Concerns about insurance affordability for rural women
Rep. Ellen Roberts, a moderate Republican from rural southwest Colorado, expressed reservations about how the bill was being fast tracked through committee and ultimately voted against it.
“It’s not content specific,” said Roberts explaining her pained vote against maternity care. “I’ve always been a strong supporter of women’s issues.”
Roberts primary beef is the already limited options for rural communities to buy into health care plans. Few insurance carriers offer individual or small group plans in remote regions of the state. That’s coupled with broad public perceptions that a coverage mandate — even a widely popular one like maternity care — would increase premiums to the point of becoming unaffordable.
“My constituents are contacting me seriously two to three times a week telling me ‘no more mandates’ because we are going to have to drop our insurance,” said Roberts.
Those with the gold make the rules
The Durango Republican was also miffed that House democratic leaders knuckled down and bypassed the state’s Commission on Mandated Health Benefits which provides nonpartisan cost benefit analysis to lawmakers.
“That’s the kind of information I need to make an educated vote,” said Roberts acknowledging that both Republicans and Democrats alike have ignored the cumbersome committee when pushing though legislation. The 11-member commission of insurance experts, health policy advocates and consumers has been widely criticized for its slow pace in reviewing bills often introduced at a breakneck pace during the state’s three month legislative session.
Roberts co-sponsored legislation with fellow Western Slope lawmaker Rep. Kathleen Curry, U-Gunnison, to reform the commission created by state statute in 2003 and which is set to expire in July.
They proposed handing the mandate review process to the nonpartisan Legislative Council and implementing a one-year timeout on any new state mandates while Congress sorts out its overdue national health care reform plan. The internal bickering over the mandate process at the state capitol became so heated that Curry, a staunch pro-choice Democrat, resigned from the party in Dec.
As expected, at the behest of statehouse leadership, their bill was killed in committee.
“Obviously in a political year you don’t enjoy making some of these votes because it will be used against you in the campaign cycle.” said Roberts. “I can’t be guided by that. I have to try to do the right thing.”
