Americas Health Insurance Plan launches New HSA plan

Press Release



America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) will launch a one-stop online clearing house for consumer information on Health Savings Accounts (HSA's). The Web site will feature an online learning center cosponsored with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) where small business owners will be able to learn more about this important new health insurance coverage and savings opportunity.



Please Join Karen Ignagni President and CEO of AHIP and the SBA Administrator Hector V. Barreto for the rollout of this new online tool.



WHAT: Launch of New HSA Web site and Online Learning Center



WHO: Hector V. Barreto, Administrator Small Business Administration



Karen Ignagni, President & CEO America's Health Insurance Plans



WHEN: Friday December 17, 2004 at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time



WHERE: National Press Club (Zenger Room), 529 14th Street NW, Washington DC

California Health Insurance battle

Sacramento, CA, Dec. 15 (UPI)



A new political battle is shaping up in California over the idea of requiring all state residents to have some form of health insurance.



The Los Angeles Times said Wednesday the idea received a boost recently from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who agreed with the medical lobby that 5 million uninsured Californians is too many.



Voters in November rejected a proposal that would have required nearly all employers to offer insurance for their workers, and some analysts predict a law requiring individuals to have insurance will prompt a large number of companies to drop their coverage and pocket the savings.



There were also concerns the cash-strapped state would have to provide heavy subsidies for low-income residents, and premiums would jump.



Nevertheless, the Times said the combined support of the influential medical and business lobbies has given proponents of the measure an increased level of confidence that they could push the measure through the Legislature.

Geico v Google

BY SAM HANANEL



ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- A federal judge heard arguments Monday in a trademark dispute that could threaten millions in advertising revenue for Google.



Attorneys for auto insurance giant Geico told U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema that Google should not be allowed to sell ads to rival insurance companies that are triggered when Geico's name is typed into the Google search box.



Geico claims that Google's AdWords program, which displays the rival ads under a ''Sponsored Links'' heading next to a user's search results, causes confusion for consumers and illegally exploits Geico's investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in its brand.



But Google said the ad policy is no different from a supermarket giving out coupons for one product in the checkout line when a customer buys the same product from a different company.

BCBSM saves seniors $75M

Press Release



DETROIT, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- A Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan drug

savings program developed several years ago has saved seniors in the state an

estimated $75 million in out-of-pocket prescription drug costs. This month

the company introduced a new online drug price comparison tool that helps

seniors see the approximate price they would pay under the program, keeping in

mind that some variance will exist among pharmacies.

The program is sponsored solely by the Michigan Blues for seniors not

enrolled in coverage through a group.

Called Affinity Rx, the savings program is available at no extra cost to

the nearly 200,000 Michigan seniors who purchase their Medicare Supplemental

health coverage directly from the Blues because they are not part of a group.

Seniors simply show their Michigan Blues identification card at one of nearly

2,000 participating Michigan pharmacies to obtain the savings.

The savings amount varies but the average savings is 25 percent off the

average retail price of the drug, depending on the drug and pharmacy used.

Nearly all Michigan pharmacies honor the program.

Glen Perry, director of pharmacy services for the Michigan Blues, said

"The use of the Affinity Rx program continues to grow. It is unique because

it does not require carrying a separate card or a separate fee outside of the

premium for Blues Medicare Supplemental coverage." Medicare Supplemental

covers many of the medical and surgical expenses Medicare doesn't pay for.

A new online feature introduced this month allows users to search drugs

most often prescribed to Blues customers to find out the average price that

current members pay for any of 250 common medications with the Blues Affinity

Rx discount. The site offers a pull-down menu from which users can select a

drug name, are asked to supply the drug dosage, and then receive price

information. In addition, the site flags drugs that have a generic available.

The information is provided on the Blues' Web site, http://www.bcbsm.com ,

under the "members and groups/pharmacy services" page.

Seniors who use Affinity Rx can still apply for a government-approved

Medicare drug discount card and simply continue to use their Affinity Rx

discount when it represents the best value.

A similar savings program, called Blues Advantage Rx, is available to

individuals under age 65 who purchase health care coverage directly through

the Michigan Blues because they are not part of a group.

The program was designed in 1999 with input from the Michigan Office of

Financial and Insurance Services, the Michigan Office of Services to the

Aging, the Michigan attorney general's office and Michigan pharmacies.

"It's a homegrown program," Perry said. "We considered whether we should

discontinue it after the government introduced Medicare drug discount cards,

but it was working so well here in Michigan that we decided to keep it until

the new Medicare drug benefit becomes available to seniors."

Progressive launches website for agents

Press Release



MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 13, 2004



The Progressive group of companies, the third largest auto insurance group in the country based on premiums written, today announced the debut of its newest Web site, driveinsurance.com, highlighting the important role that independent agents and brokers play in Progressive's business model. Drive Insurance from Progressive(SM) is the new brand designed to help independent agents and brokers grow their business and was introduced by the company in September.





The Web site is a key component of Drive's marketing campaign, which communicates to consumers the advantages that independent agents provide over captive agents. Consumers who see Drive television advertising will be directed to driveinsurance.com to get more information and to find a local agency.



-- Find an Agent - Consumers can search for an independent agency that sells Drive(SM) products, using criteria as general as a ZIP code and address or as specific as products offered and languages spoken at the agency. The Web site will list up to 10 local agencies, their contact information and e-mail/Web site link (if applicable).



-- Get an Online Quote - Consumers can get an auto insurance quote and have their referral information sent electronically to an agency of their choice to complete the sale.



-- Manage Your Policy - Drive customers can login for convenient, secure, 24-hour access to their policy. They can make payments, view and print policy documents, track claims, make routine policy changes, and more, but are referred back to their Drive agency for more complex changes.



The Web site also offers independent agents and brokers valuable marketing opportunities through the Find an Agent and quoting/referral functions. "We've been talking to agents about the Drive brand for a few months now, and the biggest 'buzz' we hear from them is about driveinsurance.com," said Bob Williams, group president, Drive Insurance from Progressive. "They're pleased that we're applying our Internet know-how to a Web site designed for people who buy from agents, and are really excited at the chance to use the site to help grow their agencies. We'd love for consumers as well as agents and brokers to give driveinsurance.com a test drive."

Fewer AR children go without Health Insuance

A new report says the share of Arkansas children not covered by health insurance declined from 19.4 percent in 1996 to 11 percent in 2002—lower than the national average of 12 percent.



Rhonda Sanders, director of health policy for Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, credited the improvement to the ARKids First program. That program was set up by the Legislature in 1997, at the urging of Gov. Mike Huckabee.



About 50,000 more children have health insurance today than in 1996, according to the report released by Sanders' group, but about 82,000 remain uninsured.



Some of the greatest reductions in uninsured rates occurred in families with incomes below 201 percent of the officially defined poverty level. The report also says that the percentage of insured children in households with incomes at or below 200 percent of the poverty level is nearing the percentage of covered children in homes with incomes above that level.



"The ARKids First enrollment effort has actually reduced for the first time the insurance gap between the low-income children and the higher income children in Arkansas,'' Sanders said.



The ARKids First legislation expanded the income eligibility for Medicaid, allowing more children to qualify for the government health insurance.



To help the 11 percent of children who are still uninsured, Sanders said, her group plans to support the Medicaid budget request from the state Department of Human Services.



The department's 2005 budget includes $426.2 million for prescription drugs, including $86.5 million in state general revenue, and $1.96 billion for hospital and medical services, including $376.4 million in state general revenue.



Sanders said that budget allows for growth in the ARKids program at the rate seen over the past several years.

Lower Health Insurance costs in the future for hoosiers?

