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Obama plan to regulate insurance rates raises doubts
WASHINGTON |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's proposal on Monday to give the U.S. government power to review and block health insurance premium increases has been greeted with some doubt by hesitant U.S. governors.
"States have traditionally jealously guarded our prerogatives to set insurance premiums," said Vermont Governor Jim Douglas, a Republican, after meeting Obama at the White House on Monday.
Usually, insurance premiums have been set at the state level, said Douglas, who is chairman of the National Governors Association that is meeting in the U.S. capital this week.
But, he said, the governors did not oppose the suggestion included in Obama's attempt to revive his stalled healthcare reforms.
"That may be an area we need to have some further discussion about," he said.
West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin, a Democrat, agreed, saying that he could support the suggestion if the federal government were to set parameters for states to follow.
In Obama's proposal, insurance plans would face a new federal Health Insurance Rate Authority to help states review "unreasonable rate increases and other unfair practices of insurance plans." Insurers would have to lower premiums, provide rebates or take other action if rate increases are found unjustified.
For more information on how the plan would affect insurers, please see.
Obama's suggestion is largely a response to WellPoint Inc's recent announcement that it intends to increase premiums by as much as 39 percent on its Anthem Blue Cross plans in California.
Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, also a Democrat, called the increase "outrageous" and said states could use some help on regulating health insurance.
"I think we have good regulatory structures in place on a state-by-state basis, but to the extent that we can have some federal backup that would be helpful," he said.
For more on the proposal and states, please see.
(Reporting by Lisa Lambert, additional reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Kenneth Barry)
Obama to regulate every breath you take, every beat of your heart, every cent of your budget, every frickin’ aspect of your life you let him get his grubby paws on.
There is no meaningful health care reform without a public option. The business sector needs regulation. Our health care system is in the toilet specifically because there has been so little regulation of corporate America.
They are in business to make money. And that means that EVERY option for profit generation will be explored. The law is the only thing that keeps corporate America in check. And even then they look for every loophole they can find.
The interests of corporate America are in stark contrast to the public interest. Congress must choose who they serve. And in fact, they HAVE chosen. Congress serves the corporate constituency. The citizenry has been left behind in favor of the perks of corporate servitude. You health is a commodity. You don’t have a right to health care. The public option is in the public interest. But it is not in the interest of those companies that stand to turn a profit from your lack of access.
Corporate America does not want the citizenry’s interests to be secured by government. The corporate sector wants the government to stay out of business. And yet they populate government with lobbyists who’s job it is to persuade government to interfere on behalf of corporate interests.
They are not people. Corporate citizenship needs to end.
