Pennsylvania Moving Forward on Insurance Marketplace; Industry Working to Influence Lawmakers to Do the "Bare Minimum"

Submitted by Erin Gill on January 22, 2012 - 10:45pm
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In an email today, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department announced it’s intent to move forward on establishing a health insurance marketplace in PA. The Department has applied for funding from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to complete the planning and begin designing a new health insurance marketplace (an “exchange”) that needs to be open for business on January 1, 2014. 

BREAKING: Bill to Give Health Insurers More Leeway to Raise Rates Passes

Submitted by Athena Ford on December 15, 2011 - 3:00pm

SB 1336 just passed through the General Assembly and is headed to the to the Governor's desk for his siganture. 

The good news is that commercial plans (meaning not just the 'non-profit' Blues and HMO's) will actually be subject to review when they want to hike up rates on small businesses. Unfortunately, our legislators missed a golden opportunity to put some real protections in place for small employers in our state. 

Guest Post: Don't Weaken Oversight of Health Insurance Rate Hikes

Submitted by pahealth on December 13, 2011 - 1:16pm
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From Sharon Ward, Director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center. Posted by our friends at ThirdandState.org:

Many states have taken steps to ensure that there is a meaningful review of proposed health insurance rate increases for small businesses and individuals.

Senate Bill Gives Health Insurers More Leeway to Raise Rates

Submitted by pahealth on December 8, 2011 - 11:40am
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Yesterday the Pennsylvania Senate voted on Senate Bill 1336. PHAN released the following statement immediately following the vote.

Senate Bill Gives Health Insurers More Leeway to Raise Rates

HARRISBURG, PA (December 7, 2011) - Antoinette Kraus, project director of the Pennsylvania Health Access Network (PHAN), issued a statement on the Pennsylvania Senate's passage of SB 1336:

Insurance Dept Denies Ratepayers Public Hearing, Grants Highmark Their Rate Hike

Submitted by Athena Ford on October 19, 2011 - 4:27pm

Thousands of you drafted emails, signed petitions, called and showed up in person to ask the Insurance Department for a real, public investigation into Highmark's proposed rate hike on the Special Care plan.

PHAN activists pushed back against the proposed 9.9% hike so much so that Highmark immediately felt the pressure and changed their request to a 4.9% increase.