NY Attorney General expands investigation of health insurance companies

In a follow up to last month's story about a number of health insurance companies being accused of "rigging" rates, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has issued new subpoenas to "Aetna Inc., Cigna Corp., UnitedHealth Group Inc. and WellPoint Inc., and other health insurers in a broadening investigation of possible fraud costing consumers hundreds of millions of dollars." (Source: "Cuomo Expands Probe of Health Insurers," Associated Press, March 6, 2008.) "Cuomo is also looking to subpoena testimony from the chief executives of those companies, as well as from executives of Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, Excellus, and the combined Group Health Inc. and HIP Health Plan. Cuomo says he believes the companies used the UnitedHealth Group-owned Ingenix to set rates, which resulted in consumers being reimbursed at unfair and unjustifiably low rates. Low reimbursements mean higher out-of-pocket costs for consumers when they choose or need physicians outside their health plans."