President of the California Association of Health Plans
President of the California Association of Health Plans
PROFILE
Chris Ohman
Guest
FROM Chris Ohman
Which Way, L.A.?
Will Health Insurance Be There When You Need It? LA City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo has sued Blue Shield for illegally rescinding coverage of 850 policy holders. Blue Shield calls it a “cheap political stunt…without merit.” But without agreeing to wrongdoing, Blue Shield will pay 3 million dollars to settle an investigation of such practices by Governor Schwarzenegger’s Department of Managed Health Care. Anthem Blue Cross will pay 13 million. It’s all about polices sold to individuals not protected by group benefits.
Which Way, L.A.?
Healthcare Reform in California The atmosphere in Sacramento is right this year for action on healthcare reform. That's according to Herb Schultz, the Governor's point man on the issue , who says there may not be another such opportunity for a decade or more. Democratic leaders of the Assembly and Senate have plans of their own and so do Republicans. All of them involve the insurance industry, which now provides the funding mechanism for healthcare in America. Democratic Senator Sheila Kuehl has a plan that does away with insurance company involvement altogether, replacing it with universal healthcare, free to everybody at the point of service, administered by the government. How does that stack up against the other proposals? We take a look with Kuehl and others.
Which Way, L.A.?
Governor Schwarzenegger's New Health Insurance Policy Governor Schwarzenegger today announced a plan to require all Californians to have health insurance , a proposal to fix what he calls a "broken healthcare system." Those who could not afford insurance would be helped by the state, and insurance companies would not be allowed to reject anyone because of age or medical condition. Today's plan may be ambitious, but it comes just a day after another proposal, which could do harm to some of the same people the medical plan is supposed to help. The Governor wants a rollback of welfare payments, including a cutoff to tens of thousands of children whose parents don't meet certain requirements. We hear more on a plan the Governor says "will make history," and ask if cuts in welfare would take away with one hand what he says he'll give with the other?
Recommended
To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
To the Point
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?