Newspaper series takes critical look at health insurance industry

In a three-part series of articles, the Los Angeles Times scrutinized the health insurance industry for its roll in what the paper calls "the nation’s health insurance crisis.”

The first part of the series reported that four publicly traded corporations increasingly dominate the private insurance market, squeezing out consumers who are likely to need the most expensive care and increasing premiums to the point that employers are having more difficulty providing coverage for their employees  (Source: “An eroding model for health insurance,” Los Angeles Times, Oct. 21, 2008).

The second part of the series examined the trend of insurance companies moving away from their traditional role of pooling health risks and into providing financial vehicles, such as health savings accounts, to allow consumers to pay for their own health care (Source: "Health insurers reinvent themselves as money managers,” Los Angeles Times, Oct. 22, 2008).

The third and final story in the series examined the tension between insurance companies and providers over payment (Source: "The battle of the medical bills,” Los Angeles Times, Oct. 23, 2008).