Revision: Dec. 28, 2018, 9:43 a.m.
HB 278 - AS INTRODUCED
2019 SESSION
19-0530
01/10
HOUSE BILL 278
AN ACT relative to the New Hampshire insurance department's annual hearing requirement.
SPONSORS: Rep. Butler, Carr. 7
COMMITTEE: Commerce and Consumer Affairs
-----------------------------------------------------------------
ANALYSIS
This bill updates the insurance commissioner's annual public hearing requirement relative to premium rates.
This bill is a request of the insurance department.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
19-0530
01/10
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Nineteen
AN ACT relative to the New Hampshire insurance department's annual hearing requirement.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Portability, Availability, and Renewability of Health Coverage; Requested Information. Amend RSA 420-G:14-a to read as follows:
420-G:14-a Requested Information.
I. As authorized in accordance with RSA 420-G:14, the commissioner may request the submission of such information by carriers as is necessary to better understand the coverage history and choices of participants in the nongroup market. The commissioner shall make every attempt to ensure the reasonableness of such request, both in terms of scope and timeframe, and to limit this request to information the commissioner deems necessary to better understand the dynamics of the nongroup health insurance market and to assess the appropriateness of alternative sources of funding for the nongroup subsidy.
II. The commissioner shall request and health carriers shall supply information and data no later than June [1] 30 of each year sufficient to report on the small employer health insurance market. Such information shall be reported for the market as a whole and by market segment. At the commissioner's discretion, such information may include, but not be limited to, information relating to premium rates and rating practices, the number of groups and individuals insured, availability of coverage and benefit plans, trend, loss ratios, administration costs, and profitability. The commissioner shall file a report of the information by December [1] 31 of each year with the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, the chairperson of the house commerce committee, and the chairperson of the senate banks and insurance committee.
III. The commissioner shall request and health carriers shall supply information no later than June [1] 30 of each year sufficient to report on the types of health coverage being purchased by individuals and employers by geographic area. The report shall include specific details regarding the type of coverage, including, but not limited to, co-pays, out-of-pocket maximums, network restrictions, and deductibles.
IV. The commissioner shall file the required reports by [September 1] December 31 of each year with the senate president, the speaker of the house, [the chairperson of the house commerce committee, and the chairperson of the senate insurance committee] and the chairpersons of the house and senate committees having jurisdiction over commerce issues.
V. The commissioner shall hold an annual public hearing concerning premium rates in the health insurance market and the factors, including health care costs and cost trends, that have contributed to rate increases during the prior year. The commissioner shall evaluate claims costs, administrative loads, and health carrier profits. The commissioner shall identify the factors that contribute to cost increases affecting health insurance premiums and health care services in New Hampshire. The commissioner shall identify variations in the price that health carriers pay for health care services and shall undertake further analysis to determine [whether] the cause of the observed price variations [correlate to the sickness or the complexity of the population served, the relative proportion of patients on Medicare or Medicaid that are served by the health care provider, the cost to the health care provider of delivering the service, or the relative proportion of free or reduced care provided to the uninsured] by utilizing the uniform hospital discharge data set, as described under RSA 126:25, the comprehensive health care information system as described in RSA 420-G:11-a, and other data sources as appropriate. In advance of holding the public hearing, the commissioner may require any health insurer or third party administrator to produce documents and information deemed necessary and relevant to evaluate the factors that contribute to cost growth in health care services, increased utilization of health care, and health insurance premium costs. The commissioner shall keep confidential all nonpublic documents and shall not disclose those documents without the consent of the health care provider or health care payer that produced the information or documents. The commissioner may compel a health insurance carrier or third party administrator to testify at the annual public hearing. The commissioner may also invite representatives of health care providers to provide relevant information.
VI.(a) The commissioner shall prepare an annual report concerning premium rates in the health insurance market and the factors that have contributed to rate increases during prior years. The annual report shall be designed to provide information which identifies and quantifies health care spending trends and the underlying factors that contributed to increases in health insurance premiums. [The report shall include recommendations and strategies for increasing the efficiency of New Hampshire's health care financing and delivery system.] The report may include, as appropriate, analysis of public policy options for increasing the efficiency of New Hampshire's health care financing and delivery system and controlling health care costs and premium increases. The report shall be based to the highest extent possible on the commissioner's analysis of information and data available to the commissioner, including[:
(1) Information and analysis of the amount and impact of uncompensated care.
(2) Past and current medical loss ratios of insurance carriers in New Hampshire.
(3) Comparison and analysis of the cost of medical care by payment type.
(4) Information and analysis of total public reimbursements to hospitals and other health care providers by federal, state, and local governments.
(5) Information and analysis of insurance premiums by provider network.
(6) Information and analysis of plan and premium information on the Federal Employee Plan and National Account offered by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield.
(7) Comparison and analysis to insurance claim data collected by other states.
(8)] the testimony at the public hearing, and any other information or documents submitted in connection with the public hearing.
(b) The commissioner shall submit the annual report to the governor, the president of the senate, and the speaker of the house of representatives on or before [November 1] December 31 of each year.
VII. In conjunction with the annual public hearing required under paragraph V and the report [and recommendations] required under paragraph VI, the commissioner shall consider any pertinent work of other legislative commissions and inquires focused on related matters.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.