NEW YORK HEALTH PLAN ASSOCIATION: 2023 Rates Reflect Cost of Care
Statement from HPA President and CEO Eric Linzer
“The premium rate requests submitted in May reflected the growth in the costs of health care, which are largely driven by significant increases in the prices drug companies, hospitals and providers are charging. The proposed rates also reflected the continued effect of COVID, including ongoing testing, treatment and vaccination, as well as increased utilization and higher costs due to care that was deferred as a result of the pandemic.
“The rate submissions were reasonable and appropriate, reflecting underlying costs and taking into account the premium reductions the State has imposed the last several years. Unfortunately, the final approved rates do not fully account for the factors driving underlying health care costs.
“A range of bills that lawmakers have approved over the past two years – including proposals that restrict health plans’ ability to contain out-of-control prices drug companies charge and new mandates on top of the more than three dozen mandated benefits already in statute – exacerbate the affordability challenges employers and consumers face. It is vital that policymakers focus on measures to address the drivers of rising health care costs and we remain committed to working with the Administration and legislative leaders to ensure high-quality, affordable health care is available to every New Yorker.”
