Documents show Blue Shield of Calif.'s rate increases could exceed 85%

Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, Blue Cross Blue Shield is under the microscope for its executive pay; and, in Colorado, some insurers are being pressed by consumer groups to offer rebates because of large cash surpluses.

Los Angeles Times: Blue Shield's Cumulative Rate Hikes Could Reach 86.5%
Higher insurance premiums sought by Blue Shield of California in recent months would drive total increases as high as 86.5 percent for thousands of individual policyholders, new documents show (Helfand, 3/12).

The Boston Globe: Pay May Be Hot Issue, But Other Factors Push Harder On Health Costs
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts has captured the public's attention, although not the way it would have liked, as reports of millions paid to the insurer's former chief executive and hefty stipends paid to board members sparked outrage. The outcry grew big enough to force Blue Cross board members to vote to suspend their own payments and to lead the insurer to make promises to curb excessive payouts to executives. There's just one problem: Those steps will do little to fix soaring health care costs (Woolhouse, 3/13).

The Denver Post: Insurers' Enormous Cash Surpluses Prompt Calls For Rebates Or Community Spending
Nonprofit insurers Kaiser Permanente and Rocky Mountain Health Plans have built up enormous cash surpluses from higher premiums in recent years, prompting calls from consumer groups that it is time for the health giants to offer rebates or spend the money on their communities. Both nonprofits hold hundreds of millions of dollars in reserve, now amassed to six or even eight times the cushions required by state regulators to avoid remedial action (Booth, 3/13).