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State Legislative Task Force Wrangles Over Health Care Contract Proposal

Posted on: Friday, 26 August 2005, 12:00 CDT

Aug. 26--Frustration erupted at Thursday's meeting of a legislative task force examining Utah's health care system when discussion turned to a contract the group wants to put out to bid.

Members of the Privately Owned Health Care Organization Task Force wrangled for nearly an hour over whether to accept "request for proposal" (RFP) language devised by its staff or to allow competitors of Intermountain Health Care to submit a last-minute competing proposal.

The dispute was resolved on a motion by Sen. Bill Hickman, R-St. George, who suggested the staff draft new language after gathering comments next week from anyone who wants to offer suggestions.

"I hope we survive," Rep. David Clark, R-Santa Clara, a task force co-chairman, said after the meeting.

Legislators established the task force to investigate IHC's dominance in Utah's health care market and whether it uses unfair business practices to smother competition and intimidate rivals.

The squabble underscores the delicate mission of the study group. IHC is a powerful player in Utah. It provides 55 percent of the inpatient hospital service in the state, employs 460 out of approximately 4,000 physicians and has an insurance division that captured nearly 43 percent of health insurance premiums in 2003.

The task force intends to hire a consultant to explore how the health care industry's performance impacts cost, quality of service and consumer access to health care. The consultant also would make recommendations on how to improve health care delivery.

But it became clear that several legislators were uncomfortable with any request for proposal they had not been studied thoroughly. They urged the task force to put off any vote until it meets again in September.

"I want to make sure this RFP asks the right questions, and I'm not sure that it does," said Rep. Rebecca Lockhart, R-Provo.

Sen. Mike Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, who also chairs the task force, said he doesn't want a study that rehashes old information.

"We need to be gathering facts now," he said.

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Source: The Salt Lake Tribune

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