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Wednesday, September 1, 2010

New rate hikes continue despite Obamacare overhaul

From: New Patriot Journal / L.A. Times

New rate hikes continue despite Obamacare overhaul
http://www.newpatriotjournal.com/Articles/New_rate_hikes_continue_despite_Obamacare_overhaul



California insurance regulators cleared the way Wednesday for Anthem Blue Cross to implement scaled-back rate hikes after a previous increase was canceled amid an uproar over its size.

Anthem said it intends to put the new rates — averaging 14% and as high as 20% — into effect Oct. 1 for nearly 800,000 individual California policyholders.

Regulators also allowed one of Anthem's nonprofit competitors, Blue Shield of California, to move ahead with rate increases — averaging 19% and as high as 29% — for 250,000 individual policyholders. Anthem backed off its initial plan to increase premiums as much as 39% in March after consumers, regulators, lawmakers and even President Obama criticized it, and after a consultant hired by state regulators found major math errors in its filing. . . .

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