Why is Democratic California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones so ineffective when it comes to rejecting absurdly high rate increases for health insurance?
Is he in the pocket of the insurance companies?
No -- they can't stand him.
Is he just not up to the job?
No, there's already no better Insurance Commissioner in the country and he's only going to get better.
Does he have "other priorities"?
No, this is one of his highest priorities. In fact, it's the one about which he just sent out a blast e-mail.
Well, then why? Why won't Dave Jones do the job of regulation that we want him to do?
It's a trick question.
He doesn't have the legal authority to do it. But -- he's doing his best to try and get it!
Tomorrow, Tuesday April 26, is when the bill that would grant him this extraordinary power to hold down unreasonable health insurance rate increases comes up for a critical vote in a State Assembly committee. That committee is where the health insurers want to keep Dave Jones from taking on the responsibility and the burden to do what's right by the citizens of California -- and start regulating health insurance rates the same way he does with auto insurance and property/casualty insurance rates.
And today he's asking for our help. He'd like us to make a few calls. I know that there's probably meta to argue about and everything, but would you take a few moments to make a difference?
I'll let Commissioner Jones's e-mail tell the story himself:
A few weeks ago we asked you to help pass AB 52 (Feuer and Huffman) to give me the authority to reject excessive health insurance rate increases.
The hearing on AB 52 in the Assembly Health Committee was then postponed to Tuesday, April 26th. The vote will be this Tuesday. We need you to call members of the Assembly Health Committee (see list below) before the hearing this Tuesday.
In addition to the editorials in the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News that were linked to my earlier email, this month the Sacramento Bee ran an editorial in support of AB 52.
Most Californians are surprised to learn that the Insurance Commissioner does not have the authority to reject excessive health insurance rate hikes. As Insurance Commissioner, I can reject excessive rates for auto, property and casualty insurance, under the voter approved Proposition 103, which has saved consumers billions of dollars in excessive premiums since 1988. Extending these protections to health insurance and managed care plans is long overdue.
The powerful insurance industry lobby continues to lobby against this bill. Please call the members of the Assembly Health Committee and ask them to vote for AB 52.
Thank you for your help and support,
DAVE JONES
California Insurance Commissioner
Please call the following Democrats who serve on the Assembly Health Committee:
Bill Monning, Chair (D) -- (916) 319-2027
Tom Ammiano (D) -- (916) 319-2013
Toni Atkins (D) -- (916) 319-2076
Susan Bonilla (D) -- (916) 319-2011
Mike Eng (D) -- (916) 319-2049
Richard Gordon (D) -- (916) 319-2021
Mary Hayashi (D) -- (916) 319-2018
Roger Hernandez (D) -- (916) 319-2057
Bonnie Lowenthal (D) -- (916) 319-2054
Holly Mitchell (D) -- (916) 319-2047
Richard Pan (D) -- (916) 319-2005
V. Manuel Perez (D) -- (916) 319-2080
Das Williams (D) -- (916) 319-2035
Thank you!
Well, there you have it. He's asking for our help. He says that this is a critical vote. It will be a hard one for Democrats. They're staring down the barrel of a lot of campaign money potentially going to their opponents, in our Citizens United era.
They need to hear us say that WE EXPECT THEM TO KEEP THE FAITH WITH THIS VOTE.
We need to tell them that DAVE JONES NEEDS THIS REGULATORY POWER AND THEY MUST NOT BE THE ONES TO BLOCK IT.
That's 13 calls for each of us -- at least those of us in California -- to make.
Dave Jones is up to this challenge. Are we?