HHS Denies MLR Waiver Requests From Two More States

The Department of Health and Human Services denied requests from Kansas and Oklahoma to allow them to adjust the health law's medical-loss ratio provisions. That brings to eight the number of states who will not receive such exemptions.

The Hill: HHS Rejects Looser Insurance Rules In Two States
The Health and Human Services Department on Wednesday denied two more states' requests to soften new rules that govern insurers' spending. HHS denied Kansas's and Oklahoma's requests for adjustment to the health care law's medical loss ratio (MLR) provisions. The law requires insurers selling policies to individuals to spend 80 percent of their premiums on medical costs, with the remaining 20 percent for profit and administrative costs (Baker, 1/4).

Modern Healthcare: No Loss Ratio Adjustments For Kan., Okla.
The CMS' Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight has denied Kansas and Oklahoma their requests for medical-loss ratio adjustments, bringing to eight the number of states that will not receive exceptions to the standard that requires insurance companies to spend at least 80 percent of premium dollars on medical care (Zigmond, 1/4).

Politico Pro: HHS Turns Down Two States' MLR Requests
Two Republican states, once picked by HHS to lead the way on exchange development, have been denied requests to phase in the health care law’s medical loss ratio standards. On Wednesday, HHS denied the MLR waiver applications of Kansas and Oklahoma. CIIO Director Steve Larsen said the insurance markets in both states were stable enough to handle an 80 percent medical loss requirement without any disruption (Nocera, 1/4).

Kansas Health Institute News: HHS Nixes Kansas Request For 80-20 Rule Waiver
The health insurance companies offering individual policies in Kansas are financially solid enough that new federal medical-loss rules won't drive them from the market, state and federal regulators predicted today.
That prediction came as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services denied a waiver request from the Kansas Insurance Department that would have temporarily relaxed the rules for firms operating in the Sunflower State (Shields, 1/4). 

Congressional Quarterly: Two At A Time: No Go For Kansas And Oklahoma On Their MLR Requests
In what seems to be a trend, Department of Health and Human Services officials said Wednesday they've turned down requests from Kansas and Oklahoma for a phase-in of the health overhaul law's medical payout rules. That brings to eight the number of states out of 17 applicants that have been rebuffed in their attempts to stave off medical loss ratio standards to individual and small-business insurers in their states. Also denied were Florida, North Dakota, Louisiana, Delaware, Indiana and Michigan (Norman, 1/4).

In other news related to state action and the health law's implementation -

California Healthline: Exchange Board Has One Meeting To Consider HHS List
Just before the most recent California Health Benefit Exchange board meeting, the federal Health and Human Services agency released its list of proposed essential health benefits. ... There are 10 categories of benefits under the proposal, "so it's not weighted in any particular area," according to Katie Marcellus of the board staff (Gorn, 1/5).