Calif. HMO Rates Skyrocket Video

Calif. HMO Rates Skyrocket Video Transcript

< (3TRACY+RATES+LIEBERMAN+PIERCE EVE NEWS 2/22/10) (NATS 29:40) "Health care now! Health care now!" (NARR 1) IN LOS ANGELES...SKYROCKETING HEALTH CARE COSTS HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE FEELING SICK. (NATS 24:53) "how's your health care these days?" (NARR 2/GRAPHIC) ANTHEM BLUE CROSS, CALIFORNIA'S LARGEST PRIVATE HEALTH INSURER, PLANS TO RAISE RATES ON 700-THOUSAND HOUSEHOLDS IN THE STATE. AS OF MAY 1, MOST MONTHLY PREMIUMS WOULD JUMP 25 PERCENT...SOME AS MUCH AS 39 PERCENT. (source: AP) (NARR 3/GRAPHIC) ILENE LISAK IS 7 MONTHS PREGNANT...BUT SHE WASN'T EXPECTING THIS LETTER FROM ANTHEM RAISING HER PREMIUM...FROM 525 DOLLARS TO 708 DOLLARS PER MONTH...A 35 (34.8%) PERCENT HIKE. (SOT 12:49:46 Ilene Lisak/Anthem Blue Cross Customer) "You have a right to make money but not at the expense of abusing other people." (NARR 5/MAP) NATIONWIDE, MAJOR INSURANCE COMPANIES WANT TO RAISE PREMIUMS BY MORE THAN 20 PERCENT IN OREGON, MAINE, AND CONNECTICUT AND A WHOPPING 56 PERCENT IN MICHIGAN. (source: HHS) (NARR 6) PRESIDENT OBAMA WANTS THE GOVERNMENT TO BE ABLE TO BLOCK LARGE PREMIUM INCREASES. (STANDUP Ben Tracy/CBS News) "Yet insurance companies say they have to charge more because fewer people are paying premiums after losing their jobs and medical costs keep going up." (SOT 12:59:05 Brad Fluegel /Executive Vice President, WellPoint, Inc) "Hospital costs going up over 11-percent. Pharmaceutical costs going up over 13-percent. That's what we really need to be focused on." (NARR 7/GRAPHIC) HOWEVER, LAST YEAR ANTHEM SENT AN ESTIMATED 525 MILLION IN PROFIT TO ITS PARENT COMPANY WELLPOINT. (source: WellPoint, Inc) (NARR 8/GRAPHIC) TODAY CALIFORNIA'S INSURANCE REGULATOR ANNOUNCED 732 VIOLATIONS BY ANTHEM INCLUDING LATE PAYMENT OF CLAIMS AND MISLEADING CONSUMERS. (SOT 12:22:20 Steve Poizner/California Insurance Commissioner) "We want them to number one pay all claims on time, number 2 pay all claims completely." (NARR 9) ILENE LISAK JUST WANTS TO FOCUS ON PICKING OUT HER BABY'S NAME. (SOT 12:54:30 Ilene Lisak) "Not this, this is not joyful." (NARR 10) NOT WHEN YOU CAN'T AFFORD INSURANCE BUT CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE WITHOUT IT. BEN TRACY CBS NEWS LOS ANGELES.