Some Mass. Health Premiums To Rise; Blue Shield Of Calif. CEO Pay Down Slightly
The increase in Massachusetts' small business and individual health care insurance premiums is down from increases of 5.5 percent on average last year.
The Boston Globe: Insurance Costs Rise Modestly
Small businesses and individuals whose annual health insurance policies renew on Oct. 1 will see average premium base rate hikes of 2.1 percent in Massachusetts, increases that are more modest than the 5.5 percent average boost in base rates they absorbed a year ago. But despite the trend of moderating increases in the past two years, the new rate hikes ticked up from the 0.7 percent average increases on policies that renewed July 1, according to data filed Friday by the state Division of Insurance (Weisman, 8/11).
Meanwhile, in California -
Los Angeles Times: Blue Shield Top Executives' Pay Changed Little In 2011
Nonprofit insurer Blue Shield of California said its outgoing chief executive earned $4.6 million last year, off slightly from a year earlier, as all insurance companies faced new government rules on how customer premiums are spent (Terhune, 8/11).