Pennsylvania Insurance Claims Lawyers Hope That Federal Oversight May Help Bring Down the Cost of Insurance in Pennsylvania and Other States
Over the past decade, and particularly over the past few years, many of us have witnessed insurance companies continuing to raise rates for healthcare insurance as they additionally continue to play the deny, delay, defend payment of benefits with a heavier hammer.
As an experienced victim’s advocate and insurance claims attorney who has fought tens of thousands of cases against insurance companies for over three decades, I find the behavior of many insurance companies doing business in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and throughout the country to be unconscionable. For the first time ever, the Federal Administration under the instructions of President Obama called on a health insurance company in Pennsylvania to reduce what it is charging small businesses. According to officials at the Department of Health and Human Services, Everence Insurance Company was planning to raise insurance rates on about 5,000 Pennsylvanians by nearly 12% next year and the Federal Administration has claimed that such a rate raise is unreasonable. The Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, stated “The rate is not justified by what the insurers are expected to pay out in medical claims in the state."
As an employer who pays health benefits that seem to be shrinking with every increase in premium, I salute the federal intervention which would seemingly require insurers seeking high increases to justify them publicly. Historically, insurance premiums have been regulated by state governments with great variance and oversight from state to state. Unfortunately, some states have little review based upon a strong political lobby by the insurance carriers while some other states block rates they deem excessive.
If you have been unfairly denied a claim by an insurance company, the unfair insurance claims practices and bad faith insurance claim lawyers of Reiff and Bily always offer a free, no obligation consultation. Contact us toll free at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.
