October 28, 2009
Excerpt from Road to Reform California Healthline
On the eve of the expected unveiling of the U.S. House health care proposal, Congressional leaders are taking a closer, questioning look at the Congressional Budget Office’s cost estimates.
The CBO numbers aren't the only ones drawing criticism on Capitol Hill. On Oct. 22, WellPoint -- the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross of California -- released a study of its own projecting that health care reform proposals would result in higher health insurance costs. In the report, the insurer presented a series of case studies for a number of states where it does business.
For California's individual market, WellPoint estimates that premiums will increase by 122% for younger/healthy people and by 53% for people of average age/average health. Older, less healthy people would see premiums decrease by 37% on the individual market, according to WellPoint.
Democrats in Congress roundly criticized the report, much as they have other data health insurers have released in recent weeks.
