Consumer advocates push for insurance oversight promised by health law

A letter was sent to the White House by more than 50 organizations demanding that the administration require simple, standardized health insurance forms starting next year, as called for in the law. Also in the news, Politico Pro reports on a political fight brewing in Michigan over the health law's medical-loss ratio requirements.

The Hill: Consumer Advocates Ramp Up Pressure On Health Insurers
Insurance companies are under assault on multiple fronts as consumer advocates demand that regulators deliver on the tougher oversight promised by the federal healthcare reform law. Consumers Union on Wednesday sent the White House a letter signed by more than 50 organizations demanding that the administration require simple, standardized health insurance forms starting next year, as called for in the law. The letter comes as insurers and some business groups are asking to exclude employer-sponsored coverage from the requirement along with a delay of up to two years (Pecquet, 11/9).

Politico Pro: Michigan Groups Ramp Up Fight Over MLR Waiver
A political fight is brewing in Michigan over the state's request for a phase-in to the health care reform law's medical loss ratio requirements. About a dozen consumer groups have lobbied HHS to block the state's request, while state chapters of three national broker groups have all urged the department to grant the temporary MLR adjustment, according to new documents posted on an HHS website this week. From a purely political standpoint, Florida's MLR request has been one of the most compelling. But the new documents reveal how the MLR standard has become a political battle in Michigan (Millman, 11/10).