At a news conference, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius cited half a dozen examples, from Maine to Washington state, in which insurers have sought large premium increases on people who buy coverage individually. In every case but one, state insurance regulators rejected all or part of the requested increases.
"It shines a light on the urgency for health reform," she said.
The administration's attempt to focus attention on insurance comes during a moment of deep uncertainty over the fate of Congress's intense debate about the health-care system. The House and the Senate have passed Democratic health-care legislation, but those efforts have stalled.
Ten days ago, Sebelius wrote a pointed letter to one insurer, Anthem Blue Cross of California. She demanded to know why the company had alerted 800,000 policyholders that their premiums would rise by as much as 39 percent. Anthem postponed the increase by two months.
For the full story in The Washington Post, click here.
Related Coverage:
HHS Warns of Double-Digit Spike in Health Premiums; AP/Google News - Feb. 18, 2010
Bleak Economy Pushing Insurance Companies to Raise Rates; The New York Times - February 18, 2010
The Lesson of Anthem Blue Cross; The New York Times - Op-Ed - February 18, 2010
Fight Over Health Care Premiums Heats Up; The Wall Street Journal - February 19, 2010
