Opinion ID: 2320997
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Decision Subject to Review

Text: [¶ 28] When the Superior Court acts in an intermediate appellate capacity in reviewing the decision of an administrative agency, we directly review the agency's decision on appeal. Hannum v. Bd. of Envtl. Prot., 2006 ME 51, ¶ 9, 898 A.2d 392, 396. Here, the decision that is directly on appeal is the decision of the Superintendent of Insurance. Specifically, the Association challenges the Superintendent's approval of savings that fell into categories other than savings attributable to reductions in bad debt and charity care or expansions in MaineCare eligibility. [8] [¶ 29] Although the Association appealed to the Superior Court from the Superintendent's decision, the parties agree that the Board, rather than the Superintendent, initially construed section 6913(1)(A) to determine which categories of savings should be included. The Superintendent accepted, at least theoretically, the Board's interpretation as to which categories of savings were included as aggregate measurable cost savings and reviewed whether the evidence supported the Board's calculations within each category. Accordingly, although the Superintendent reviewed the Board's calculations in each category of savings, because the Superintendent utilized the Board's interpretation of section 6913 to identify the categories of savings, and because neither party has challenged the Superintendent's review of these calculations, we review the Board's statutory construction because it provided the underpinning of the decision made by the Superintendent.