‘In The News’ Archives
California Hospitals Land $20M to Boost Care
Critical access hospitals across rural California are poised to benefit from $20 million in investments from UnitedHealthcare aimed at boosting electronic health records and other health information technology. The hospitals comprise California's Critical Access Hospitals, which are located in remote areas of the state. The facilities have a [...]
Move Toward Openness in Health Care Pricing, Performance
Comparing prices for a knee replacement, tonsillectomy or even an aspirin between hospitals is difficult and sometimes impossible because of all the variables that can have a bearing on the bottom line. Catalyst for Payment Reform, a coalition of large employers and others, such as CalPERS, that purchase care, has just released a brief calling [...]
Consumers Demand Indexed Annuities
The insurance industry’s efforts to combat the negative press on indexed annuities are becoming successful. Our hard work of publishing numerous factual articles on these products is paying off! Finally, consumers have some small way to research indexed annuities on their own. They have access to credible and reliable information, which allows [...]
Hartford Moves to Offer Annuity Buyouts
Insurers are scaling back from variable annuities as low interest rates and stock market declines weigh on their profits. As a result, Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. (HIG) is now offering to pay some clients to give up retirement products as Chief Executive Officer Liam McGee works to reduce risks tied to stock market declines and [...]
Blue Shield of California Medicare Plans Receive Four Stars for Quality
Blue Shield of California's 2013 Medicare Advantage HMO and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans received four stars for program quality from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This is the second year in a row CMS awarded Blue Shield of California a 4 Star rating. CMS measures the quality and performance of Medicare [...]
Most California Workers Aren’t Getting Health Benefits
Fewer than half of Californians got their health insurance through their employers last year according to a new study from UCLA’s Center for Health Policy Research. About 19 percent of the state’s residents are enrolled in government health insurance programs for low-income people. UCLA researchers say more people should be able to get [...]
California Hospitals Top list for Health Care
Arizona, California, Illinois and Ohio scored the best marks for hospital care in a new report that says quality varies “significantly” from state to state in key health areas linked to mortality rates. During 2005-2011, hospitals in those states outperformed others when treating patients for four key conditions or procedures studied: [...]
California Considers Strategies for Treating Uninsured Immigrants
California officials and health care providers are considering different strategies for treating immigrants who will remain uninsured after implementation of the federal health reform law. Under the Affordable Care Act, undocumented immigrants and lawful immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for less than five years are excluded from new [...]
Insurers Revive Child-Only Policies, But Cost Is Still An Issue
Health policies for kids are back, now that health insurers who stopped selling them after the health care overhaul passed are reopening shop, according to a recent report. Under the 2010 law, insurers were prohibited from denying coverage to children under age 19 because they had pre-existing medical conditions. Faced with the prospect of [...]
Premiums Increase as the Number of Insureds Declines for Life/Annuity Industry
Fifty two percent of Americans over age 18 do not own life insurance in 2012, compared with 51 percent last year, according to a Genworth Financial phone survey of more than 25,000 adults. However, based on annualized premium dollars, the industry grew 4 percent in 2011, according to LIMRA, and according to A.M. Best, it grew 3 percent in the [...]
