Rhode Island’s Attorney General is appealing to Superior Court to stop rate increases for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island customers, saying the rate hikes are too steep.
State Health Insurance Commissioner Kathleen Hittner recently issued decisions about how much health insurance rates could increase for 2016. Most increases were in the single digits.
But Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island proposed a 10 percent bump for people who buy insurance on their own. Attorney General Peter Kilmartin says the Commissioner failed to justify that increase. He’s asking the court to overturn it.
The state health insurance commissioner’s office couldn’t immediately be reached for comment, but has declined to comment on the case previously.
BCBSRI has about 25,000 so-called direct pay customers in Rhode Island. The insurer also declined to comment.