More health NY insurers to open data

ALBANY — Five more major health insurance companies in New York have agreed to make public far more data to defend their rate increase requests. State Financial Services Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky said 85 percent of New York's market will now be subject to the accountability measure his department sought this year. Lawsky that Aetna Health, EmblemHealth, Empire HealthChoice, Excellus Health Plan and HealthNow will publicly release data on costs, spending and projected costs and revenues. Last week, Lawsky announced UnitedHealth Group led the effort by agreeing to end what Lawsky has called a secretive process that gave little data to policy holders and consumer advocates opposing rate increases. Previously, the companies had opposed Lawsky's effort to make the information public.