Background:

Insurers and brokers want state insurance regulators to endorse a plan to destroy the medical spending rule (called the “medical loss ratio”) that requires insurance companies to spend at least 80 cents of every premium dollar on medical care, not wasteful bureaucracy, executive salaries and excessive profits.

State regulators will have a closed-to-the-public discussion about the insurance industry plan on Tuesday. We need you to contact your state insurance regulator and tell him or her to block this insurance industry power grab.

The new rule has already caused health insurance companies to lower consumer premiums in some states. Insurance regulators have calculated that consumers could lose more than $1.1 billion in rebates if the insurance industry gets its way.

If insurers win this fight, they will overturn the only check on their profits in the national health reform law.

The plan the insurers are backing would exempt insurance sales commissions from the 20% cap on overhead, profits and salaries. Such an exemption would allow insurance companies to stash away more money as profits, and continue wasting money on high executive salaries and unnecessary bureaucracy. It would also mean less of consumers’ premium dollars being spent on actual health care.

Read Consumer Watchdog’s letter to state regulators opposing this sweetheart deal.

Read more about how the public beat back insurers sneak attack last Sunday.

The most recent version of the resolution isn’t public, but you can download the latest version we’ve managed to obtain.