Some previous blog entries referencing the MLR:
MLR - Year 2 - Jun 22, 2013
All you ever wanted to know about the MLR - Sep 23rd, 2012
Latest MLR update - Dec 4th, 2011
The MLR saga continues - May 13th, 2011
Misc update (MLR) - Mar 26th, 2011
Misc update - V - Feb 13th, 2011
Misc updates - MLR - Oct 25th, 2010
MLR Redux - Aug 24th, 2010
MLR update - Jun 27th, 2010
Health care re-form VIII (More nonsense) - August 28th, 2009
The MLR - medical loss ratio - was in the news again... First, it was announced that "... U.S. health insurers will send out about $330 million in rebates to employers and individuals this summer... The rebates will go to about 6.8 million people
and have a value of about $80 per family. They are to be sent by Aug. 1
either directly to consumers or to the employer providing the health
coverage, who is required to pass the savings onto employees..."
Second, a detailed GAO report provided information on the MLR, including: "... When the MLR rules were being considered, there was some concern that
insurers would categorize spending on routine operations, such as
utilization review, as QI, Jost said. Doing so would move these costs
from administration to claims, and thus help them avoid paying MLR
rebates to consumers and businesses. “But that does not seem to be
happening in a major way" and "...insurers spent less than 1.6 percent of their annual premium income on
quality improvements (QI). In 2011, health insurers’ average spending on
QI activities as a percentage of net premiums ranged from a low of 0.2
percent (in Wyoming) to a high of 1.5 percent (in Tennessee). The 2012
numbers were similar — Wyoming was still the lowest (at 0.3 percent) and
New Mexico was highest at 1.6 percent..." and "... Contrary to predictions that MLR rules would drive up insurers’ costs,
the GAO report found that the rules had little influence on insurer
spending...", see:
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