In a move that many will be watching closely, no doubt, NY Governor Paterson announced that the state of New York, not the insurance companies themselves, should determine when to raise policyholders’ premiums. The charismatic and glib chief executive seems to be introducing many a progressive bill these days, as this one was preceded by a (slightly) more newsworthy one he has recently introduced — the bill greenlighting same-sex marriage in the state.

However, this motion by Paterson is significant for another reason. In the new environment of healthcare reform under the Obama administration, the roles and concerns of third party reimbursers are becoming reactionary — some say out of fear of the loss of competition in the face of increased government interference. This scenario was essentially foreign during the early days of the George W Bush administration. The spectre of mild Republican support on this issue only adds to those wary stances by insurance companies, for example. It will be interesting to see what state governments will do in response to this proposal by Paterson. Do they call his bluff or not? | LINK

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