State Healthcare Advocate Victoria Veltri has asked the Insurance Department to hold a hearing on Anthem’s requested health insurance rate increases for next year.
The request pertains to Anthem’s rate requests for its plan offerings both on and off the state’s insurance exchange, Access Health CT. The requested increases average 12.5 percent, but range as high as 17 percent on some plans. Anthem said the increases would affect 66,200 policies.
Veltri noted that a 2011 agreement with the Insurance Department allows her office to be involved in up to four rate hearings per year involving requested increases of 15 percent or more.
“Because of the broad public interest in ensuring a full and transparent vetting of concerns about proposed rate increases, it is critical that the rate filings are subject to public scrutiny,” Veltri said in a statement. “The viability of the [exchange] also depends on ensuring that we use this opportunity to ensure that the policies sold are as affordable as they can be while also maintaining actuarial soundness.”