With more than 700,000 Hoosiers without any health insurance, with 56 percent of smaller businesses unable to offer employees coverage because it’s just too expensive and with premiums that go up every year, we have a real crisis on our hands,” said Simpson.“We can’t wait for the system to fix itself and we can’t wait for Washington any longer. Too many Hoosier families and businesses are left unprotected. The bills I am introducing today are reasonable steps to create a more efficient system where more people will have the opportunity to access the coverage they need and deserve.”Among the bills Simpson will introduce is a measure to aid Indiana’s small businesses by allowing them to purchase health insurance through the state. If enacted, the Private Employer Health Insurance Program would provide small businesses, those with 100 or fewer employees, with access to the state employee health insurance plan or a separately established pool.“All too often health insurance is an impediment to economic investment and job creation, particularly for small businesses,” said Simpson. “This is no longer just a health care issue, it’s a jobs issue, it’s an economic development issue and it’s a quality of life issue.”With 109,000 eligible small businesses and more than 886,000 employees throughout the state, the legislation requires the State Budget Agency to develop and implement a program no later than July 1, 2006. Simpson is also introducing a cost-saving measure, which would merge the state’s colleges and universities health care plans with state employee’s plan in order to seek better prices and products.Currently each university has its own plan, creating discrepancies in both cost and services among the institutions. With the varying plans, they spend a total of $325 million each year to cover 172,000 employees and their dependents. At the same time, the state employee plan covers more than 85,000 employees and their families, at an annual cost of $252 million. “With our state’s fiscal situation and the growing cost of health care, going it alone no longer makes sense,” said Simpson. “By working together we can more than double the number of people covered through the state’s health insurance program. That strengthens our ability to negotiate for better prices and products and ultimately it reduces the program’s total costs.”A third piece of legislation Simpson is introducing calls for standardizing the administrative requirements surrounding the delivery of health care services. Duplicative and cumbersome administrative paperwork and processes between providers, payers and insurance carriers significantly adds to the overall cost. Under the senator’s proposal, standardized operating procedures would be implemented to create common credentialing, medical records review and pre-certification standards for all health care entities operating in Indiana. The plan also calls for making the various forms, directories and certificates of coverage available electronically and on the web for more efficient and timely transactions. “Too much of what the average person pays in health care costs goes towards red-tape and paperwork and not toward actually helping them,” said Simpson. “Each health care insurer has a different set of forms, each one has a different set of processes and each one has a different approval process.”“What this bill does is to simplify those procedures by creating a common language from which all entities can work. With the technology we have available today, streamlining this just makes sense from both a business and customer service standpoint.” The final piece of Simpson’s plan calls for the expansion of the Bulk Prescription Drug Purchasing Program, which she worked to create last session. Under Simpson’s plan, which she has previously announced, Indiana-based small businesses, county hospitals and nonprofit organizations would be allowed to enter the state’s drug purchasing pool. The move would significantly reduce the overall costs to small businesses by expanding the state’s pool, providing more leverage to bargain for lower drug costs. The proposal would also delete language in existing law prohibiting the state’s Medicaid program, which covers approximately 800,000 Hoosiers, from joining the pool. “These are all common sense measures we can take today that will have a profound impact on people’s ability to access quality health care. Health care is not a luxury item, and it shouldn’t be priced as one,” added Simpson. “Affordable health care is a basic right too which everyone is entitled. And this session, I intend to work with my colleagues in the General Assembly and the incoming administration to make sure every Hoosier enjoys that right.” In her 20 years in the Indiana State Senate, Simpson has been a leading voice on health and human services issues. Simpson has authored or sponsored successful legislation establishing the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), creating a HMO Patients' "Bill of Rights," establishing the Office of Women's Health in State Health Department, providing mental health "parity" in health insurance and expanding state oversight of HMOs. She successfully lobbied for additional state funds for the CHOICE home health care program and co-authored the Long Term Care Reform Act, which focuses on the building of community based options for senior citizens.