RI health insurers want 16.3% rate increase

Health Insurance Commissioner Christopher Koller says Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island is proposing a 16.3-percent rate increase for businesses with 50 or more employees.

Rhode Island's largest health insurance companies are seeking rate hikes.

Health Insurance Commissioner Christopher Koller says Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island is proposing a 16.3-percent rate increase for businesses with 50 or more employees.

UnitedHealthCare of New England has asked to raise its large group rate by 11.6 percent.

Blue Cross insures 70 percent of Rhode Islanders who receive health insurance through their employers, excluding state workers.

UnitedHealthCare insures 25 percent of residents in that category.

Koller is expected to rule on the proposed increases next month. They could go into effect in October.

A Blue Cross spokesman tells The Providence Journal the insurer is trying to contain costs.

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