Last month, we blogged about the start of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) rate review rules that oblige insurers asking for premium increases of 10 percent or more (for plans in the individual and small group markets) to publicly disclose and justify such

Federal or state Exchange? The question of who should run the marketplace for individuals and small businesses to shop for and buy affordable, high quality insurance has been an ongoing debate in health reform circles for a number of years. And a main dec

Going forward, health insurers will need to be more transparent and accountable than ever before when they seek large premium rate increases. This is because, as of today, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires that insurers asking for premium increases o

June 23, 2011 The Affordable Care Act (ACA) established many consumer protections, but it was only the first step.  As decisions are made about implementation and regulations, the need for consumer engagement is critical. As an example of where protection

No one ever said the ACA was perfect – any time you try to reform a system that’s as fractured, opaque and confused as our current insurance system – you’re going to stumble across some crazy stuff, like association health plans (AHPs). These odd creature

States Take Steps to Improve Oversight and Consumer Engagement In the past few months, several states have taken dramatic steps to strengthen their rate review authority, protect consumers, and call out insurers on excessive rate increases. For example, e

We want Americans to live healthy lives and take good care of themselves. So does John Berry, the director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). As matter of fact, recently, Berry told health insurance companies that participate in the Federal

There’s been lots of drama at this year’s first meeting of the NAIC (National Association of Insurance Commissioners) in Austin, TX - way more than any of us consumer representatives to the NAIC expected. The good news, as you may have heard by now, is th

The growth in the cost of health insurance premiums is one of the major drivers of escalating consumer health care costs. During the national reform process, state advocates urged the federal government to strengthen the regulations governing the rate rev