Blue Shield of California Cancels March 1st Rate Increase

Blue Shield of California members can breath a sigh of relief after the company announced that they were withdrawing their rate increase and guaranteeing members that rates would not increase again in 2011.

Blue Shield customers received notices earlier this year telling them that rates were going up effective Feb 1^st, and a second notice was sent to some customers about another increase in rates with a March 1^st effective date. The CA Insurance Commissioner rejected the March 1^st rate increase and asked Blue Shield to supply proof that the March rate increases were an actuarial necessity. This was the second time in less than a year that the Insurance Commissioner rejected an insurance company’s rate increase.

In the spring of 2010, Anthem Blue Cross announced rate increases of up to 49%. The public outcry and the CA department of insurance rejection of those proposed increases led to a public backlash against the insurance companies. After a thorough actuarial analysis, Anthem Blue Cross eventually raised their rates in October 2010, but by a smaller amount than the springtime request.

At SPF Insurance Services we thought the 2^nd increase would be delayed by many months and recommended that our clients wait to see what would come from the March 1^st rate increase before deciding what the next step was. As a result, our clients did not have to go through the hassle of applying for alternative coverage during this busy time of the year, only to discover that the rate increase isn’t going to happen.

If you would like to find out if you have a health insurance plan that fits your needs, visit us at www.spfinsurance.com/health-insurance-info.