- Good morning. This is the second hearing this Committee is holding on so-called "usual, customary, and reasonable" payment practices in the health insurance industry. Last week, we heard from the New York Attorney Generals office, which conducted a year-long investigation into these practices, and we heard from doctors and consumers. Today were going to hear from the insurance ind...

- WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- U.S. insurers who reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo regarding out-of-network reimbursement rates still have to contend with irate U.S. lawmakers who vowed to continue pressing the matter. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV, D-W.Va., criticized the chief executives of UnitedHealth Group (UHG) and it...

- Among health insurance CEOs, Stephen Hemsley of UnitedHealth is known for shying from the limelight and rarely submits to press interviews, let alone cross-examination at a congressional committee hearing. So it was something of a star turn when he testified today before the Senate Commerce Committee over whether UnitedHealth and other insurers have systematically underpaid consumers for out-of...

- Senator John D. Rockefeller IV, the West Virginia Democrat who is chairman of the committee on commerce, is holding hearings on whether health insurers have systematically short-changed patients when they use doctors outside of their health plan’s network. As a result of understating the fees charged by out-of-network doctors, the companies are accused of underpaying consumers by hundreds of...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces the second installment of two full committee hearings on Deceptive Health Insurance Industry Practices – Are Consumers Getting What They Paid For? These hearings focus on the way that the healthcare industry calculates “usual and customary” reimbursement rates for consumers who choos...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator John D (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-WV), Chairman of the U.S. Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, issued the following statement regarding the White House’s announcement on increasing fuel economy standards: “I am encouraged by today’s announcement from the White House that there will be increases in our nations’ fuel economy standards...

- Good Morning. Today’s hearing is the first of two hearings we are holding to look at a deceptive payment practice that the health insurance industry has gotten away with for the last decade, maybe even longer. The victims of this deceptive practice were probably most of the people sitting in this hearing room today, along with the more than 100 million Americans who pay for health insura...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a full committee hearing today on “Deceptive Health Insurance Industry Practices– Are Consumers Getting What They Paid For?” Today was the first of two hearings examining how the health insurance industry reimburses consumers for health care services. These hearings focus on the way the...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today said that air traffic control modernization should be the centerpiece of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) reauthorization proposal being considered by Congress this year. Congress recently extended the current funding for the FAA for ...

- Opening Statement – John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Chairman I want to thank Senator Dorgan for agreeing to Chair the Aviation Subcommittee. I hope you will enjoy chairing the Subcommittee as much as Senator Hutchison and I have over the years. The aviation industry will be well served by Senator Dorgan’s leadership on this Subcommittee. Senator Hutchison and I look forwar...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator John D (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-WV), Chairman of the U.S. Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, issued the following statement regarding the Senate’s vote tonight confirming Gary Locke to be the nation’s 36th U.S. Commerce Secretary. “I am very pleased to see Gary Locke confirmed by the Senate to be our nation’s 36th Secretary of Co...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today said she was encouraged to see that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has eliminated the backlog for digital television converter box coupons. NTIA also announced that they are accepting applications from consumers...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation praised the National Football League and DirecTV for reaching a negotiated agreement to extend the popular NFL Sunday Ticket package to customers until 2014. The NFL also signaled that it plans to offer similar content to consumers over the broadband fac...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces two full committee hearings on “Deceptive Health Insurance Industry Practices – Are Consumers Getting What They Paid For?” The Committee will be holding two back-to-back hearings examining how the health insurance industry reimburses consumers for health care services. These heari...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator John D (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-WV), Chairman of the U.S. Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Senate’s vote tonight to confirm Dr. Jane Lubchenco, nominated to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere at the U.S. Department of Commerce - also known as the Administrator of the National...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator John D (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-WV), Chairman of the U.S. Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, issued the following statement regarding the Commerce Committee vote to unanimously confirm Governor Gary Locke for the job of U.S. Commerce Secretary. “I am pleased to see Governor Gary Locke’s confirmation move forward to be our nation’...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today praised Senate passage of legislation to extend the current funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The bill, HR 1512, would extend the funding and authority of the FAA for six months. “I applaud Senate passage of the six mont...

- VIDEO LINK WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today pressed President Barack Obama’s nominee for Commerce Secretary, former Washington Governor Gary Locke, for his assurance that the census process would remain transparent and non-politicized. She also noted that he...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will hold a full committee hearing Wednesday, March 18, 2009 on the nomination of Governor Gary Locke to be the nation’s 36th Secretary of Commerce . *Witness List The Honorable Patty Murray, United States Senator, Washington The Honorable Maria Cantwell, United States Senator, Washington Panel I...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today outlined the need to continue research into climate and weather science and received the support of Dr. Timothy Killeen, Assistant Director of Geosciences at the National Science Foundation. “Accurate climate and weather science can have subs...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation and Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchison announced today the new Commerce Subcommittee Members for the 111th Congress: AVIATION OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND SECURITY Byron Dorgan, ND, Chair Jim DeMint, SC, Ranking Member Daniel Inouye, HI ...

Room 253, Russell Senate Office Building - HEARING ANNOUNCEMENT: CYBERSECURITY – ASSESSING OUR VULNERABILITIES AND DEVELOPING AN EFFECTIVE DEFENSE Senator Jay Rockefeller, Chairman For Immediate Release http://commerce.senate.gov Contact: Jena Longo March 9, 2009 202-224-7824 WASHINGTON...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, sent a letter to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) requesting documents related to a Florida company that allegedly used NASA research grant money to buy expensive cars and real estate. Rockefeller issued the attached lett...

Room 253, Russell Senate Office Building - HEARING ANNOUNCEMENT: CLIMATE SCIENCE – EMPOWERING OUR RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE Senator Jay Rockefeller, Chairman For Immediate Release http://commerce.senate.gov Contact: Jena Longo March 9, 2009 202-224-7824 WASHINGTON...

Room 253, Russell Senate Office Building - HEARING ANNOUNCEMENT:FAA REAUTHORIZATION – NEXTGEN AND THE BENEFITS OF MODERNIZATION Senator Jay Rockefeller, Chairman For Immediate Release http://commerce.senate.gov Contact: Jena Longo March 9, 2009 202-224-7824 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on ...

- WASHINGTON, DC – Senators Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), along with several children’s advocacy groups, applauded action taken by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to advance a critical review of modern parental-control technology. The FCC on Monday issued a Notice of Inquiry, the first step towards implementing the Child Safe Viewing Act, which w...

- WASHINGTON, DC— On the two-year anniversary of a bus crash that resulted in the tragic death of five Bluffton University baseball players, U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) announced that they will reintroduce comprehensive motorcoach safety legislation. The legislation would overhaul and dramatically increase the safety of motorcoaches to reduce deaths and ser...