Colorado Insurance Regulators Say Health Reform Not The Reason For Steep Hikes

The Colorado Independent:

In the wake of the contentious health care reform legislative battle waged in the media and on the political stump most of last year and this year, health insurance premiums are rising in Colorado. State Insurance Commissioner Marcy Morrison has been fielding phone calls from angry consumers and wants to be clear: Insurance companies are hiking rates just as they have been doing consistently for years and not because of "Obamacare."

Read the whole story: The Colorado Independent

Comments

[alishaneuron]

02:36 AM on 12/16/2010

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[rbchilds]

11:54 AM on 11/13/2010

Using the numbers stated in the article the high end of the cost of HCR, results in a 23.8% increase.

[SilentSolidarity]

06:40 PM on 11/12/2010

That's what you need to get in the thick heads of those Repubs. HCR will reduce the cost by forcing insurance companies to provide rebates when they spend less than 85% of your premiums on health care.

[Anne C]

10:36 AM on 11/11/2010

This will probably an endless debate. Supporters of the health care reform say that the increase will only be felt in the first few years of the implementation. But they're expected to be reduced once health insurance exchange is set up. And they say that regardless of the health care reform, health care providers really raise their rates annually. But the health care reform will not only raise the premiums but it will raises taxes as well. It will also bring about penalties for business owners who won't offer health benefits to their employees.

Anne C
NY Health Insurer

[Harpro208]

04:06 PM on 11/10/2010

It's my understanding that state insurance regulators can deny or modify premium increases. I would hope Colorado regulators would consider the immoral and amoral conduct of the insurance corporations and their thugs and react accordingly when it comes to rate increases.

[Weirdwriter]

01:50 PM on 11/10/2010

Read this article today in the Denver Post, and very glad to see HP has chosen to put it on its site.

This is a very well-researched article, an excellent example of objective and helpful journalism. We don't see as much of it as we should these days because the news media seem more driven to serve up shallow goods by the clock, then by the need.

I intend to cut-and past this link for every regressive who insists that "obamacare" is why the rates are going up, not the real reasons.

Now if only Colorado's Attorney General would investigate the usurer health-insurance industry instead of trying to repeal the first effective restrictions on their rapacious monopoly.

[LynneSpreen]

10:48 AM on 11/10/2010

What does an insurance company do, exactly, besides broker care for a fee? They don't wield a scalpel or write prescriptions. They simply allocate care, and take money for this service. The amount of resources expended for this purpose (time, money, paper, people, phones, copiers, meetings, websites, announcements, attorneys, lobbyists) must be horrendous. What a waste.
www.AnyShinyThing.com, A Blog for Smart Women of a Certain Age

[tompoe]

11:59 AM on 11/10/2010

Their added value, of course, is payment of your health care bill, should you need to make a claim. Since they're for-profit, they need to add in that profit. When the UN Declaration of Human Rights was published in 1948, every country took a look, and decided to utilize some form of Single Payer, rather than subject their citizens to such an idiotic private sector solution that would be prohibitively expensive. We stand alone in making such a preposterous choice. When some argue that health care is not a right, because it's not explicit in our Constitution, simply remind them of Amendment IX, in 1791, that rejected that argument outright. Then, with constrained dignity, tell them to take their crap and shove it.

[Weirdwriter]

01:51 PM on 11/10/2010

Bravo!(or brava!), fanned 'n' fav'd.

[SilentSolidarity]

06:43 PM on 11/12/2010

Exactly. Insurance companies are useless middlemen. Single payer gets rid off the middlemen and thus saves billions of dollars.

[asiclilpup]

10:32 AM on 11/10/2010

The interesting facts were the need to provide the reasons for the increases. Most if not all were small increases but there quite a few reasons listed. If you add up all those minute increases then you're talking a really big raise. Gaming the system-it's what the corps do best.

[montn2]

10:19 AM on 11/10/2010

My corporate sponsored healthcare has increased in premiums, added co-pays/deductibles or cut coverages each year since '03. Has absolutely nothing to do with the HC bill -- just the bottom line profits for the insurance companies. Gotta pay the big bucks to the CEO's, donchaknow?

[GirlOutWest]

07:52 PM on 11/10/2010

Our insurance goes up almost every year. I've been shocked to see how many people are blaming HCR when I know it happens all the time anyway. Glad we're not the only ones that always get raises in our premiums.

[malander]

09:53 AM on 11/10/2010

Greed is the reason. Blame it on Obama and the new poor buy into it. You demonize the President while raking in millions off the backs of the workers. Brilliant! Thanks for being honest Colorado regulators! Doubt this will be told anywhere else.

[sammi 56]

11:27 AM on 11/10/2010

Ditto-- Yea Colorado! I have been saying this for so long to deaf ears!