‘In The News’ Archives
Why One Insurer Won’t Extend Obamacare Benefits
Among the health plans, Blue Shield of California has been one of Obamacare’s biggest cheerleaders. But executives there worry that any promise to continue with a few Affordable Care Act benefits, regardless of what the Supreme Court does, could undercut the case for leaving the law standing. The health reform law requires that insurers spend 80 [...]
California Insurance Bills Meet Deadline for Passage
June 1, 2012 was the deadline for Senate bills to be passed by the California State Senate and for Assembly bills to be passed by the California State Assembly. Bills that failed to meet the deadline are dead. Senate bills are now being considered by the Assembly. Assembly bills that met the deadline are now being considered by the Senate. [...]
UC Irvine Extension Presents Financial Planner CE
UC Irvine extension will host the annual Financial Planning Association (FPA) Residency Program 2012 on Oct. 21- 26. The six-day program, taking place in Lake Arrowhead, Calif., offers certified financial planner professionals or graduates of a CFP Board approved program, the hands-on training and resources needed to build professional skills [...]
11 Kaiser Permanente Southern California Hospitals among Safest in Nation
Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Southern California have received an "A" Hospital Safety Score from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits. The safety report also awarded the top grade to a total of 28 Kaiser Permanente hospitals around the country. The Hospital Safety [...]
States Join to Create Tools for Implementing Affordable Care Act
For 14 months, a bipartisan group of 17 states has been quietly collaborating with the Obama administration to help build a foundation for the health-care reform law’s success. The group includes some of the law’s staunchest supporters working alongside a handful of its bigger detractors. They are backed by $3 million in funding from eight [...]
California to get $15.6 Million from AIG Tax Settlement
The American International Group Inc. will pay $15.6 million in penalties to California to settle allegations that its affiliated companies under reported how much business they did to state regulators. The payment to California's treasury, announced Thursday, is part of a $146.5-million national settlement that AIG reached with a number of [...]
House To Vote on Bill To Repeal Health Reform’s Tax on Medical Devices
The House will vote on legislation (HR 436) that would repeal a 2.3% excise tax on medical devices created to help fund the federal health reform law. The package includes two other GOP proposals, including legislation (HR 5842) that would eliminate restrictions on consumers' ability to use tax-preferred savings accounts to pay for the cost of [...]
Wellpoint to Buy 1-800 Contacts
WellPoint Inc. plans to buy contact lens retailer 1-800-Contacts Inc. in a deal that would give the insurer its first direct-to-consumer business outside selling individual health coverage. The eyewear company will help diversify its revenue sources with a high-margin business. WellPoint is the second-largest U.S. health insurer based on both [...]
Signatures Filed for California Health Insurance Initiative
Supporters of a proposed California initiative that would give the Insurance Commissioner the power to approve health insurance rates have filed signatures to qualify the measure for a place on the November 6, 2012 ballot. The initiative needs 504,760 valid signatures to qualify. County clerks now are counting the filed signatures. Under the [...]
Blue Shield CEO Plans Retirement
Blue Shield of California's longtime chairman and chief executive, Bruce Bodaken, will retire at year's end, punctuating a career marked by praise for his early support of universal health coverage and criticism of his company's repeated rate hikes. Bodaken, 60, will leave at the end of December, and Paul Markovich, 45, currently chief operating [...]
