The Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) is asking for public comments on proposed health rate review procedures, and it's also organizing a public Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP) Advisory Board meeting.
The CCIIO is announcing the request for comment and the CO-OP Advisory Board meeting in notices set to appear in the Federal Register later this week.
The CCIIO is an arm of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which, in turn, is an arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The CCIIO was formed to implement the Affordable Care Act – the federal legislative package that includes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
CMS has published a rate review "agency information collection activities" comment request to implement the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
Starting this year, PPACA Section 1003 requires HHS to work with the states to set up a process for annual reviews of "unreasonable increases in premiums for health insurance coverage," CMS officials say in an advance version of the paperwork review notice.
PPACA Section 2794 requires HHS to ensure that information about "unreasonable" rate increases and "justifications" for those increases are available to the public.
HHS published proposed rate review procedures in the Federal Register in December 2010.
CMS and CCIIO are seeking comments on how well the proposed regulations might or might not work and how useful and clear the required public disclosures might or might not be to consumers.
The agencies are also asking for comments about the proposed rate review determination process.
Comments will be due 60 days after the official Federal Register publication date.
In related news, CMS and the CCIIO plan to hold a public CO-OP Advisory Board meeting at 8:30 a.m. March 14 in Washington.
PPACA Section 1322 requires HHS to help states set up nonprofit, consumer-owned health coverage providers, and HHS is now distributing CO-OP startup grants and loans.
The advisory board will be discussing the grant and loan awards, officials say.
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