Sandy Praeger, the last of the common-sense Kansas Republicans
Barb ShellyEvery Kansas statewide officeholder and member of Congress grumped on Thursday about the Supreme Court’s passage of “Obamacare.”
Except one.
“I’m proud to be part of a country that says everybody ought to have access to health care services and a means to pay for them,” said Kansas insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger. “And finally, we’re there.”
Praeger is the last of the old-guard, pragmatic, Nancy Kassebaum-style Republicans to hold statewide office in Kansas. The former mayor of Lawrence has held public office since the 1980’s, serving three terms in the Kansas Senate before being elected insurance commissioner in 2002.
While fellow Kansas Republicans holding statewide and federal offices have supported the prerogative of insurance companies to gouge consumers and deny coverage to sick people, Praeger has always described access to affordable health care as a right that should be available to all Americans.
As chair of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ insurance and managed care committee, she knows the ins and outs of the Affordable Care Act. And while she doesn’t hesitate to question whether some of the provisions will work, she is supportive of the main goal — universal access to affordable health insurance.
On Thursday, while the Congressional delegation huffed over the Supreme Court ruling and Gov. Sam Brownback indicated he would hold off on implementing parts of the law in hopes of a GOP sweep in the November elections, Praeger advised Kansas leaders to get moving.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” she said. The state needs to act long before November if it is to have any input in the health insurance “exchange,” (basically an on-line marketplace) that the Affordable Care Act requires.
“Maybe we have a difference of opinion,” she said of Brownback. “But I’d rather keep our options open than put all my eggs in the basket of repeal and replace.”
Good for her. Kansas used to be known for that kind of common sense. Nice to know it hasn’t disappeared entirely.
Kent Mueller
10 months, 3 weeks agoBarb, you are entitled to your opinion. And you have a big soap box called the KC Star. Opinion is just that and you have yours and I have mine.
But, when you reference specific things, you need to be able to back them up. You said it had been the prerogative of insurance companies to gouge customers. Gouge? Really? Why would you use that word? Every industry has instances of overcharging. Every one of them. But for you to make that charge, it can’t be an isolated incident.
Barb, please lay out your evidence of insurance companies gouging customers. Please don’t list profits lifted out of selected time frames because that doesn’t show anything. Please show true evidence of true gouging. Please?
You said it, Barb, now please show that the insurance industry has been gouging their customers. It’s got to be in the profits somewhere, right?
Steven Fetter
66223
10 months, 3 weeks agoNo one is against universal health care. The question always has been, how will we pay for it. Many of us do not think the current bill is viable.
I find it interesting that so much effort is focused on insurance and so little on the cost of service itself. If costs could be driven down, preferably by informed consumers utilizing cost/benefit analysis, lower insurance costs would follow.
As far as price gauging, insurance companies rank way behind Apple, Google, and (in the old days) newspaper ad departments. Most people I know in the health insurance industry say that the competition is fierce to get and retain customers.
George Hunsucker
Northland
10 months, 3 weeks agoIt is a good thing Ms. Praeger is only insurance commish… that way she can’t waste the state’s money on setting-up exchanges that will only be made moot January 20, 2013—really Nov. 6, 2012, but who is counting???
Mark Hastert
10 months, 3 weeks ago“Why rise to the bait?”
why, K? because it’s fun and you’re all so easy. Like the old fashioned wind up toys.