Letter to New York State Department of Financial Services

July 6, 2022

Josh Riley
Candidate for Congress
New York’s 19th District
P.O. Box 6806
213 Tioga Street
Ithaca, NY 14851

Hon. Adrienne A. Harris
Superintendent
New York State Department of Financial Services
1 State Street
New York, NY 10004–1511

Superintendent Harris,

I urge you to reject the proposed rate increases that recently were submitted to your Department by various health insurance companies. Having met with so many folks across New York’s new 19th Congressional District, one thing is very clear: Upstate New Yorkers cannot afford to pay higher costs for health insurance right now.

In their recent filing with your Department, health insurance companies in the individual market proposed an average rate increase of 18.7%, and health insurance companies in the small group market proposed an average rate increase of 16.5%. Some insurance companies have even proposed increases of 30% or more, a staggering amount for which there is no discernible justification. If approved, these increases could raise Upstate New Yorkers’ monthly costs by $100 per month or more.

With rising costs for everything from groceries to gas, folks in New York’s new 19th Congressional District are already making difficult decisions to balance their family budgets. I’ve spoken with folks who have had to cancel summer vacations because prices are too high, and I’ve spoken with seniors who have had to make impossible choices between their medications or groceries. A substantial increase in health insurance premiums right now would be too much for many families to bear.

I encourage you to reject, or at least substantially reduce, the rate proposals that have been submitted to your Department. Working families across Upstate New York need relief from rising costs, not more of them.

Sincerely,

Josh Riley
Candidate for Congress
New York’s 19th District