Insurance Space

Paul Krugman writes:

Job creation? – Paul Krugman – Op-Ed Columnist – New York Times Blog: Dean Baker is upset at a news report suggesting that John McCain — unlike Barack Obama! — is concerned with job creation. I feel his pain. If there’s one thing that stands out above all over the economic record of the past 16 years, it’s the contrast between stellar employment performance under Clinton and dismal performance under Bush. You can offer various excuses and explanations, but how anyone can suggest that Republicans are more committed to and/or credible about job creation is a mystery…

ST. LOUIS – You insure your house. You insure your car. So what about your family pet?

Nestle Purina PetCare announced that it will begin offering PurinaCare, the first pet health insurance under pet food maker Purina’s name. The company said two plans will be available for dogs and cats, at a time when veterinary care can include costly CAT scans, MRIs or chemotherapy.

The insurance will be offered through PurinaCare Insurance Services, a San Antonio subsidiary of Nestle Purina PetCare, which has its North American headquarters in St. Louis.

WASHINGTON — A report by a consumer advocacy group criticizes states for not doing more to protect consumers who buy health insurance through the individual market, rather than through their employers or the government.

Most states, including Indiana, don’t require insurance companies to sell policies to all applicants, don’t prohibit charging higher premiums based on health status, and don’t require insurers to spend at least 75 percent of premium revenues on health care, rather than on marketing, profits and other expenses, according to Families USA.

However, Indiana is one of only seven states that the group says requires affordable coverage alternatives for those rejected by insurance companies.

A spike in the number of ‘underinsured’ adults since 2003 startles healthcare experts.

The economic downturn is speeding up the unraveling of America’s healthcare system.

In what experts call a “startling” development, the number of people who have health insurance but not enough to pay their medical costs has spiked from 16 million in 2003 to 25 million in 2007, according to a new analysis.

They’re called the underinsured – working Americans whose employers don’t provide health insurance so they have to buy it on their own, or who have jobs that offer only catastrophic plans with high copayments and deductibles in the thousands of dollars. An increasing number are solidly middle-class.