Health Insurance

Federal

Because of multiple blizzards in Washington, Congress has begun its President's Day holiday a full week early and has made no official mission last week. However, there was a legislative drama of the Senate, Harry Reid, majority leader pulled the rug under the feet of the Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus for demolition jobs Baucus bill (without warning), which contains numerous articles Medicare and its replacement by a stripped down, narrow bill jobs. That clauses health Baucus originally inserted with the help Republican will return to the table remains unclear. Among health items that were dropped are: the extension of COBRA Eligibility (May 31); patch "doc" (to October 2010) of Medicare reimbursement rates, and a sense favorable to the law CMS to calculate 2011 Medicare Advantage rates "as if" the doc fix in place.

States

Health Insurance California Office of Patient Advocacy released a bulletin on the state of HMOs in the last week. Aetna has received 3 out of 4 stars. The purpose of the newsletter is to allow consumers to compare how health plans use personal health records and to help address conditions such as asthma, arthritis and diabetes.

Colorado: Governor Bill Ritter held a press conference to announce what he calls "the next round of reforms that are common sense." The legislative package includes bills to prevent insurance companies to charge different rates because of the gender of a person, ensure that women have access to screening for breast cancer, to ensure a clear language used in insurance forms, standardize insurance claims and explanations benefits, and encourage greater use of online tools to enroll people in public programs. In addition to the proposals of the governor, a bill that would establish a public option was also introduced.

Connecticut: In a short legislative session only three months, insurance and real estate committee wasted no time in putting forward a program that encompasses many repeat notion of legislation in previous sessions. These assessments include prohibiting health insurance for preventive care, limiting assessments of prescription drugs, the prohibition of social security compensation disability payment, and exemption of Municipal Employees health insurance plans of the premium tax on premiums in small groups. In addition, the Committee has reintroduced legislation that includes nearly a dozen new health benefit mandates. The Council for Affordable Health Insurance, an independent think tank, said that the mandates could increase health insurance premiums in Connecticut more than 50 per cent in total.

Georgia: a bill was proposed last week that would impose significant restrictions on insurers' ability to cancel health insurance policies. Aetna, Georgia to the Association of Health Plans and AHIP, met with legislators sponsoring the bill to express their concerns with the bill.

INDIANA: The legislative session is half-time, and the agenda of insurance is now limited. Most bills insurance issue is officially dead, including a bill that would prohibit health plan provisions requiring a contracted provider to accept more than a certain number of patients, treatment coverage dialysis regardless of whether the facility is under contract or not, and unrestricted positive benefit and a bill that would allow assignment of benefits outside the network. However, Aetna expects a bill requiring insurers and HMO's annual report the composition of the reasonable prices, including administrative costs, can be resurrected. A bill restricting health insurers, dental HMOs to establish fee schedules for n.