New York health plans are under more pressure than ever to keep a lid on rates, but their requests for premium increases have been curtailed under the new prior approval law. As one alternative, carri…
In the face of reimbursement pressures and uncertainty, Florida's Medicare and Medicaid insurers have tweaked their offerings as part of strategies to continue enrollment growth while the state…
BC/BS of Michigan, the heavyweight among Michigan carriers, is reacting to both the downed economy and strides made by its nearest competitor, Priority Health, by launching in 2011 a new slimmed-down…
Outside of changes related to healthcare reform, most insurers avoided major changes to benefit design for 2011. UnitedHealth Group launched a pilot in Phoenix and other markets which reimburses the Y…
The insurance market in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana reacted to new reform rules that began this fall. Employers with group plans were forced to decide whether or not to pursue grandfather status with t…
More employer groups are offering high deductible health plans as the sole offering to their employees due to recessionary pressures. Employers are banking on these plans as ways to save on health car…
Sorting out the complexities of healthcare reform has kept health plans and employer groups busy this enrollment season, overshadowing the typical product innovation seen this time of year. Financiall…
Thanks to healthcare reform, prodding by the federal government and new benefit designs, we’re seeing substantial changes in store with the market.With the rollout of new Medicare plans for 2011, we’r…
Massachusetts, continuing to look for answers to its escalating heatlhcare costs, has passed legislation requring insurers to offer a limited network option for small employers–apparantly modeled off…
The asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) market represents a brand-dominated market that could face substantial changes over the next few years by the possible arrival of generic me…
Pennsylvania's commercial insurance market suffered in 2009 as employment losses and the rising cost of employer-based health insurance forced many to drop coverage. The state's major communit…
Commercial carriers are trying to weather uncertain times as the government imposes new regulations under health reform. In advance of new rules governing medical loss ratios, Bradley Wilson, the new…
Thousands of state residents currently receiving care in Minnesota through the state-subidized MinnesotaCare program could be moved into state exchanges as a part of national healthcare reform. Howeve…
Still reeling from a weak job market, the insurance industry in the Tristate is looking under every stone for cost controls and efficiencies. Carriers still challenged in growing their commercial busi…
The commercial healthcare segment is consolidating in the Heartland, where dominant Blue Cross plans hold their solid top positions, and players such as Coventry are buying up regional plans in hopes…