Medicare rules hammer hospitals, docs
Being an accountable care organization will be the major leagues of health care after the federal Medicare program set a high bar for the new kind of doctor-hospital organization.
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Lafayette Life leaving in June; 159 jobs affected
All 159 employees of the insurance company will either relocate to Cincinnati or lose their jobs, according to a spokeswoman for Lafayette Life’s parent company. Lafayette Life was founded in 1905.
Q&A
Susan Rider is an employee-benefits account manager at Indianapolis-based Gregory & Appel Insurance. On July 1, she will become president of the Indiana State Association of Health Underwriters. She spoke about the first-year impact of the 2010 health reform law and further changes to come.
WellPoint gets vote of confidence
Health reform will make health insurance a less-profitable business, but WellPoint Inc. got a vote of confidence from bond analysts because health-reform rules have turned out milder than expected and WellPoint’s financial performance has been particularly strong as the economy recovers.
Health insurers diversify away from regulations
One year after President Obama signed the health reform overhaul, health insurers are buying less-regulated companies in a bid to offset the lower profits and growth they expect the law to cause.
Self-funded plans draw small-firm interest
In the face of new health reform restrictions, expect more small employers to opt for self-funded health benefits, concludes a report this week from Indianapolis-based United Benefit Advisors.
Healthy Indiana Plan expansion opposed by some
Indiana wants to use its public health savings account program for low-income adults to cover people who will become newly eligible for Medicaid under the federal health care law beginning in 2014.
WellPoint CEO received 3-percent raise last year
The Indianapolis-based insurer awarded Angela Braly a total pay package worth $13.4 million, up from $13.1 million in 2009 even as the company's profit and enrollment numbers slipped.
RATHKE: My saga of staying up to date on health care reform
Human resources used to be about payroll and benefits. Now it’s also about watching Congress.
Hospital systems adopt Starbucks-style service
Indiana University Health is the latest system to drill employees ranging from clerks to physicians in how to treat patients.
OneAmerica enjoys 24-percent surge in sales
The Indianapolis-based life insurer pulled in sales last year of $1.7 billion and boosted its overall assets 12 percent, to $24.4 billion.
Health insurance costs spike worldwide
Think galloping health insurance costs are a problem unique to American employers? Think again. Medical costs paid by employer-focused health insurers rose by an average of 10 percent last year—identical to the United States.
CNO Financial Chairman Hilliard stepping down
R. Glenn Hilliard, 68, who has held the chairman's title since September 2003, said he will not seek re-election.
OneAmerica promotes CFO Davison to executive vice president
With the company recently doubling in size, CEO Dayton Molendorp wanted another executive to guide the company’s further growth.
WellPoint sees strong enrollment in big accounts
WellPoint Inc. has already more than doubled the enrollment gains it expected in 2011 for national accounts that the health insurer administers for large employers.
WellPoint expects employer biz to stagnate
Over the next five years, WellPoint Inc. expects the employer-sponsored insurance business to shrink slightly, forcing it to shift its focus to government-sponsored plans.
WellPoint board declares 25-cent dividend
WellPoint Inc. became the latest health insurer to reward shareholders with a quarterly payout after piling up cash from a string of strong financial performances.
UPDATE: CNO shares soar after quarterly profit rises
The Carmel-based life and health insurer, in an after-markets announcement, said it earned $168.2 million in the final three months of last year, a big jump from the $18.2 million profit it posted in the same quarter the prior year.
Health insurers expect hit from reform rule
Major health insurers, including WellPoint, say a provision that requires them to spend a certain percentage of the premiums they collect on care-related costs will eat into earnings this year.
Indiana Farm Bureau unveiling ads during Super Bowl
The insurer’s new campaign, developed by local advertising firm Young & Laramore, focuses on real-life situations amid a crowded field of competitors.