OLYMPIA, Wash. - Insurance Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler called out Premera Blue Cross for attempting—again—to gut a bill that would give the public access to health insurance rate filings.

“I’m extremely disappointed in Premera,” said Kreidler. “Their latest attempt to gut our legislation is very troubling. What don’t they want the public to see?”

Kreidler’s proposal (ESHB 1220) makes the information in a health insurance rate filing public shortly after his office receives it. This includes how much of the proposed rate will go to:

Pay medical claims
Cover administrative costs – including salaries
Profit

Kreidler added, “People who pay their premiums year after year – even when their rates go up – deserve to see what’s behind those increases. Today, state law prevents me from sharing that information with the public. Now, more than ever, people struggling to pay for health insurance deserve full transparency.”

Under the latest amendment sought by Premera, the public would see only summaries of rate filings, and only for those filings with increases greater than 10 percent. They could not see the entire rate filing.

Premera’s proposal is based on federal regulation – still in draft – designed to serve as a backstop for states that do not do adequate rate review. The regulation is not intended to prevent states from making rates as transparent as possible.

Premera proposed an amendment early on that would make health rate filings public only after the rate was approved. That amendment failed.

Kreidler proposed the legislation in response to the thousands of consumer complaints he receives each year from people struggling to pay for their health insurance.

“Now, when consumers call upset over their health insurance costs increasing, I can only tell them, ‘trust me, it’s justified’,” said Kreidler. “I can’t tell them why it was approved.”

Two of the largest health insurers, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound and Regence BlueShield, both support Kreidler’s proposal to make rate filings public.

“Premera’s latest attempt to water down transparency is nothing more than a cruel charade on the public,” said Kreidler. “Giving people a pre-canned summary of only certain rate filings is meaningless. Washington consumers deserve better.”

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Christine Rolfes of the 23rd Legislative District, must pass the full Senate by April 12. A vote could come as early as this weekend.

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