Fight Over Health-Care Premiums Heats Up - WSJ

A firestorm between the Obama administration and health insurers escalated Thursday, as the Department of Health and Human Services pointed to double-digit price increases or attempted increases in six states to make the case for overhauling the health-care system.
Over the past week, Democrats and WellPoint Inc., the country's largest insurer by members, have sparred over a 39% premium increase for individual plans by Wellpoint's Anthem Blue Cross unit in the individual market in California. At a news conference Thursday, Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius cited more "extreme premium increases," including requests that insurers made to state regulators to raise rates by 56% in Michigan, 24% in Connecticut, 23% in Maine and 20% in Oregon.

"Unfortunately, this is pretty widespread," said Ms. Sebelius.

Stimulus Aid Is Said to Be Moving Faster - WSJ

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The Obama administration says it has been on a "learning curve" with the economic-stimulus package but has now figured out how to spend some of the available billions more quickly.

Many tax cuts, which account for a third of the $787 billion package, have already taken effect. But only $60.4 billion of the remaining $499 billion has been spent. Most of the money was always likely to be spent this summer at the earliest as departments wrestled with the increased workload and new requirements imposed by the bill. The White House isn't changing its goal of spending 70% of the funds by September 2010.