Tennessee Insurance Commissioner Bristles At Obama Comment, Says Department Isn’t ‘Passive’

Tennessee’s insurance commissioner is taking an issue with a comment President Obama made at a town hall meeting in Madison Wednesday.

Retiree Marian Hurst of Mount Juliet who is on an Obamacare insurance plan asked why premiums are going up so much. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, which runs most of the plans,
has requested a hike of 36 percent on average after last year’s
nearly 19 percent increase.

“The key for Tennessee is just making sure that the insurance commissioner does their job and not just passively reviewing the rates, but really asking what is it you’re looking for, why would you need very high premiums,” Obama said.

The Department of Commerce and Insurance felt compelled to issue a statement on Thursday:

“Commissioner Julie Mix
McPeak and our seasoned team of insurance regulators are not passively reviewing insurance rates for the coming year as the President suggested. The Commissioner and our team have always taken the job of protecting Tennessee consumers seriously and are unafraid to ask hard questions
.”

The president did point out there’s usually a difference between what companies ask for and the rate hike that ultimately gets approved. Tennessee’s insurance rates won’t be finalized until August 25
^th.