The White House is cracking down on insurance companies on Tuesday in the push for healthcare reform by releasing research showing that health insurance premiums have risen far faster than inflation rates in every U.S. state. U.S. states have experienced premium growth of 90 percent to nearly 150 percent in the past ten years, while wages have risen 38 percent and inflation by 28 percent, the report by the White House's National Economic Council said. “In every state, premiums have increased faster than wages and in every state, family budgets are consumed by an increasing share of healthcare premiums,” the report said. The report came ahead of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's scheduled address to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, aimed at discussing the report. The crackdown comes in the midst of U.S. President Barack Obama's consistent push to overhaul the $2.5 trillion U.S. health care industry, centered on providing expanded coverage to many of the 46 million uninsured Americans. Brian Deese of the National Economic Council said Obama's reform plan would include tighter regulation of insurance companies. “As of 2008 ... fewer than half of states required a full review when insurers wanted to increase premiums at the state level,” Deese said, adding “even if it's all going mostly to profits.” In excerpts from his prepared remarks, Biden noted that premiums in Alaska increased 145 percent in 10 years while wages grew 35 percent, and in Florida premiums rose 121 percent while wages increased 43 percent. He said Michigan had the smallest gap, 37 percent.
