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Insure.com renamed as Life Quotes; Nasdaq ticker symbol to be changed to QUOT

Insure.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: NSUR), announced today that it has completed its corporate name change to Life Quotes, Inc. The Company also announced that its Nasdaq ticker symbol will be changed to QUOT effective with the opening of the market on October 28, 2009.

26 Oct 2009

Moderates will determine fate of public option in health bills

It's Sunday, and not surprisingly, the talk is about the public option - especially on what provisions some senators may be willing to accept in a final health bill.

26 Oct 2009

Pelosi pressing, cajoling Democrats to include public option in final health bill

News outlets covering Capitol Hill report that, with pressure from Democratic leaders, the public option now appears more likely to be in final health care reform legislation.

26 Oct 2009

Report on health insurance reform to support women with breast cancer

As Americans mark breast cancer awareness month, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius today released a new report, Health Insurance Reform and Breast Cancer: Making the Health Care System Work for Women.

24 Oct 2009

New report analyzes similarities, differences, potential impacts and costs of current health reform bills

A new Commonwealth Fund report analyzes the similarities, differences, potential impacts, and costs of current bills passed by the five committees of jurisdiction in the United States Congress: Finance Committee and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committees in the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives' Ways and Means, Education and Labor, and Energy and Commerce committees.

24 Oct 2009

PAF board member meets First Lady to dicuss denial of health insurance due to pre-existing conditions

The Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF) -- a national non-profit organization providing patient services to tens of thousands of patients every year who are unable to obtain access to care because of financial or insurance denials -- is pleased to announce that PAF Executive Board Member Venus Gines, founder and CEO of Dia de la Mujer Latina(TM) Inc (Day of the Latin American Woman), provided first-hand testimony today to First Lady Michelle Obama regarding her own and other patients' experiences in being denied health insurance due to pre-existing conditions, and the need to protect patients against such discrimination under healthcare reform.

24 Oct 2009

Senate negotiators wrestle with employer mandate, unemployed have mixed feelings on health bills

News reports reflect how current reform plans are likely to affect employers as well as people who are unemployed.

24 Oct 2009

New report on the true cost of ObamaCare released

Far from providing "affordable" care for everyone, ObamaCare would result in higher insurance premiums, more and higher taxes, fewer jobs, lower wages, a reduced standard of living and an erosion of privacy and individual liberty.

24 Oct 2009

Senate leaders close to including a version of public option in health bill

The New York Times: "In pushing to include a government-run health insurance plan in the health care bill, the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, is taking a calculated gamble that the 60 members of his caucus could support the plan if it included a way for states to opt out."

24 Oct 2009

Poll: Public expects big changes sooner than Congress plans

"Democrats are promising significant changes in the health insurance market with the passage of their health care legislation, but they may not be able to deliver as quickly as most Americans would expect," CBS News reports.

24 Oct 2009

Obama won't tout Massachusetts health coverage plan during trip today

President Obama will not talk about the Massachusetts health care program to cover the uninsured or even talk about health reform for the country on a trip to that state today, focusing instead on clean energy and fundraising, The Washington Post reports.

24 Oct 2009

Torchmark raises quarterly dividend to $.15 per share on all common stock

Torchmark Corporation announced that its Board of Directors has raised the quarterly dividend to $.15 per share on all of the outstanding common stock of the Company held of record as of the close of business of the Company's transfer agent on January 6, 2010. The dividend will be paid on February 1, 2010.

24 Oct 2009

J.D. Power and Associates certification for Aetna

Aetna (NYSE: AET) has been recognized by J.D. Power and Associates for providing “An Outstanding Customer Service Experience” through its concierge customer service call center. Following a rigorous audit and random survey of Aetna customers, J.D. Power and Associates certified the Aetna call center in High Point, NC, under the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Call Center Certification ProgramSM.

24 Oct 2009

Efforts to measure support for the public option continue

Associated Press: Democratic leaders in Congress scrambled Friday to round up votes for allowing the government to sell health insurance in competition with private industry as they struggled to finalize a health care bill that meets President Barack Obama's goals." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid spent Friday "calling and talking with wavering Democrats to test support for different versions of the plan."

24 Oct 2009

Chasm between insurers and reform supporters grows

Although "[h]ealth insurers insist they're still committed to getting a health care overhaul bill passed this year," many people in Washington are "wondering if — or when — the industry will change its mind and try to kill it," The Associated Press reports.

24 Oct 2009

As House lawmakers near vote, controversies linger

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her top lieutenants said Thursday that they are close to corralling the 218 votes they need to move forward with comprehensive legislation that would include a version of the public option prized by liberals as a fundamental pillar of reform," the Washington Post reports (Montgomery and Murray, 10/23).

24 Oct 2009

A look at the past and present costs and history of American health care

A couple stories Friday examine just how Americans ended up with a system where employers pick up the tab for health insurance and which groups will end up paying more for health reform.

24 Oct 2009

Recent health policy studies and analyses

The Urban Institute: Age Rating Under Comprehensive Health Care Reform: Implications for Coverage, Costs, and Household Financial Burdens - The authors of this study brief compare the "financial implications of the premium rating policy," as outlined in the House Tri-Committee proposal (H.R. 3200), across households of different ages, incomes, and sizes.

23 Oct 2009

First Edition: October 23, 2009

The latest developments surrounding health reform's public option grab a lot of headlines today, including news regarding a version of the plan that allows states to opt not to participate in it.

23 Oct 2009

Key tracking measures of public support for health care reform held steady in October

After falling over the summer then ticking upward in September, key tracking measures of public support for health care reform held steady in October with more Americans backing an overhaul of the U.S. health system than opposing it, according to the latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll.

23 Oct 2009