Lujan Grisham’s stake in Delta still a target
That was true in May. It's still true in October.
State
But the line of attack, likely to make up a significant part of Pearce's closing argument in the gubernatorial contest, puts one part of
Delta, beginning in 2009, has helped to run the
Pearce and other critics have generally alleged Delta's work with the pool stems from political influence -- using florid language to paint the program as evidence of "corrupt business practices," and
In turn,
In response to one particularly Delta-heavy attack,
Whether the negative claims will resonate with the electorate or wash away like so much campaign mud remains to be seen. In either case, the Delta beach ball likely will be batted back and forth over the final weeks as the gubernatorial hopefuls square off in two more televised debates and canvass the state hunting votes.
The high-risk pool first came under scrutiny -- in an individual political context -- in late May when the national outlet
In response to the mounting attacks about her business practices,
She had divested from Delta in the summer of 2017. According to her congressional financial disclosure forms, the amount of the divestiture was between
Still, her critics have sought to raise questions about the continued existence of the pool, and Delta's role with it -- plus the presence of state Rep.
One Pearce television advertisement said Delta was "overcharging" and "fleecing" its ill customers, pointing out its premiums are 10 percent above the market rate. The same ad accused
Armstrong said there was no political pull exercised in Delta winning the contracts to provide services for the pool, as has been alleged by Pearce and other critics in the wake of the
Through a spokeswoman, the state superintendent of insurance,
If current protections for pre-existing conditions are wiped out by a successful 20-state challenge to the Affordable Care Act, Arango added, the pool's enrollment could quintuple.
"All along [the board has] said, 'We need to stay in operation because of the turmoil in the market,' " he said. "One thing we can say to people in
The board of the high-risk pool, not Delta, determines the rates, according to state statute.
Arango said
The pool, per state statute, is a nonprofit entity and receives no state appropriations.
When
Pearce, meanwhile, has said he will release his 2017 tax return but is being "held up" as several companies filed for extensions to
Delta's role
Rep.
"We're the staff of the pool," Armstrong said, referring to herself, as executive director, and one other full-time employee and a part-time employee who handles IT.
Increased compensation for Delta even as the pool's membership has shrunk -- a point of criticism from
"The job of the executive director increased because one of the tasks the board had given them was to actively contact policyholders who, in the opinion of the executive director, could move over to the [Affordable Care Act] and counsel them on the advantages of moving over," he said. "The functions increased even though membership decreased."
Armstrong and
"I think the goal for the pool would be to be not needed," she said. "If there was no need for a safety net, and all circumstances were taken care of, then they wouldn't need to be there. And if everyone was electing to move out and could get other coverage, that would be fine. The pool doesn't exist to just maintain itself."
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