WASHINGTON — The Department of Health and Human Services is improperly hiding health insurers’ requested rate increases from the public — in violation of the Affordable Care Act, according to a new lawsuit from a former administration health official.
WASHINGTON — The Department of Health and Human Services is improperly hiding health insurers’ requested rate increases from the public — in violation of the Affordable Care Act, according to a new lawsuit from a former administration health official.
States are generally charged with reviewing health insurers’ proposed rate increases, but HHS conducts reviews for several states that don’t have an effective review program. HHS hasn’t lived up to its obligation to make the rate filings available before they take effect so the public has a chance to comment on them, according to the lawsuit.
With six weeks until the next enrollment period opens, the department still hasn’t made any of the filings for 2015 health plans public, according to the lawsuit from Mehri &Skalet attorney Jay Angoff, who used to oversee ACA implementation for HHS. The lawsuit claims that HHS hasn’t made any of the filings public in past years either as required by the department’s own regulations.
This is particularly problematic, Angoff said, in states that have taken a hands-off approach to regulating Obamacare within their borders, such as Texas and Oklahoma. But some other states have lax rate review programs and would benefit from the disclosure from the federal government, he said.