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The Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared skeptical that state officials have the power to require health insurers to turn over reams of data revealing how much they pay for medical claims. Most of the justices seemed to agree during a one-hour argument that efforts by Vermont and other states to collect and publicize the data conflict with federal law governing certain health plans. (Hananel, 12/2)

Vermont’s Green Mountain Care Board requires insurers to provide information on payments made to medical providers, hoping that by knowing what is paid for health care it can find ways to keep costs in check and improve efficiency and quality of care. At least 18 other states already have or are setting up similar databases, but Vermont has the boldest experiment in mind: eventually building a single-payer plan that would aim for universal coverage akin to programs in Canada and some European countries. ... Vermont’s solicitor general, Bridget Asay, told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that Congress intended to encourage states to collect data that could provide insight into improving care or reducing expenses. She said the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which amended the 1974 law, “contemplated a robust federal-state partnership in health experimentation.” (Bravin and Radnofsky, 12/2)

Members of the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday indicated that Vermont and 17 other states could be prevented from collecting healthcare information from certain employee health plan administrators. The nine justices heard a one-hour oral argument over whether a 2005 Vermont data collection law aimed at improving the quality of healthcare applies to self-funded insurance plans, which are most commonly used by large companies. (12/2)

Some legislators and policymakers consider the databases important tools to improve care and reduce costs. (Gorn, 12/2)