Attorney General Peter F. Neronha recently took broad aim at the state’s health insurers for their role in what he called a broken health care system.
The state’s health care advocate told the R.I. Office of Health Insurance Commissioner that it should reject proposed rate increases ranging from 2.5% to 22.7% because large annual increases have not led to improved access or quality of care.
“Insurers get what they need, while consumers, providers and our health care system continue to suffer,” Mr. Neronha said.
He is right to point out the unsustainable rising costs of care and the need for broad reforms in the system, locally and nationally.
But denying all or most rate increases would also place an unfair burden on insurers, who operate in a competitive environment and must also respond to the rising cost of claims.
Failing to grant justified increases will only lead to reduced coverage for services, hurting already suffering consumers.
