Comments on: Thursday…Brower on center stage, more on the politics of that floor fight in the House http://ilind.net/2008/04/10/thursdaybrower-on-center-stage-more-on-the-politics-of-that-floor-fight-in-the-house/ Ian Lind • Online daily from Kaaawa, Hawaii Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:21:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: LarryG http://ilind.net/2008/04/10/thursdaybrower-on-center-stage-more-on-the-politics-of-that-floor-fight-in-the-house/comment-page-1/#comment-664 LarryG Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:31:43 +0000 http://ilind.net/2008/04/10/thursdaybrower-on-center-stage-more-on-the-politics-of-that-floor-fight-in-the-house/#comment-664 The part of this controversy around malpractice insurance premiums is more complicated and significant than made it into print. Basically, the arguments made for it last session, that Texas is the overwhelming success story for "reform," turned out to be false. At the same time, the Hawaii Medical Association and the national AMA put huge resource$ into making something happen here in Hawaii. With no evidence that the proposed bill would make any difference at all here (where the Insurance Commissioner can't even regulate medical malpractice premiums), the fight might have simply died out for the year. I'm pretty sure that if Rep. Waters had taken up the bill it would have died anyway. I know this deserves some elaboration so I'll have to do that, but for now, with doctors NOT flocking to rural areas of Texas, Rep. Green, whom I greatly admire, might have better packed it in for the duration. Of course, life is complicated, and what would his supporters think if he did that? Suppose I am wrong and he is right? Anyway he put up a vigorous fight. For better or for worse. Behind this please understand that we need desperately to solve the problem of fleeing medical specialists in Hawaii's rural areas. Rep. Dr. Green was trying to do that, and cannot be blamed for using his best and highly educated judgment to spare Hawaii from an impending crisis. There is not one person in the Legislature who sees the potential crisis as clearly as does Dr. Green. Whether he was right or wrong in this instance, there should be no legislative vendetta against him. Better to give Rep. Green a medal for trying to do what the rest of the Legislature is largely neglecting, that is, bring adequate medical care to every citizen of Hawaii despite overwhelming forces (economic, political, HMSA) against him. The part of this controversy around malpractice insurance premiums is more complicated and significant than made it into print. Basically, the arguments made for it last session, that Texas is the overwhelming success story for “reform,” turned out to be false. At the same time, the Hawaii Medical Association and the national AMA put huge resource$ into making something happen here in Hawaii.

With no evidence that the proposed bill would make any difference at all here (where the Insurance Commissioner can’t even regulate medical malpractice premiums), the fight might have simply died out for the year.

I’m pretty sure that if Rep. Waters had taken up the bill it would have died anyway. I know this deserves some elaboration so I’ll have to do that, but for now, with doctors NOT flocking to rural areas of Texas, Rep. Green, whom I greatly admire, might have better packed it in for the duration. Of course, life is complicated, and what would his supporters think if he did that? Suppose I am wrong and he is right? Anyway he put up a vigorous fight. For better or for worse.

Behind this please understand that we need desperately to solve the problem of fleeing medical specialists in Hawaii’s rural areas. Rep. Dr. Green was trying to do that, and cannot be blamed for using his best and highly educated judgment to spare Hawaii from an impending crisis. There is not one person in the Legislature who sees the potential crisis as clearly as does Dr. Green.

Whether he was right or wrong in this instance, there should be no legislative vendetta against him. Better to give Rep. Green a medal for trying to do what the rest of the Legislature is largely neglecting, that is, bring adequate medical care to every citizen of Hawaii despite overwhelming forces (economic, political, HMSA) against him.

]]> By: charles http://ilind.net/2008/04/10/thursdaybrower-on-center-stage-more-on-the-politics-of-that-floor-fight-in-the-house/comment-page-1/#comment-663 charles Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:33:21 +0000 http://ilind.net/2008/04/10/thursdaybrower-on-center-stage-more-on-the-politics-of-that-floor-fight-in-the-house/#comment-663 You're on point, I think, about the "inside-outside" dynamic. From what I can see, many legislators play the outside approach; that is, play to the crowd particularly if they are running for a bigger office. Witness Ed Case when he was in the House. Case was ineffective as a policymaker but very effective in portraying himself as a "change agent." And it paid off for him. I don't know Green but it seems that this is his strategy as well. Take on HMSA and seem like the champion of the little guy. Take on the plaintiff attorneys and show everyone that you are not beholden to special interests. But if you do it in a way that ticks off colleagues and paints the issue as a good guy vs. bad guy battle (and, of course, you're the good guy), it is almost impossible to get something meaningful done. On the other hand, there are a handful of legislators who toil away on policy issues and deliver results without aggressively seeking the limelight. I guess it depends on why legislators believe they are in office. You’re on point, I think, about the “inside-outside” dynamic. From what I can see, many legislators play the outside approach; that is, play to the crowd particularly if they are running for a bigger office. Witness Ed Case when he was in the House. Case was ineffective as a policymaker but very effective in portraying himself as a “change agent.” And it paid off for him.

I don’t know Green but it seems that this is his strategy as well. Take on HMSA and seem like the champion of the little guy. Take on the plaintiff attorneys and show everyone that you are not beholden to special interests.

But if you do it in a way that ticks off colleagues and paints the issue as a good guy vs. bad guy battle (and, of course, you’re the good guy), it is almost impossible to get something meaningful done.

On the other hand, there are a handful of legislators who toil away on policy issues and deliver results without aggressively seeking the limelight.

I guess it depends on why legislators believe they are in office.

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