Groups ask DOJ, USDA to make public antitrust reports

More than a year ago, in Ankeny, the U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Agriculture began an unprecedented joint journey into possible agricultural sector antitrust violations. The series of five public workshops ended in December 2010 but no findings have yet been released.

This week a coalition of More…

Another Downside of Insurance Consolidation

Earlier this month, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Maine raised plenty of eyebrows when it sued the state for refusing to grant an 18.5 percent premium hike on 12,000 individual policy holders — an increase that would have generated a 3 percent profit margin for More…

Dems vs. Insurance Industry, Round II

Health insurance companies, for decades exempt from federal anti-trust laws, are exploiting that privilege to churn profits at the expense of patients, a number of Senate Democrats charged Wednesday. The lawmakers — including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) — want to repeal the exemption as part of broader efforts More…