Health Care Reform

Health insurers and HMOs will have to put a larger share of the money they collect from consumers into medical care under a new medical loss ratio (MLR) law that goes into effect Jan. 1, one of 10 new California Department of Insurance (CDI) bills signed by the governor recently.

A new health benefits coalition that represents employers, pharmacy benefit managers and health plans is offering up some criteria it believes will make it easier to administer an essential health benefits package, which is required by health reform.

Republican presidential primary candidate Mitt Romney says repealing Democrats' national health care plan is not enough. The former Massachusetts governor says Republicans have to be ready to replace it with something.

Arkansas insurance officials held a summit Tuesday to discuss how to set up an insurance exchange required under the federal health care overhaul, prompting complaints from Republican legislators who have objected to the state seeking funds for the program.

Steve Auerbach, the head of a company that supplies the innards of many large health insurance exchanges, says he is hungry for good agents.

A coalition that includes Michigan's chapter of the AARP said Tuesday that it supports but wants changes to legislation that would help the state set up a health insurance exchange.