Promoting Transparency: Rate Increase Reviews

Starting September 1, 2011, health insurance companies must inform the public when they want to increase health insurance rates for individual or small group policies by an average of 10% or more. (Because the 10% is an average increase, some enrollees may experience higher or lower rate increases.)

Insurance experts in state or federal government review these rate increase requests. This is called a "Rate Review." The state or federal government examines the health insurer's data on each rate increase and determine whether it is reasonable or not.

Detailed information about these reviews is posted in this section of HealthCare.gov and on the website of the Center for Consumer Information & Insurance Oversight. This new layer of transparency shows consumers why their premiums are going up.