CoPIRG Calls for Exchange Board Member to Resign

Media Contacts

Unable to Fulfill Board’s Mission

CoPIRG

Denver – The Colorado Public Interest Research Group, CoPIRG, called for Eric Grossman to resign from the Colorado Health Benefits Exchange Board today citing comments he made that cut against the mission of the board.

“Eric Grossman wrote that the ‘bad’ part of health exchanges would be the creation of a competitive marketplace that would force health insurance companies to cut costs and increase efficiencies,” said Danny Katz, Director of CoPIRG.  “The intent of Colorado’s Health Exchange Board is to do just that – create a competitive market to increase affordability and choice for Colorado individuals and small employers when shopping for health insurance.  If he considers this bad, then based on these comments he is unable to fulfill the duties of the Board.”

Grossman’s comments were made in Volume 23, Number 20 of the October 15th 2010 issue of Managed Healthcare Executive, an industry publication that describes itself as the “Insider’s Business Briefing on Managed HealthCare.”  In the piece, Grossman also described the “good” – between $55 billion and $60 billion of annual premiums payments up for grabs, and the “ugly” – the drop in profitability of the individual and small group markets.

In June, Grossman was one of nine people appointed to the newly created Colorado Health Benefits Exchange Board which holds its first meeting today.

“Mr. Grossman will be one of nine people responsible for creating a marketplace for Coloradans to drive down health insurance costs, something he has described as ‘bad.’  Based on these comments, he is unable to fulfill the mission of the Board and we are calling on Mr. Grossman to step down immediately.”