Carmel insurer reports smaller profit on investment losses
Carmel-based Baldwin & Lyons Inc. on Thursday reported a smaller profit in the third quarter despite writing a near-record number of premiums during the period.
Carmel-based Baldwin & Lyons Inc. on Thursday reported a smaller profit in the third quarter despite writing a near-record number of premiums during the period.
WellPoint’s stock has benefited the most among major insurers since the 2013 launch of the Obamacare exchanges, along with tax subsidies to buy insurance.
The insurer will not let customers who renewed their pre-Obamacare plans late in 2013 do so again this year. But switching to Obamacare-compliant plans could cause some premiums to spike and provider choice to dwindle.
Health insurers such as WellPoint Inc. entered last fall cautious about a major coverage expansion initiated by the health care overhaul, but are finding the challenges more manageable than expected.
Enrollment in WellPoint’s health plans increased by 259,000 members in the third quarter. Growth came in WellPoint’s employer and Medicaid plans, while its individual health plans declined by 108,000.
The Carmel-based insurance holding company had profit of $117.4 million in the period ended Sept. 30, down from $283 million in last year's third quarter. Revenue fell 11 percent, to $967 million.
The Indiana attorney general’s office has recovered more than $181,000 for the state Medicaid program by joining with other states and the federal government in a fraud settlement.
Starting Jan. 1, Wal-Mart will no longer offer health insurance to employees who work less than an average of 30 hours a week. The move, which would affect 30,000 employees, follows similar decisions by Target, Home Depot and others.
Contract talks broke down Wednesday between Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and a network of five hospitals and other facilities, leaving tens of thousands of patients facing higher health insurance costs.
Health benefits are still demanded by the most-valued workers.
The clinics could rearrange the system by forcing price quotes and demanding that providers follow-through.
Indianapolis Business Journal gathered leaders in the state's health care and benefits sector for a Power Breakfast panel discussion Sept. 26. The panel discussed disruption of employer clinics, health care spending and more.
Health care advocates and industry lobbyists are asking federal officials for speedy approval of Indiana's request for a Medicaid expansion.
The Health and Human Services department on Tuesday reported a net increase of 63 insurers joining the market in 43 states plus Washington, D.C.
The $14.5 million defamation verdict awarded against State Farm in favor of a Fishers-based contractor who accused the insurer of defaming him remains in place after the Indiana Court of Appeals rejected the company’s request for a new trial.
Officials say Indiana residents will have more than triple the number of health insurance plans to choose from when the federal insurance exchange enrollment period starts in November. A a 5-percent average increase in exchange premiums is expected.
Two local insurance agencies with long histories and well-known leaders have merged, creating a firm with eight Indiana offices, 145 agents and more than 160 employees.
Hoosiers are receiving $11.9 million in rebates this year from health insurers that used less than 80 percent of their 2013 premiums for medical bills last year. That’s down from $22.6 million handed out last year.
The name change will be completed by the end of the year, pending shareholder approval, the company said Tuesday.
An affiliate of Lutheran Health Network in northeast Indiana that concentrates on health-related businesses services expects to nearly triple its workforce.