Strange Alliances on Health Transparency Bill and Why You Don’t Have Consumer Reports Without It

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Anthony Wright
Executive Director of Health Access California
One of the surreal moments of the week was when lobbyist Beth Capell, in testifying in support of a bill, representing her clients Health Access California and SEIU, ceded half her time to... the NFIB.

The NFIB made its name opposing the Clinton health plan in the early 1990s. Perhaps it's a sign of the times. The bill was AB2967 (Lieber), to allow for better transparency of cost and quality from health care providers. It's disappointing, although perhaps not surprising, that doctor and hospital associations opposed more reporting on themselves.

What was new and interesting was the unique coalition in support. That included consumer groups, like Consumers Union, AARP, Health Access, and CALPIRG; many labor unions including the California Labor Federation, SEIU, AFSCME, CTA, and yes, key employer groups, with Pacific Business Group on Health, Small Business Majority, and the NFIB.

It's makes sense that purchasers of health care--whether individuals, employers, or union trusts--would want better information on what they are buying. But these alliances are less frequent than that common interest would suggest.

It's a sign that the unique alliances around health reform last year were not a fluke, and not dependent on the Governor's urging. So let's see if this goodwill continues.

Another moment during the debate on AB 2967 was when Assemblymember Ted Gaines questioned a key supporter of the bill, Laurie Sobel from Consumers Union, and asked "isn't this something that you should be doing?"

It's not an uncommon question for those who work at Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports magazine--one of the one of the most read magazines in the country, and one of the most trusted. I've been proud to work alongside them in different roles in my decade-and-a-half of consumer advocacy.

Laurie had an answer: she thanked the Assemblymember for the confidence, but that as much as Consumer Reports would be happy to provide the same kind of evaluation of doctors and hospitals as they do for cars and ceiling fans, with the trademark circles, there's a limit to what they can do without this bill in place.