Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch is continuing to press Insurance Commissioner Chris Koller to hold a public hearing on Rhode Island health-insurance rate hikes, inlcuding those proposed by the state's two dominant insurers.

Lynch on Tuesday criticized Koller for not schedulng a hearing on Blue Cross and Blue Shield's proposed 13.9 percent to 16.3 percent rate hikes and UnitedHealthCare of New England request for increases of 11.6 percent to 13.2 percent.

Koller responded that, in addition to the public comment period that ends Friday, his office is permitted, but not required to hold a public hearing. Koller said that "ample information" has been submitted by the insurers to his office and that more of it is available to the public online "than ever before." He said he would decide whether to hold a hearing as "our review process moves forward."

Lynch, in a statement issued Thursday, said, "Saying the health insurers have submitted 'ample evidence for review and analysis by this office' is like a judge saying, 'I have enough evidence to sentence this defendant, so I don't need a trial.' Similarly, my office would enjoy a much faster prosecution rate if it could bypass defense counsel, judges, and juries, and just reach our desired dispositions. It would be the 'Just Trust Us' model of government, rather than government by a Constitution.

"The very essence of a hearing is to allow the other side to challenge evidence. If the 'ample evidence' to which Commissioner Koller refers is merely what one side submits to the decision-maker, there can be little doubt that the decision-maker can justify the decision by giving that side everything it wants. But let someone challenge that evidence, and the decision-maker will hear two sides and will always arrive at a better decision.

"Moreover, Commissioner Koller's deeming the evidence sufficient for his review and analysis three days before the public comment ends also is troubling. How does he know what the evidence will be when that period closes? Has he discounted the public's voice so much that he 'knows' in advance it will not affect his review?"

On Friday, Koller will attend a meeting of the Rhode Island Business Group on Health at 8 a.m. at the Providence Marriott, 1 Orms St. Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts will attend. She and leaders of the business denounced the proposed rate hikes at a press conference on Monday and continue to call on Koller to reject them.

The oringinal version of this story was posted at 1 p.m.

 Tags  Elizabeth Roberts health insurance Patrick C. Lynch

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