Missouri consumer group sues feds to get health insurance rates

The Consumers Council of Missouri brought suit to force the public disclosure of health insurance rate information ahead of open enrollment, which begins Nov. 15. The group said the Affordable Care Act requires officials to make rate information public so consumers have the opportunity to challenge the price of coverage.

The Associated Press: Consumer Group Sues Over Missouri Insurance Rates
A Missouri consumer group announced Wednesday that it has sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the latest effort to obtain information used to justify the rates consumers will pay for insurance on the federally run online marketplace (10/1).

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri Consumer Group Sues Feds Over Health Insurance Rate Information
A Missouri consumer advocacy group is suing the federal government in an attempt to force the public disclosure of health insurance rate information ahead of the upcoming enrollment period. The Consumers Council of Missouri said it filed the lawsuit late Tuesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis after its Freedom of Information Act request for the rate filings was denied by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The council said it is looking for information about pricing and insurers' reasons for raising or lowering rates. The consumer group says the Affordable Care Act requires federal officials to make rate information public so consumers have the chance to challenge the price of health insurance before online shopping begins on Nov. 15 (Shapiro, 10/2).