Oregon Rate Review Grants Award List
Cycle I Grant Application Summary
Oregon Grantee: Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services
Award Date: August 16, 2010
Award Amount: $1,000,000
- Expand the Scope of the Review Process: Oregon intends to expand review to include large group unreasonable health insurance premium increases.
- Improve the Review Process: Currently, Oregon reviews all individual and small group health insurance premiums to determine whether increases are justified and in compliance with the community rating law. Grant funds will be used to develop and implement a large group market health insurance premium review process.
- Increase Transparency and Accessibility: Oregon has a robust consumer transparency program including posting of information, public comment, and consumer email notification. Grant funds will be used to move stakeholder engagement to the next level by developing administrative rules and publicly disclosing more meaningfully information. In addition, Oregon will fund a consumer advocacy organization to collect comments on health insurance premium filings.
- Develop and Upgrade Technology: Oregon will collect, organize, and report in-depth information to HHS and consumers.
Cycle II Grant Application Summary
Oregon Grantee: Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services
Award Date: September 20, 2011
Total Award: $4,040,777
Baseline Award: $3,000,000
Workload Award Amount: $440,777
Performance Award Amount: $600,000
- Improve rate filing requirements: Oregon plans to adopt the use of the federal disclosure form (Consumer Disclosure about Proposed Health Insurance Rate Increases) to use with all individual and small group rate filings.
- Improve transparency and consumer interfaces: Oregon plans to start hosting additional hearings for individual and small group rate requests. Oregon will also create and publish a rate review booklet or consumer guide to provide consumers with a plain language explanation of the filing process and a guide to understanding rate filings.
- Hire new staff: Oregon will create 4 new positions with Cycle II grant funding; these positions are in addition to the 4 positions created with Cycle I resources.
- Improve IT: Oregon will develop an improved data process that will effectively organize rate information and allow for the posting of rate schedules used to compare rates between insurers on the Department of Insurance website.
Last updated: September 21, 2012