Citing rising fraud and rising insurance costs in his home state, New York Sen. Charles E. Schumer is proposing a bill to impose federal penalties against those who commit auto insurance fraud.

One of the biggest obstacles going into the Senate’s debate on a comprehensive health care reform measure was the existence of a government-run public insurance option.

While the Senate’s version of health care reform moves forward, the debate over the inclusion of a government-run public health insurance program could cause that momentum to stall.

Citing billions of dollars in costs from fraud against private and public health plans, a Delaware senator is seeking to strengthen the government’s role in investigating and prosecuting individuals abusing the system.

The House Judiciary Committee has approved a bill that “fixes a mistake” in removing the federal antitrust exemption for health and medical malpractice insurers.

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee approved its plan for health care reform, the last of five proposals before Congress.

Omitting a government-run health insurance program from a Senate reform bill will give private insurers “free rein” to increase premiums and “drive up the cost of federal subsidies,” according to a group of Senate Democrats.

A move by Democrats to include a government-run public option in health care reform proposed by the Senate Finance Committee failed after hours of debate.

With Congress reconvening after its August break, the final Senate committee to draft health reform legislation may endorse a plan that includes a tax on private insurance companies and forgoes a government-run competitor.

Indicating that private insurers stand to gain the most from millions of customers driven to them through health care reform legislation, three Democratic senators think its time insurers help foot …  Read →