Just as former state senator Frank Antenori predicted early Friday morning in his appearance on the Jon Justice show, Governor Jan Brewer vetoed a bill S1115 (direct pay prices; health care), which would have increased transparency in medical costs. Brewer’s closest advisor, Chuck Coughlin, serves as a lobbyist for hospitals, and they objected strenuously to the exposure the legislation would have caused.
Senator Barto’s proposed bill would have required health care providers to provide cost lists for their top 25 most common services, and for health care facilities to provide a cost sheet for their 50 most common services upon request.
Brewer claimed the definition of “health care facility” was too broad in a letter explaining her veto.
While she said that she supports “price and quality of care transparency in the health care sector which will provide useful information to help patients manage their health care needs. Transparency will bring more accountability into the health care delivery system.” Brewer has fought nearly every piece of free market healthcare legislation before her.
Last year, Ted Vogt proposed similar legislation, but Brewer had former state Senate president, Steve Pierce, hold the legislation and it never saw any action on the floor.
Barto told a Yellow Sheet reporter she was deeply disappointed and completely puzzled by Brewer’s veto. According to the Yellow Sheet, Barto said “I am just baffled, frankly, at the governor’s actions in vetoing health care price transparency. I honestly don’t know where she’s coming from.”
The Yellow Sheet reports that Brewer vetoed two of Barto’s health care bills in 2011, one that would have created an interstate health care compact and another that would have allowed the interstate purchase of health insurance. “The governor is showing she is not on the side of consumers. She’s on the side of big hospitals.”
One lobbyist told the Yellow Sheet that the governor sent a crystal clear message by vetoing a “personal favorite” bill of an influential lawmaker who opposes the Medicaid expansion. “It was an easy opportunity to make a political shot across her bow.”