A bill in Oregon that would have required insurers notify their members of pending rate hikes above 7 percent has been amended. Although the bill, which was sponsored by Sen. Chip Shields, easily passed the Senate during the 2011 session, Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson added an amendment that allegedly was written by Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield. Instead of mandating that insurers tell their members about premium increases within three days of filing a rate change, the bill now just requires insurers indirectly notify members once a year that public information exists about rate reviews, according to The Lund Report.
"We do not want to incur new costs with the Affordable Care Act going into place, and we need to streamline the process. ... [Insurers] are doing massive changes to comply with Cover Oregon," Monnes Anderson said, speaking about the state's health insurance exchange. Article