General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCalif's Prop 45 will help keep insurance premiums lower.
Last edited Mon Sep 8, 2014, 12:36 PM - Edit history (1)
So that is probably exactly why the Big Insurers are uniting with lots and lots of their moulah to defeat the proposition.
Yes, This November, Proposition 45 will be on the ballot in the state of California.
Should it pass, it will reinforce the ability of the states insurance regulators to reject any and all health insurance rate increases that they deem excessive.
However, naturally, this means that the various Big Insurance Companies that are operating inside Calif. have put together a huge war chest. Their monies are going to TV, and radio ads that will play non-stop in an effort to get Calif. voters to vote the measure down and out.
From the article at Public Integrity:
Of $37.9 million donated to CAHHCC as of August 22, $37.3 million came from those insurers and their PR and lobbying group, the California Association of Health Plans. The rest came from a small group of insurance brokers and their PR and lobbying groups, the California Association of Health Underwriters and the National Association of Health Underwriters.
The main argument cited by these groups opposition to Proposition 45 is that it might interfere with the efforts of Covered California, the states health insurance exchange, to provide individuals and small businesses with affordable coverage options in a timely fashion.
SNIP
California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, who is up for re-election this year, rejects that argument. In a letter to state lawmakers this summer, Jones wrote that if voters pass Proposition 45, his department which has long had the ability to reject proposed rate increases from auto and property and casualty insurers will work cooperatively with other state agencies to ensure that rates are reviewed and approved to meet Covered California
deadlines. Jones also pointed out that insurance regulators in 35 other states already have the ability to disapprove unreasonable rate increases, and he offered a point-by-point rebuttal of a report commissioned by the insurance industry that suggested Proposition 45 could undermine provisions of the Affordable Care Act.
SNIP
The industrys key message to scare liberals, communicated by its coalition, is showing up in media seldom seen by most conservatives. Some of that $38 million was spent last week on an ad in Salon.com featuring a large picture of President Barack Obama and this message: Protect Obamacare from Legal Attacks. Prop 45s Dirty Little Secret: More Attacks Against Obamacare. Vote No on 45!
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If you live in California please take the time to read the full article. It can be found here: (And when you vote, vote Yes! on Prop 45... )
http://www.publicintegrity.org/2014/09/02/15440/defeat-california-initiative-would-protect-insurers-profits
randys1
(16,286 posts)truedelphi
(32,324 posts)We all need to support this organization and make California Universal HC for All a reality. (Not too long ago, it lost out by two votes. Two damn votes in the state legislature!)
NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)truedelphi
(32,324 posts)And thanks for the informative links too.
At least this time it is an easy reminder of "Yes" on my "Prop check list."
Sometimes, when voting for a propositon, it is like a voter has to vote "No" to mean Yes or Maybe.
Politicalboi
(15,189 posts)They need to make laws that you can't mislead the public with political ads. State what the proposition will and won't do. No using words like it will destroy Obamacare. We need more clarity in voting. Being able to buy deceit when making laws should be against the law.
truedelphi
(32,324 posts)Wording of advertisements.
Often the offical title of a propositon is misleading. Hypothetically, you might have to read the small print to find out that "The Safety for All Babies" Proposition actually decrees that babies should not be allowed to have oxygen to breath.
And then there are all the various names of various associations that are supposedly endorsing this or that propositon. How many voters know if the California Association of Nurses is a more legitimate organization than the California Nurses Association, or not? Half these entities are made up, just so the backers or negators of a propositon can claim to have the heavy support.