Regulating insurance companies: Interview with Senator Mark Leno

The California-based insurance company Anthem Blue Cross recently announced it would increase its rates by up to 39%.

The issue has created a flurry of proposals, both on the Federal and State level. US Senator Dianne Feinstein has proposed that all insurance companies should be put under Federal oversight.

In California, Senator Mark Leno of San Francisco has been proposing his own legislation for health care reform for six years. His single-payer bill, SB 810, just passed the California Senate.  Now, he is proposing new legislation that will affect the way insurance companies do business.

KALW’s Hana Bana reached Senator Leno in Sacramento and asked him to tell us about it.

Note: Listen to our web extra, where Senator Leno discusses SB 810, his single-payer health care bill, in more detail with KALW's Hana Baba.