By Commissioner Troy Downing Back to school. Music to the ears of many parents, but for parents sending their kids to college, this likely has a special ring to it. …
Is Your Insurance Company Doing What They’re Supposed To?
Have you ever been the victim of an automobile accident and had the other driver’s insurance company partially blame you for the accident and require you to pay part of …
Commissioner Downing Targets Skyrocketing Drug Prices
As the regulatory agency for the insurance industry in Montana, we are tasked to review health insurance rates offered by commercial plans, like Blue Cross or Pacific Source. One clear …
Editorial: Three things you should know for the upcoming 2016 open enrollment
When Montana health insurance companies started sending me their 2016 plans and rates earlier this year, it quickly became evident plans are changing and prices are going up. Thankfully, most …
New Securities Service Brings Efficiency, Transparency
Montana Securities Commissioner Monica J. Lindeen announced this month the launch of the online Electronic Filing Depository (EFD) to make it faster and easier for securities issuers to file certain documents and pay fees – and for the public to inspect the same documents.
EDITORIAL: The Cost of Not Knowing
More than a decade ago, then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld famously summarized a quandary we face in national security: there are things we know, things we know we don’t know, and things we don’t know we don’t know. Rumsfeld took flak in the media for his wordplay, but the concept he tried to express is one that we face both in and out of the national security arena. In health insurance, for example, we know the cost of insurance and the cost of health care are out of control. Chalk that one up in the “things we know” category.
Consumers Must Take Priority in BCBS Transaction
Recently, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana announced their intention to join forces with Health Care Service Corporation, a Chicago-based insurer that runs Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Illinois. Since then, I have had people from all over the state ask me what this deal will mean for consumers.
The Montana Way
Montana families and small businesses are struggling to keep up with the rising cost of health insurance premiums and the high cost of health care. I have heard the call to elected officials to address this important issue which is affecting our state’s economy and our health. Over the past year, I have been meeting with Montanans from all walks of life – business owners, farmers, ranchers, parents, grandparents, doctors, nurses, insurance agents, and anyone who was willing to visit about what needs to change.