By: Jerry Kilcourse, Montpelier
Dear Ms. Swanson,
Please forward this email to Chief Assistant Attorney General William Griffin as I have several questions regarding his interpretation of S.88 concerning the appointment of Jim Leddy to the commission on health care reform.
As AARP acts as an insurance broker for United Health, Aetna etc. with its members regarding so called Medi Gap policies (supplemental)and others and receives hundreds of millions in shared premiums or as AARP calls them “Royalties” for the solicitation of such policies, I cannot see how AARP and Jim Leddy cannot be considered to have a “Relationship” to an insurer. (Sub paragraph A p.9)
Also sub paragraph C. p. 10 states that a member of the commission may not “in any manner, be connected with the operation of a health care provider or insurer.” How can an organization such as AARP that solicits business for health insurance providers from its members not be considered to have a connection? Is this not also stated in sub.paragraph D p.10 concerning a “business contract” i.e. royalties, with a health care insurer.
Though not stated in S.88, I think the the term insurer would also apply to an insurance broker and/or agent that supplies business for an insurer for a fee(commission,royalty,or finders fee or whatever term one wants to use) which AARP acts as. After all, there is an obvious symbiotic relationship between the insurer and the supplier(broker) of such business. AARP may not call itself an insurance broker but essentially acts as one.
In any case AARP is an organization with such close ties to the health insurance industry I feel that the appointment is at the very least a violation of the spirit of S.88, if not the exact letter of the law. (Whoever crafted the language of the bill should have specifically mentioned insurance broker,agent or those acting as such, along with insurer rather than leave it up to interpretation!)
Thank you for your attention to this matter and I appreciate you and Mary-Kay Swanson’s forwarding your opinion concerning Dr. Richter’s complaint.
Respectfully,
Jerry Kilcourse, Montpelier,VT