Rhode Island Business Group on Health Response to Health Insurance Commissioner’s Action on Health Insurance Premium Request
RISBJ Staff | Sep 25, 2012
PROVIDENCE, RI – (September 21, 2012) The Rhode Island Business Group on Health (RIBGH), a coalition of more than 70 employers in Rhode Island representing over 50,000 employees, applauds the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner’s action to lower health care premium increases. As a result of this action, Rhode Island’s fully ensured employers will see an average expected premium increase in 2013 of 1.65%* to 5.53%*.
The Rhode Island Business Group on Health has been an active supporter of lower, more predictable premium rate increases through its extensive advocacy efforts.
“These increases are certainly more palatable to businesses and in line with current economic conditions,” says RIBGH President Don Nokes. “Through our valued members and volunteers, the Rhode Island Business Group on Health is making a positive impact on health care in Rhode Island, including supporting lower rate increases like these. We applaud the efforts of Commissioner Koller, the health care insurers and employers for their efforts to make health care more affordable. Decisions such as this certainly go towards creating and maintaining affordable, quality health care for all Rhode Islanders.”
The endeavor of creating and maintaining a health care climate that is positive for all continues beyond today’s positive news. The Rhode Island Business Group on Health, dedicated to acting as the business voice for health care in Rhode Island, will concentrate efforts over the next several months to address issues that add unnecessary cost and affect quality, including:
- Promoting cost transparency
- Limiting health care mandates
- Supporting statewide health care planning
- Driving payment reform
- Reducing excess utilization
To better address these issues, the Rhode Island Business Group on Health has been recently awarded a seat on the Health Care Planning and Accountability Advocacy Council under the leadership of Rhode Island Health Insurance Commissioner Chris Koller and Rhode Island Secretary of Health and Human Services Steven Costantino. In addition, RIBGH hosted its Annual Health Care Summit today, where 140 in attendance heard positive results from the RI Chronic Care Sustainability Initiative (CSI-RI), the state’s all-payer patient-centered medical homes (PCMH) project. Working in collaboration with CSI-RI and Commissioner Koller, RIBGH urges all employers to consider health plan designs that include PCMH primary care options.
*These numbers represent average premium increases; some businesses will see higher increases, and some will experience lower increases.
Leave a comment
