| Affordable health insurance in Florida could help 1 in 5 residents
Wednesday, August 12 Affordable health insurance in Florida could improve access to medical services for the 3.75 million Floridians who are currently without coverage, the third worst rate in the nation, according to a Sun-Sentinel editorial.Although another 3 million rely on government options for insurance like Medicare, noted the newspaper, one report shows that more residents of Florida and other states are making the choice to research their options.comScore, an online marketing firm, recently released data showing that while Americans have been less likely to visit insurer websites, they have been looking for affordable health insurance in Florida, in fact nationwide.Insurers like Cigna and Aetna have had 10 percent less traffic, but online clearinghouses that help consumers compare different rates and plan options have seen more than 100 percent increases in visitors in some cases.
Top insurance salaries on par with others, report finds
"Our report concludes that the compensation packages of Highmark and Independence Blue Cross are reasonable under the applicable legal standard," Insurance Commissioner Joel Ario said in a statement. The analysis is part of the mopping-up work the Insurance Department has been doing with the piles of data it acquired in filings when the companies tried to merge. They withdrew their petition in January. "We are pleased with the report's conclusion," said Independence Blue Cross spokeswoman Elizabeth Williams, a sentiment similarly expressed by Highmark. Williams noted that Independence Blue Cross is an $11 billion insurer with multiple lines of business and 8,800 employees who serve 3.2 million people nationwide. The Insurance Department report said the executives' pay was in line with what executives of Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies earned nationally.
Liberty National Life Insurance gears up for hiring binge as it
Liberty National Life Insurance Co. plans to hire at least 100 more agents in the Tampa Bay area and others throughout Florida next week in what the Texas company calls the most aggressive ramp-up in its 109-year history. There's one side issue jobseekers should be aware of: Florida insurance regulators have threatened to suspend or revoke the company's license. As part of its Aug. 19 "We're Hiring Day," Liberty says it intends to hire 2,500 agents nationwide in a single day, staging events at 125 locations across the country, including three sites in the bay area and venues in Orlando and south Florida. "Sales year over year have been going up substantially," spokesman Andrew Coutavas said. "We're really in a growth mode now." The average annual pay for a first-year agent is $61,000, he said.
Insurance consolidation leads to cries for public plan
Four health insurance companies dominate the country. And in most cities nationwide, one or two firms dominate, according to the American Antitrust Institute. Montana isn't much different. Two companies control more than 80 percent of the health insurance coverage for individuals in the state. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana has 54.5 percent, and Time Insurance has nearly 26 percent of the market share, according to the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance. There's a little more variety when it comes to small group health insurance plans, which cover two to 50 people and include the vast majority of Montana employers. Three firms control about three-quarters of the market. Blue Cross Blue Shield has nearly 42 percent of that market, followed by John Alden Life Insurance Co.
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