List rates or pay, state tells insurers
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List rates or pay, state tells insurersList rates or pay, state tells insurersState regulators yesterday demanded that health insurers submit revised April 1 premium rates for tens of thousands of individuals and small businesses by 3 p.m. #xtomorrow or face stiff fines.High pressure sodium lampThe fines could run to as much as $5,000 a day per carrier, plus $1,000 for each consumer who is unable to buy coverage, according to a letter sent by Insurance Commissioner Joseph G. Murphy yesterday afternoon to Massachusetts insurers.
“Refusing to offer or issue policies to eligible individuals and eligible small businesses is disruptive to the small group market and a violation of applicable laws and regulations,’’ Murphy wrote.The letter went out to six companies — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Tufts Health Plan, Fallon Community Health Plan, Neighborhood Health Plan, and Health New England — the day after Suffolk Superior Court Judge Stephen E. Neel denied their request for an injunction that would let them implement double-digit rate hikes rejected earlier by insurance regulators.Neel ruled that insurers should exhaust their administrative appeals within the insurance division before moving forward with court action against the state. Four insurers had filed administrative appeals with the division as of yesterday: Harvard Pilgrim, Blue Cross-Blue Shield, Tufts,Positive Plate,#x and Fallon. The deadline for filing an appeal is tomorrow.Yesterday’s letter followed mounting frustration by state officials over the insurers’ delay in following an order to update their quotes on the state’s Health Connector website and through other intermediaries that sell the companies’ insurance, using base rates from last year. The insurers had posted new rates, with average base rate increases of 8 to 32 percent, on the Connector site, but were told by regulators to remove them when the rates were deniedHigh pressure sodium lamp.Representatives of the health insurers yesterday said they were working to comply with the state directive, but some stopped short of committing to having revised rates ready by tomorrow.“The state has asked us to comply, and we expect that we will be in compliance,’’ said Jay McQuaide, vice president for Blue Cross-Blue Shield, the state’s largest health insurer.“We’re doing everything we need to do to get the rates in place as quickly as we can,’’ said Fallon spokeswoman Christine Cassidy.“Harvard Pilgrim will respond to today’s letter from Division of Insurance by Thursday’s deadline,’’ said spokeswoman Sharon Torgerson. “We plan to begin issuing quotes as soon as possible.’#x’As of 5 p.m. yesterday, the Connector had reposted only individual and family rates from one carrier, Health New England, for insurance products covering the small group marketHigh pressure sodium lamp. The segment includes about 800,000 people. Connector spokesman Dick Powers said it could take a day or two to post rates after they’re submitted. Health New England serves Western Massachusetts.相关的主题文章：
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