Tempers flare at IHC talks

Rep. Rebecca Lockhart, R-Provo, called on IHC senior Vice President Greg Poulsen to explain how the company reconciles its mission as a nonprofit organization with the fact that it dominates the marketplace like a very successful profitable corporation.

"How do you make that connection between this 'God Bless America' business practice and your mission, what you purport to be, which is to take care of your community, no matter what coverage they have?" Lockhart asked.

Poulsen responded that the Utah system is a competitive one, and equity demands that IHC be allowed to employ the same practices as its competitors.

On the other side of the coin, Rep. Stephen Clark, R-Provo, took issue with other panel members for complaining about how IHC's size makes it difficult for them to compete. Specifically, Clark questioned why HCA Mountainstar, which operates six hospitals in Utah and nearly 200 nationwide, doesn't simply increase its presence in Utah.

"If you wanted to come into this marketplace and compete, you wouldn't have any problems doing that. You could start your own insurance company if you wanted to, couldn't you? Couldn't you integrate just like IHC?

"Why don't you compete instead of coming up here and asking the Legislature to do your work?" Clark asked.

Ultimately, the discussion disbanded and the task force moved onto a discussion about selecting an expert to study health care issues in the state. There was no talk about whether the panel will reconvene at a later task force meeting, the next of which is scheduled for Aug. 25.

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E-mail: awelling@desnews.com