what's destroying our economy people. We don't have enough money left after insurance companies take their cut to spend on anything else.

[Jackpine Radical]

14. I'm a WI retiree. My retirement check doesn't cover the insurance.

[Iowa]

15. I'm an Iowa retiree. My retirement check doesn't cover the insurance.

And I worked for 30 years in a professional occupation.

[depakid]

11. An excellent time for the Obama administration and Senate Democrats to be associated with insurers

After all, "they're not bad people" and like he banksters we "don't want to punish them" for their behaviors.

[progressoid]

28. Yeah, it a good thing we gave them a "seat at the table"

:banghead:

[Blue_Tires]

12. but i thought we had "the best system in the world"!!!

and that reform was going to cost people too much money and drive up costs!!

at least the consumers are free to CHOOSE another provider
:sarcasm:

[tomm2thumbs]

13. Neighbor said the same thing - almost doubled his rate

ridiculous corporate profiteering

[ramapo]

16. and I thought NJ was bad.

$27K for annual insurance! You might as well go for huge deductibles, etc. and bank the policy difference. Basically become partially self-insured. Of course this is playing right into the insurance companies' fondest hopes.

It astounds me that ALL individuals aren't simply considered as a single group. After all, a group is nothing more than a collection of individuals.

But this is simply the health insurance outrage of the day.

I was at an after-funeral event yesterday and some people were complaining about the focus on health insurance. They were saying "who cares about that...if people could just get jobs then they would all have insurance"! WRONG! Given the situation, I held my tongue as I didn't want to start a scene but now I am unhappy with myself for not lambasting the mourners.

[PSPS]

17. I was going through some old papers a while ago.

I found some of my old BC bills (about fifteen years ago) -- I was paying quarterly premiums and had a $500 deductible.

Today, I pay monthly premiums of double what was the quarterly premium and have a $10K deductible to boot.

What a racket.

[salin]

18. It is almost as if they are begging for reform

by acting so egregiously at the same point in time that the public is focused on the issue.

[Doctor_J]

19. Where are those Americans who built this country?

time was that the Anthem execs would have been dragged from their penthouses and made examples of.

Here's hoping the revolution comes in time for me to participate.

:thumbsup:

[TankLV]

20. But we don't need or even "want" SINGLE PAYER NATIONAL HEALTH CARE. riiiiiight....

at least according to the talking heads!!!

YEA TEABAGGERS!!!

How much more before the sheeple "care" about it?

[wilt the stilt]

21. anyone who has ever paid for their own insurance is not surprised

i am currently covered by anthem and I used to be covered by BCBSGA. It's all the same.(Wellpoint) They suck and they make me so angry I could cry. They are thieves and really horrible people. I could tell you stories you wouldn't believe put it is a private matter.
Bend over because it's going to big and really hurt.

[beardown]

22. Hubris Insurance Company

Wow. No surprise, but wow anyway.

If there ever was a time that you'd think that the insurance industry would lay low for a while until the heat died down it would be now. Unfortunately, this shows that they know they have nothing to fear from current reform legislation.

I thought that part of Obama's plan was to have the insurance (maybe just pharma) promise to keep rates down. I think that we can write off those savings today as well as any misguided belief in getting any cooperation from the insurance industry. Counting on cooperation from repubs and the insurance industry makes Forest Gump look smart.

[JimWis]

23. Good, Maybe it will wake some people up. I predict, in the not

too distant future, that insurance premiums will get so bad that everyone in this country (including right wingers and even a few tea baggers) will be screaming for health reform, or single payer, or Medicare for all. Too bad it has to happen this way, and in the mean time, too many people will die for lack of access to medical care.

Actually, my gal friend predicted this. She always tells me, don't worry, you will eventually get good health reform. In her words, health insurance companies will reach critical mass. In other words, no one will be able to afford it. She currently works in the health system for Mayo.

[area51]

25. And these insane price hikes will only get worse if we have mandated insurance. (n/t)

[City Lights]

26. That's a fucking outrage.

:nuke:

We need health care reform now!

[mbperrin]

27. Anybody wanna talk single payer now? We got kicked away from

the table early.

Truth is, these companies make the most money by charging the highest premiums and saying "no" to coverage the most.

Entirely predictable results.

But socialism? The horror!!! the horror!!

My grandfather wanted universal medical when he was organizing for the IWW long time ago.


Looks like the insurance execs looked at the bankers still taking huge bonuses even while being bailed by the government and decided to "get some" too!

[brand404]

29. Thank God i'm Canadian!

[brand404]

30. I HOPEthey raise it 10x fold!!!! PLEASE!!!

This way it will FINALLY wake the people up to storm washington and take back america...until then, companies like Blue Shield are not to blame...their only motive is to make money, not save people...the Government is to blame for NOT wanting a real solution like Single Payer which would overnight eliminate healthcare problems across america. Corporate america buys the Government and in return the government is letting them milk you out of your savings and if you die in the process then as long as they get the money before you hit the grave then all the better....