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On April 9, 2010, Iowa’s governor Chet Culver signed measures (Senate File 2201) designed to create greater transparency and disclosure of health insurance premiums, and to expand the rights of consumers prior to any rate increases by insurance companies. …
Read More Iowa Enacts Law Requiring 30-Day Rate Hike Notice from Health Insurers

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans have sued the Massachusetts Division of Insurance (DOI) after the DOI’s decision last week to reject most proposed rate increases for small businesses for the current calendar quarter. 

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Read More Massachusetts Health Insurers Sue Over Rejected Rate Increases

As Members of Congress returned home last week to discuss the new healthcare reform law with their constituents, President Obama put the finishing touches on the process by signing a package of healthcare corrections into law.  Meanwhile, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius wasted no time in announcing her department’s intent to clarify potentially confusing language in the new law. …
Read More Last Week in DC: The Healthcare Reform Debate – April 6, 2010

Healthcare reform’s long and often bumpy journey through Congress came to a close last week, as President Obama signed into law the 2,000+ page legislation that will overhaul the nation’s healthcare system.  Simultaneously, the Senate worked to clear a package of corrections to the new law via the budget reconciliation process, changing it ever so slightly and sending it back to the House for one final vote. 

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Read More Last Week in DC: The Healthcare Reform Debate – March 29, 2010

After another week of fine tuning and vote counting, House leaders released the final text of their healthcare bill on Thursday, in addition to official cost estimates from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).  These steps set the wheels in motion for a weekend vote on the measure, and after a frenzied race to secure the necessary 216 votes for passage, the House approved its final healthcare reform efforts in a historic Sunday night vote. …
Read More Last Week in DC: The Healthcare Reform Debate – March 22, 2010

Healthcare negotiations steadily moved forward last week, as details emerged on a potential timeline for completing action on a final bill in the coming weeks.  Despite optimistic endgame statements from Democratic leaders on both sides of the Capitol, legislative language remained in the final stages of negotiations by the week’s end, as leaders continued to count votes and await final cost estimates. 

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Read More Last Week in DC: The Healthcare Reform Debate – March 15, 2010

Democrats moved steadily forward last week on their reinvigorated efforts to enact comprehensive healthcare reform, as the White House specified its procedural preferences and Congressional leaders continued to hammer out policy provisions.  However, given the various complications that stand in their way, it remains to be seen whether Democrats will be able to finalize legislation before the end of the month – their new self-imposed deadline. …
Read More Last Week in DC: The Healthcare Reform Debate – March 8, 2010

The White House released its own healthcare reform bill last week, in preparation for Thursday’s marathon healthcare summit.  Despite its bipartisan billing, that six hour session did not yield tangible progress, leaving Democrats exactly where they were before the summit – faced with the question of how to move comprehensive healthcare reform forward without any help from the minority party. 

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Read More Last Week in DC: The Healthcare Reform Debate – March 1, 2010