WARWICK — A self-employed businessman, a mother whose daughter has a chronic illness and the owner of a small manufacturing company turned out at a public forum on Monday night to criticize proposed hikes in health insurance.

“I am afraid to get sick,” said David Riseberg, a self-employed corporate recruiter from Central Falls, who has watched his insurance premium soar so high — to $19,200 a year for him and his wife — that he worries he’ll have no money left for the increased deductibles and co-pays. Noting the size of the premium, he said, “That’s a new car every year.”

Riseberg said, “Something’s got to be done.”

Riseberg was among a dozen people who addressed state Health Insurance Commissioner Christopher F. Koller as he considers insurers’ requests for double-digit rate increases. Blue Cross has proposed hiking its rate in the fall 13.9 percent for small employers and 16.3 percent for large employers, while UnitedHealthCare of New England is seeking increases of 11.6 percent and 13.2 percent. Tufts Health Plan is not selling such insurance in Rhode Island this year

Koller, who has made public an unprecedented amount of detail on the proposed rates, held the hearing at the Public Utilities Commission office. Those who arrived were greeted by pickets organized by Ocean State Action, whose interim director, Peter Asen, then went inside to oppose the rate hikes and to assert that insurers spend substantially more on administrative expenses in Rhode Island than in Massachusetts.

Geoffrey Grove, president of Pilgrim Screw Corp., with locations in Providence and Arizona, complained that health insurance “is very expensive in this state.” He employs 70 people, and those with full benefits have seen their share of premiums rise from $3,000 to $5,000 a year. It’s become so costly, he said, that some families are “dropping it.”

Miriam Lavoie said she sympathizes with her employer, who has had to freeze what he can contribute to her health coverage. But that has left her struggling with deductibles and co-pays for her daughter’s care.

“It affects the decisions we make — can we afford that insulin pump and its supplies?” she said. The costs, she said, “affect my life every day.”

She opposed the rate hikes, as did other speakers including Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts and state Rep. Edwin Pacheco, D-Burillville. Roberts, who has been working with business leaders, opposed any hikes until the state can develop a plan for affordable health care. Pacheco and Assistant Attorney General Genevieve Martin, speaking on behalf of Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, both criticized Koller for not holding a formal rate hearing, in which evidence for and against the rate hikes is presented and witnesses testify and face cross-examination. The lack of such a hearing, said Martin, “is an injustice to the people of this state.”

Koller repeated that he has “made no decision on whether such a hearing is necessary in this case.” He has the authority to decide whether to accept, reject or modify the rate requests. Koller did not respond to comments made last night or indicate what he is likely to do. But he did urge everyone “to see this from different perspectives.”

He mentioned a physician who called complaining of difficulty recruiting staff for his medical center because of the relatively low payments doctors in Rhode Island receive from insurers. He worried that could lead to inadequate medical care in this state.

“One person’s expense is another person’s revenue,” Koller said.

rsalit@projo.com