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The Massachusetts Division of Insurance plans to hold a series of meetings and a public hearing in the coming weeks about long-term care insurance rate increases, which have angered consumers and left them with few options as they age. ... State legislators approved changes to the law in 2012 an effort to protect consumers from sticker shock. Policyholders have been waiting for rules governing the law to take effect since then. (Fernandes, 11/4)

Hospitals and insurers traditionally tussle over pay for health services, but metro Phoenix's largest health provider, Banner Health, and insurer Aetna will instead join together to provide health care to employers. Banner Health and Aetna have formed a new company, Banner|Aetna, that will start by marketing health insurance to large and small employers in Maricopa and Pinal counties next year with plans to expand to Tucson and other areas of the state. Aetna will own 51 percent of Banner|Aetna and Banner Health will own 49 percent. (Alltucker, 11/4)

As open enrollment periods begin in workplaces, workers are facing the annual shock of rising health care costs. You may not see a horrible rise in premiums — at least not an increase as extreme as the last few years. But you are likely to have to pay higher deductibles before your insurance kicks in, as well as copays when you go to the doctor or hospital. As health care costs climb and businesses deal with a slow-growing economy, companies are passing more health care costs onto their employees. And they've been cutting back other benefits too over the last few years, according to a survey by the Society of Human Resource Management. (MarksJarvis, 11/4)