Blue Cross Blue Defend of Rhode Island and Neighborhood Well being Plan of Rhode Island requested plans to be offered on the person marketplace for individuals who don’t obtain insurance coverage by way of their employer. Blue Cross Blue Defend requested a 9.6 p.c fee improve into the subsequent 12 months, and Neighborhood requested a 6.8 p.c improve.
Melanie Coon, a spokeswoman for Blue Cross Blue Defend, mentioned in an e-mail to the Globe that precise fee will increase will differ relying on age and plan choice. She mentioned that the requested fee will increase had been factored by “vital inflation in the price of items and providers in all sectors of the economic system, together with medical providers and medicines, and the return to pre-pandemic ranges of healthcare utilization.”
Blue Cross Blue Defend, Neighborhood Well being, UnitedHealthcare, and Tufts Well being plans all filed small group market plans.
UnitedHealthcare requested the biggest improve amongst all insurers at 12.3 p.c below their HMO plan and a ten.8 p.c fee improve below their PPO plan. That is in comparison with the corporate requesting the state approve a 17.5 p.c fee improve on their HMO plan and a ten.7 p.c improve below their PPO plan in 2022.
A UnitedHealthcare spokesperson didn’t instantly reply to the Globe for remark.
Blue Cross Blue Defend, the state’s largest well being insurer with almost 41,000 individuals enrolled as of March to their small group plan, requested an 11.7 p.c improve. Neighborhood Well being requested a 9.3 p.c improve.
Neighborhood Well being’s Vice President of Business Merchandise Elizabeth McClaine mentioned in an emailed assertion that almost all of members’ premiums shall be “considerably offset by will increase in superior premium tax credit.”
“Neighborhood gives the 2 lowest value well being plans on the state’s medical health insurance market,” McClaine mentioned. “Even with the proposed 2023 fee improve, Neighborhood will nonetheless be probably the most value efficient possibility as we’ve for the previous 9 years.”
5 insurers, which included Blue Cross Blue Defend, UnitedHealthcare, Tufts Well being Plan, Aetna, and Cigna, filed giant group charges. Aetna requested the very best fee improve at 13.4 p.c whereas UnitedHealthcare requested the bottom fee improve at 11.3 p.c.
Tigue, who is anticipated to approve, modify, or reject the proposed charges in mid-to-late August, mentioned in 2022 that he was deeply involved with the steep requested fee will increase, which went as much as 20 p.c final 12 months.
“Not too long ago, well being insurers have generated substantial income because of the discount in medical providers skilled through the coronavirus illness 2019 public well being emergency,” he mentioned on the time.
However on Friday, Tigue mentioned that these proposed fee will increase demonstrated the “continued want for shared accountability by insurers and suppliers to handle the underlying prices of well being care with a view to promote affordability for Rhode Island shoppers and companies.”
Cory King, a coverage director in Tigue’s workplace, mentioned Workplace of the Well being Insurance coverage Commissioner will evaluation every well being insurer’s protection and profit contracts with shoppers to “make sure that plans offered in Rhode Island meet all profit, entry, and member value sharing requirements required by state and federal legislation.”
The workplace will settle for public touch upon the proposed charges by way of July 12 in writing, and also will hear public remark at a digital city corridor on July. 7.
Alexa Gagosz may be reached at [email protected]. Observe her on Twitter @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.