Premium Review Forum

by Dan Diamond, California Healthline Contributing Editor

The federal health reform law arguably wouldn’t have passed Congress if not for health insurers — a dubious and accidental achievement, in the eyes of many payers.

Anthem Blue Cross’ early 2010 decision to hike rates by as much as 39% provided the political cover for some House Democrats to back the reform bill, which at the time was idling in Congress. Seizing the moment, the legislation’s supporters bashed insurers’ behavior and argued that reforms would slow premium hikes while ending the industry’s worst practices, like rescinding coverage from sick patients.

A proposed federal regulation might change the administration — and significantly increase costs — of student health plans at universities nationwide, including the UNC-system plan that was introduced last semester.

University health insurance plans have come under scrutiny for having a greater profit margin than the typical individual health insurance coverage, while not providing students sufficient coverage.

The proposed regulation released last week by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services would categorize student health plans as individual health insurance coverage.

By BY JOHN S. HOFF

From the Heritage Foundation

To sell his overhaul of the United States health care system, President Barack Obama repeatedly assured Americans that if they liked their current health insurance plan they could keep it under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). This broad assurance was designed to disarm opposition from the great majority of Americans who have health insurance and are satisfied with it. Americans did not stop to parse the President’s assurance; they took him at his word.