Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Gov. Chet Culver has ordered the Iowa Insurance Division to halt an 18 percent health insurance rate increase awarded to Wellmark Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Iowa.
Culver asked Insurance Commissioner Susan Voss to hire a third-party certified actuary, independent of any financial relationship with Wellmark Blue Cross-Blue Shield, to conduct a secondary review of Wellmark’s recently-approved request for health insurance premium rate increases that are now scheduled to take effect on April 1. He also requested Voss’s office perform a similar review of any other premium hikes and an annual review of health care costs.
“I share the concerns of many Iowans that the recent health insurance premium rate increases are a disturbing and unwelcomed surprise,” Culver said in a statement. “I am directing Insurance Commissioner Voss to take several actions that are intended to provide additional protections for the interests of Iowa health insurance consumers.”
Wellmark’s Iowa rate increase has been the subject of intense scrutiny. Last year, Wellmark raised insurance rates for individual policyholders by an average of 9.3 percent. The new rate increase would impact an estimated 80,000 Iowans.
Last month, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, sent a letter to the company’s CEO seeking justification for the rate increases. Wellmark Vice President Laura Jackson told a panel of state lawmakers last week that the rate hikes could be blamed on Iowans’ age and increasingly unhealthy lifestyles.
Follow Jason Hancock on Twitter
Do you know where to vote on Election Day? Do you know what to bring with you? Get comprehensive voter information for your state here.
Sign up for our email newsletter