Some states balk at enforcing health law's insurance protections

Florida regulators won't penalize insurance companies that violate new health law consumer protections that take effect in January but will report them to the federal government, according to an agreement between the state and federal officials. Citing lack of money and legal authority, Pennsylvania's top insurance regulator hasn't decided whether his agency can enforce the provisions, which include some of the most popular elements of the 2010 federal health law, such as requiring insurers to provide coverage to all applicants regardless of their health status, prohibiting insurers from charging more based on gender or health, and greatly limiting what insurers can charge for premiums based on age.