WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats heading the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee widened their probe of the health insurance industry on Monday, seeking information on companies' policies for small businesses.
In letters sent to several insurers, including Aetna Inc, UnitedHealth Group Inc, WellPoint Inc and Humana Inc, Chairman Henry Waxman sought information on policies sold to businesses with 100 or fewer workers, citing concerns that insurers were sharply raising premiums or terminating coverage when workers got sick.
Medica and Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield also received letters, which seek the information by September 14.
Waxman earlier this month sought information from dozens of health insurance companies about executive compensation and other practices as part of his investigation into industry practices.
Representatives for Aetna and WellPoint said they would respond to the latest request, while other insurers had no immediate comment.
The letters do not specifically mention efforts to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system, but they come as Congress prepares to reconvene next week with healthcare legislation a top issue.
"As we continue our investigation into business practices in the health insurance industry, the treatment of small businesses remains a concern," said Representative Bart Stupak, head of the committee's investigations subcommittee, who also signed the letters.
"We have documented examples of insurance companies raising small business premiums by an unsustainable amount or canceling a policy once it is discovered a covered employee is sick," he said in a statement.
In the letters, Stupak and Waxman asked for documents related to the companies' small group plans, including information on how they set premium rates and whether companies then accepted or rejected any rate increases.
The letters are posted on the committee's website at http://energycommerce.house.gov/ .
(Reporting by Susan Heavey, editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Tim Dobbyn)
