Columnist: Reject insurance merger

David Balto, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, is urging Pennsylvania regulators to turn down the proposed merger of the state's two giant Blue Cross insurance carriers.

While the merger would be good for the Blues bottom line, "it would bring higher prices, less coverage and payment delays" for consumers, Balto argues.

Balto notes that health-insurance premiums have risen by more than 87 percent in the past five years, far ahead of the rate of inflation.

Would less competition do anything to bring down those costs?

Read the full column at The Philadelphia Inquirer Web page.

Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS