Administration frees funds for health insurance oversight

[babylonsister]

Administration frees funds for health insurance oversight
August 16, 2010|1:53 p.m.


WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration Monday announced a series of $1 million grants to state insurance regulators to help increase oversight of rising health insurance premiums, a key step in implementing the new healthcare law.

The grants, which went to all but five states, will allow many to expand public access to information about rate hikes and to hire experts to review what insurers want to charge.

More than a dozen states also plan to seek additional authority to block insurance premiums they deem unjustified, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Fewer than half of state insurance commissioners have comprehensive "prior approval" authority, giving them the power to review insurance company records and stop proposed rate increases in the individual and small group markets.

Some states do not even require insurers to publicly report proposed rate hikes.

more...

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sc-dc-0817-health-premiums-20100816,0,4475841.story

[babylonsister]

1. And the good news sinks. Can't have any of that! nt

[SunsetDreams]

2. I would say increase oversight of rising health insurance premiums,

would be a good thing. For whatever it's worth I Rec'd your OP.
It seems that there has been a lot of angst over rising insurance premiums, and rightfully so.
Why wouldn't this be good news?