Search

Health insurers must submit their first set of rate increases after the implementation of Cover Oregon to the Insurance Division by May 31, and this year’s filings will include a whole new set of measurements, forcing insurers to do some math about how they’re keeping costs under control. The new measures, called “Cost and Quality Metrics” will not be used to approve or adjust rate hikes from the insurance companies. Instead, they’re likely to determine future rate increases by taking a snapshot of healthcare spending and cost controls in 2014. The Legislature and the Insurance Division could put some teeth into these metrics later and hold insurers accountable for avoiding big departures from those numbers in subsequent years.