Health insurance

Obamacare Ruled Unconstitutional in Virginia

A Federal Judge in Virginia just ruled Obamacare unconstitutional.

A federal district judge in Virginia ruled on Monday that the keystone provision in the Obama health care law is unconstitutional, becoming the first court in the country to invalidate any part of the sprawling act and insuring that appellate courts will receive contradictory opinions from below.

26% of Americans Do not have Health Insurance

Over one quarter of Americans between the ages of 18-64 do not have any health insurance. The CDC released a new study showing 59.1 million Americans do not have health insurance and even worse, the people who cannot afford it are increasingly members of the middle class.

The 26% excludes the population which qualifies for Medicare (age 65 or older).

First Time Greater Than $400 Deductable for Employer Health Insurance

For the first time the majority of workers who have employer provided health care will have to pay $400 deductibles are greater. Associated Press:

For the first time, most of the American workforce is expected to have health insurance deductibles of $400 or more, the consulting firm said in a report released to The Associated Press.

Outrage Du Jour - Oregon, California, Maine, Kansas Individual Health Insurance Premium Gouge

While all of the news is abuzz on California BlueCross Anaheim trying to jack individuals on a 39% insurance premium increase, guess what, other states are doing it too!

Even worse, the main stream press even covering these rate increases, which somehow are rubber stamped approved by state regulatory boards, are quoting low ball rate increases. Case in point is Oregon where it's quoted to be a 14.2% increase generally in the press.

Outrage Du Jour - California Anthem Blue Cross to raise health insurance rates 39%

This one is just incredible.

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.

Look at that, a Medical Doctor is going to have a tough time paying those premiums.

Taunter shreds health insurers' claims that recission is rare

A big tip'o the hat to okanogen at CorrenteWire for picking up this one:

Death by Math (that should get Oaks' attention!). Taunter analyzes the statement by Assurant CEO Don Hamm’s that "Rescission is rare." Rescission is when a health insurer cancels a policy, usually because the insured "lied" on the original application, usually by failing to disclose a previous condition. If you haven't heard the horror stories of people who required costly medical care only to be dropped by their health insurer, you haven't been paying attention to the world around you. Here is what Hamm told Congress in his prepared remarks: