Mehri & Skalet Files Suit To Make Health Insurance Rates Transparent, Disclosed To Public

MEHRI & SKALET FIGHTS TO KEEP HEALTH INSURANCE RATES TRANSPARENT IN NEW LAWSUIT, M&S PARTNER GETS TOP POST AT HOUSING AGENCY

MEHRI & SKALET FILES SUIT TO MAKE HEALTH INSURANCE RATES TRANSPARENT, DISCLOSED TO PUBLIC

In early October, Mehri & Skalet partner Jay Angoff, on behalf of the Consumers Council of Missouri sent a strong message to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – disclose health insurance rates and rate justifications when they’re filed, so that consumers can comment on proposed increases and can seek to have unjustified increases reduced. Jay is the former Director of HHS’s Department of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight.

The lawsuit demands that HHS honor the Council’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and comply with its own transparency regulations, which would allow consumers to comment on proposed rates before they take effect. As Jay, also the former Insurance Commissioner of Missouri, told the Washington Post, “The only way those rates are likely to come down is if the rate filing justifications are made public.” HHS has yet to disclose the rates, with the start of the health insurance open-enrollment period just a couple weeks away. The lawsuit was also covered by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, CNBC, Associated Press, and Politico, and Jay discussed the filing on Fox and Friends.