Robert Zirkelbach

Hospital Charges Vary Across U.S. for Same Procedures

U.S. hospitals are charging prices that can be thousands of dollars different for the same medical procedures, even within the same towns, according to federal data released today.

UnitedHealth Seeks ‘Doc Fix’ in Push to Kill Rate Cuts

UnitedHealth Group Inc. is among insurers that have told the Obama administration a proposed reduction in U.S. payments for Medicare Advantage plans relies on the faulty assumption that doctors’ fees will fall.

California One of 2 States to Force Health Insurer Bids

California and Vermont are the only states set to require medical insurers to bid for the chance to sell coverage through new exchanges being set up this year under the Obama administration’s health-care overhaul.

Health Premium Increases Damped by Greater U.S. Scrutiny

The number of requests by health insurers for double-digit rate increases fell about 41 percentage points since the end of 2009, according to a U.S. report that cited the success of the health-care overhaul.

Medicare Plans Were Overpaid by Up to $5.1 Billion, Audit Finds

Health insurers that offer private plans in the U.S. Medicare program for the elderly and disabled were overpaid by as much as $5.1 billion over the past three years, government auditors said.

Insurers Face Jumbled Market With Health Exchange Rules

UnitedHealth Group Inc., the biggest U.S. health insurer, will face a fragmented regulatory landscape in 2014 under the first state insurance marketplaces approved as part of the health-care overhaul.

WellPoint, UnitedHealth Stock Buyback Focus Concerns Investors

WellPoint Inc. , Aetna Inc. , Humana Inc. and UnitedHealth Group Inc. denied health coverage to 49 percent more people over the past two years, citing pregnancy or plans for adoption among their reasons, a U.S. report found.

Health Insurers’ Customer Rebates May Reach $1.3 Billion

UnitedHealth Group Inc., WellPoint Inc. and other health insurers may have to forfeit to consumers $1.2 billion to $1.3 billion in profits from last year because of changes to U.S. law that limit revenue from premiums.

Obama to Run Most Health Marketplaces as States Opt Out

More than half of the state exchanges to be created under the 2010 U.S. health-care overhaul are expected to be run by the federal government, offering insurers and consumers uniform criteria in those areas.

UnitedHealth, Humana Need 5-Star Ratings for $2.5 Billion Medicare Bonus

Insurers led by UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Humana Inc. may share in an estimated $2.5 billion in yearly bonuses if their U.S-backed Medicare plans rate four or five stars under a system created to improve quality of care.

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Death Toll Passes 90 After Oklahoma Tornado Hits Suburb

U.S. Stocks Rise on Home Depot as Investors Watch Fed

Yen Weakens as Grains Drop With Gold; S&P 500 Advances

WTI Crude Slips From Seven-Week High Before U.S. Inventory Data

John Malone Buys Irish ‘Green Banana’ as Castle Prices Fall