The Kansas Health Consumer Coalition has joined the health care debate, with the group’s executive director Corrie Edwards coming down on the side of the "public option" plan favored by Congressional Democrats.

The advocacy group, which was founded in 2004 to press for expansion of access to health care, has sent out emails to its members urging them to contact Sen. Pat Roberts to ask him to support their call for health-care reform.

Roberts, a Republican, was targeted, because he is a member of the Senate Finance Committee, the committee in which the Baucus health care plan is currently stalled.

“Now is a critical time to tell the Committee what you want to see in the final health care bill,” Edwards said in an email to members. “Tell Senator Roberts that families need more affordable health care.”

Roberts has said he is opposed to reform being promoted by the Democrats and that he will vote against passing the reform bill out of the Senate Finance Committee.

Roberts’ communication’s director, Sarah Little, said the calls Roberts' office has recieved have been "overwhelmingly" against reform proposals.

Little said Roberts would be attempting to amend the bill while it is in the Senate Finance Committee, but pointed out that Republican-backed amendments generally fail on party-line votes. The Senate Finance Committee is expected to resume the markup on the Baucus bill Tuesday.

"At this point more Americans would rather we do nothing than pass this health care bill," Roberts said during the opening markup of the bill. "And in fact by wide margains Amerians think we should be focusing on the economy, rather than on health care.....the fact is once they know about it, people simply do not like the substance of this legislation."

Sen. Sam Brownback's press secretary, Becky Ogilvie, also said their offices had received many calls from Kansans who were not favorable to Democratic reform efforts.

“The majority of Kansans who have called our offices have been opposed to the public option or any proposal that expands the role of the federal government in the health care system,” Ogilvie told Kansas Liberty. Brownback has also said he opposes health care reform plans currently being considered.

According to KHCC’s web site the group's mission is to “advocate for affordable, accessible, and quality health care in Kansas.” Many of the group’s core beliefs center on the support of health insurance that is "affordable and accessible" and to provide the public with information regarding health issues. Among its earliest supporters were former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

Edwards has spoken in favor of health care reform at town hall meetings and the group has also provided “webinars” on legislation pending in Congress.

Edwards said she considers herself and the KHCC as being party neutral.

“I have as many Republican friends as Democrat friends,” Edwards told Kansas Liberty. “To be taken seriously in this state you have to be party neutral."

Edwards said the group regularly works with both Republicans and Democrats, and focuses more on the needs of health care consumers, than whether or not an issue is supported by Democrats or Republicans.

“The people in my camp don’t’ see this as a Democrat or Republican issue — they are just desperate for relief,” she said. Edwards said she believes that a public insurance option is an essential element for reform plans and that she did not see it as a threat to private insurance companies.

“I am not trying to shut down the private market. My point is that there are people who genuinely can not afford health insurance and the public plan is a way to fill that void,” she said.

“The fact is Kansas consumers are desperate for some kind of financial relief,” Edwards said. “They can’t afford their premiums and they can not afford to get sick…they are terrified of going into medical debt bankruptcy.”

Opponents of health care reform regularly argue that legislation would result in a total government takeover of insurance, a rationing of care, and the allowance of federal taxpayer dollars to be used to fund abortion. Many who favor the public option also admit the public-option plan would eventually put most private insurers out of business.

Edwards said KHCC members have communicated that they are supportive of some type of change within the health-care system, regardless of which political party drafts the plan.

Opponents also criticize current legislation for not adequately addressing tort reform.

The KHCC is funded partially through operating grants provided by Kansas Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City, the Public Welfare Foundation, the Reach Healthcare Foundation, and the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund. The Kansas Health Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation also provide project grants to the KHCC.

While the KHCC had modest net assets of about $143,000 in 2008, the groups which finance it have substantial funds.

For example the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City had assets of almost $550 million in 2007, and doled out numerous grants in 2007 including $27,000 in grants to Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, and a $35,000 grant to the Kansas City ACORN office. Congress recently passed an amendment which ensures federal funds are not given to the controversial ACORN organization and there has been some interest in states passing similar provisions.

The REACH Healthcare Foundation, based out of Merriam contributes to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the Kansas Health Institute, Kansas Health Policy Authority and donated $500,000 to the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City for an HPV initiative.

The Kansas Health Foundation has assets of about $541 million and contributes heavily to local health organizations. 

Previously on Kansas Liberty
Kansas’ prominent health-care organizations have a complex relationship
http://www.kansasliberty.com/liberty-update-archive/2009/14sep/relationships-bet-KS-health-care-orgs/?searchterm=kansas%20health%20foundation

Resources
Kansas Health Consumer Coalition
http://kshealthconsumer.com/

Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City
http://www.healthcare4kc.org/

REACH Healthcare Foundation
http://www.reachhealth.org/

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