Providence fights small business participation in rate review

Lund Report:

“We’ve got to have small businesses engaged in this process, and bring it out into the sunlight to hold [insurance companies] accountable,” Shields added.

But insurance company representatives and officials from the state’s Insurance Division claim that Oregon’s rate review process is already one of the most rigorous and transparent in the nation, and that public hearings won’t do much to address the underlying costs of healthcare.

“The ink’s barely dry on [House Bill 2009],” said Mike Becker, director of advocacy and government affairs for Providence Health and Services, referring to the health reform bill that requires the Insurance Division to post insurance rate requests online and send email alerts to consumers about all rate requests.

According to Becker, “Adding [public hearings] would add redundancy and increase expenses and delays” to the agency’s current process.

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