California Takes Another Crack At Insurance Reform

Posted by Sarah Rubenstein in Wall Street Journal Health Blog After a failed attempt to pass a universal health plan early this year, California is now looking to rein in the notoriously consumer-unfriendly market for individual health insurance. States face a Catch 22 when it comes to health policies that people buy on their own. Require plans to provide certain benefits or bar them from rejecting individuals for coverage, and the result will be that the insurance gets more expensive. Give insurers lots of latitude about who and what to cover, and cheaper plans are available — but often not for the older and sicker patients who need coverage most.