Health care advocate urges mandatory hearings, clearer public notices for Medicare Supplement rate requests

Michael Fisher, chief health care advocate at Vermont Legal Aid, told the Vermont House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development on Feb. 21 that the state should require hearings and improve public notice when insurers seek large Medicare Supplement (Medigap) rate increases.

Fisher said his office supports the committee’s proposed new threshold — rate requests above 10 percent affecting more than 5,000 covered lives — but urged changing statutory language that currently says the commissioner "may have a hearing" to say the commissioner "shall have a hearing." "I think the bill in front of you says that the commissioner may have a hearing. And we think it it, we think it should say shall have a hearing," Fisher said.

Why it matters: Medicare Supplement plans cover older Vermonters who rely on predictable premiums. Fisher said mandated hearings for large requests would give beneficiaries and consumer advocates a formal opportunity to comment and increase transparency. "There's nothing like shining a light on these things. It's it's important," he said.

What Fisher described: Fisher outlined the advocate office’s role — funded by a single state grant and housed at Vermont Legal Aid — and its involvement in rate reviews before regulators. He said his office…