Californians are bracing for a big shake up– an earthquake of sorts in health insurance. Blue Shield of California is headed for another rate hike, which will hit March 1, 2011 according to reports. At that time 193,000 policyholders will experience increases of about 30%. This will be the third rate jump in six months, increasing costs by about 59%. “For families, there are few things as painful as a 59 percent health insurance rate increase,” Doug Heller, from the Santa Monica-based advocacy group, Consumer Watchdog told the International Business Times.

California’s Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones is asking for Blue Shield to hold off on the bump, even though he doesn’t have the authority to stop it. “Many Californians will no doubt be surprised to learn that the Insurance Commissioner does not have the legal authority to reject excessive health insurance premium increases,” Jones, a former state lawmaker, told the International Business Times. “I have fought hard to give the Insurance Commissioner this authority for the last six years. I have authored strong legislation to give the Insurance Commissioner the authority to reject excessive premium increases, only to see it defeated in the Legislature by conservative legislators.”

According to reports, Blue Shield issued this statement concerning their March 1 increase: “Our individual market medical costs are rising rapidly due to higher provider prices, increased utilization, and the fact that healthier people are dropping coverage during a bad economy,” the statement read. “Blue Shield of California expects to lose tens of millions of dollars on its individual healthcare business in both 2010 and 2011.”

This week the White House unveiled new details about a plan that will allow young adults to stay covered under their parents’ health insurance policies until they’re 26-years-old. The new policy forces companies offering employer-sponsored  health plans to offer coverage for their employees’ children up to the age of 26. The rules don’t require the young adult to live with his or her parents, attend college or even be a dependent. The twenty-somethings can also be married or unmarried.

Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius estimates that 1.2 million people currently without health insurance coverage will have it because of this new rule. According to a report in the New York Times, the health department estimates that it will cost $3,380 in 2011 to cover each new insurance customer and $3500 in 2012. In 2013 it will cost about $3690 for this coverage. This equates to about a one percent increase in family premiums, according to government officials.

These new rules will begin to take effect September 23, but there are some exceptions. Companies are allowed to exclude adult children of their employees until 2014 if the children already have access to their own insurance through their employee. Some companies are offering this additional coverage now, and they aren’t waiting until the upcoming deadlines. Under the new rules, employers must give young adults a 30-day enrollment window for signing up under their parents’ coverage.

Some people feel the rules or too lenient. “Regulatory agencies may have stretched their authority in writing these rules. Adult children can live 2,000 miles away from their parents, be married and not have spoken to Mom and Dad in a year, and they could still be added to the parents’ employer-sponsored health plan just like any other child,” said James P. Gelfand, director of health policy at the United States Chamber of Commerce, to the New York Times. However, according to the Chicago Tribune, other companies are getting a jump on the new rules. Trustmark, an insurance provider to more than two million people across the US, started offering the coverage My 1. “This early implementation will ensure graduating college students maintain health insurance coverage without falling into the ranks of the uninsured,” said John Anderson, the company’s senior vice president . “This ultimately closes the possible gap in coverage that would have occurred until this fall.”

President Barack Obama heads to Iowa– his first stop after signing the healthcare reform bill earlier in the week. Obama will make a speech at the University of Iowa Field House, located in Iowa City. It’s the same place where he first announced his healthcare plans as a candidate in May of 2007. “I’m sure there will be parents of those that attend the University of Iowa that will have some interest in keeping their children on a health insurance policy through the age of 26,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Wednesday, according to Reuters. Some highlights of the bill include:

• Insurance for 32 million Americans who are without.
• Ban on insurance companies’ ability to refuse coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions.
• More health insurance for the poor.
• New taxes on the wealthy.

“The president believes it is important to continue to talk about the many aspects of the law that will do precisely what he said they’re intended to do,” said Gibbs, according to Reuters. According to a new poll released by Quinnipiac University, before the House of Representatives passed the bill, 54 percent of Americans didn’t agree with it, while 36 percent supported it. After the vote, 49 percent disapproved. But those surveyed said they trust Obama more than Republicans in Congress to manage healthcare. Forty-five percent supported Obama, while 35 percent supported Republicans.

Republicans unanimously voted against the bill and are trying to repeal it. Officials from 14 states have filed federal suits saying the law violates the US Constitution. But some groups who support Obama are planning to spend $5 million on TV and radio ads thanking him, and targeting Republicans.

There is so much going on in a single health insurance policy that it can be overwhelming to compare two separate policies. You may not know which points to look at or which points should get more weight in your decision than others.

According to some statistics, there are approximately 9 million children in the United States that do not have any form of health insurance coverage. If the children that do not have health benefits at some point throughout the year, the figure jumped to almost 18 million.

Researchers state that having a stable line of health insurance coverage that allows children consistent access to health care will promote better health overall. If there are gaps in coverage or no coverage at all, the more health problems may not get the proper attention they need.