TPR does not usually cover insurance because too many others do it far better than we could.

However, this is an alarm bell going off about premium hikes which are being requested at the state level.

National health plans are licensed by state insurance commissioners even though they are “national” plans.

There is a lot of insurance action at the state level every year. This year, pay especially close attention.

If you are concerned about health plan hikes personally or as an employer, make it your business to find out what is going on in your state capitol.

The Washington Post

“The Department of Health and Human Services has a report (pdf) out this morning detailing the eye-popping premium hikes that insurers in different states have requested (56 percent in Michigan, 23 percent in Maine — that sort of thing). If you thought Anthem’s behavior in California was some sort of one-off, this will convince you otherwise.”

Source: Washington Post, February 21, 2010