Sebelius invites health insurance company CEOs to meeting on recent premium price hikes

posted by Lawrence Shipman

In an attempt to get different types of views on the current state of the health insurance market, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is inviting industry leaders to a March 3 meeting in Washington D.C.

In a letter sent out to the CEOs for a number of insurance providers and leaders from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Sebelius said that the meeting would focus on the insurance premiums being offered by the companies.

The need to discuss the premium payments comes after policy holders in some states have recently been hit with spikes in their payment of close to 40 percent. She added that there was a concern regarding the rise in payments and getting Americans the health insurance coverage they require.

“I hope this meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss how health insurance reform can bring down health care costs and fix our broken health insurance system. President Obama has offered a health insurance reform proposal that begins to give middle class families and small business owners the health care security they have been losing over the past 16 years.”

The CEOs invited to attend the meeting include heads from UnitedHealth Group Inc., WellPoint Inc., Aetna Inc., Health Care Service Corporation and CIGNA HealthCare Inc.