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CQ HealthBeat reports, "The proposed format for notices that insurance companies would have to post electronically when they ask for rate increases of 10 percent or more was unveiled Monday by" HHS. Such notices were mandated by the healthcare law to help prevent "unreasonable" rate hikes. "Under the proposed regulation, the responsibility for scrutinizing those increases will rest largely with state insurance regulators as long as those states have adequate systems analyze the requests." Steve Larsen, director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, said, "People have been kept in the dark when it comes to the reasons behind their health insurance increases," but requiring insurers to disclose rate increase data "would provide an unprecedented level of transparency in the health insurance market."

Modern Healthcare explains, "Starting in July, insurers must report and justify rate increases over 10% in the individual and small-group markets. They must also tell consumers why they are increasing rates by such amounts." Notably, "America's Health Insurance Plans, a trade group, has submitted comments on the proposed rules, urging the federal government to delay rate reviews until 2012 and allow states to decide the specific triggers for reviews.

From the American Association for Justice news release.