TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - New Jersey’s largest health insurer has obtained a court order that blocks the release of a letter explaining why the state fined the firm $15.5 million for Medicaid contract violations.
NJ.com (https://bit.ly/2tUFaZV) reported Saturday that Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey obtained the order June 29.
The letter wasn’t made public when Gov. Chris Christie announced the fine last month, and attempts by media organizations to obtain it through Open Public Records Act requests were declined. Horizon’s contract with the state allows it to challenge any public record request and requires that it get a court order to block the release of documents.
Horizon argued the letter was confidential because it revealed trade secrets and other information that, if disclosed, would give an advantage to competitors or bidders. It also said the letter pertained to an investigation in progress.
The insurer also claimed the letter contains inaccuracies. It plans to soon file an appeal of the violations.
Horizon serves 3.8 million citizens, including 1.8 million on Medicaid.
Legislation to overhaul the insurer was part of the $34.7 billion budget deal that Christie struck late Monday with Democratic Senate President Steve Sweeney and Democratic Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, ending a three-day state government shutdown.
The Horizon legislation calls for annual audits of the nonprofit’s reserve level, sets a range for reserves and requires excess to be spent on policyholders. The budget stalemate centered on Christie’s desire for legislation to overhaul Horizon, but the deal includes none of the initial use of Horizon’s surplus for opioid treatment that he set out to get in February.
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Information from: NJ.com, https://www.nj.com
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