Mass. health insurance rate memo

Written from the point of view of a strategist for Democratic Governor Deval Patrick:

Tim Cahill's sudden and dramatic bank to the right has made it clear that the treasurer is intent on battling Charlie Baker for votes, not Governor Patrick. However, although the Patrick campaign now has an ostensibly uncontested claim on Democratic voters. As far as right-versus-left-versus-center goes, Cahill's shift has left you sitting (somewhat) pretty. But you must not ignore another crucial divide: establishment versus populist. You need to bolster your populist credentials in the lead up to the election.

John Sides, a political scientist at George Washington University, found a high degree of correlation between "trust in government" and growth in disposable income in a recent historical study. Of course in the midst of trying economic times, even though the Patrick Administration has little or nothing to do with the national recession, it is incumbent upon you to take aggressive action to improve voters' economic situation in order to increase their trust in, and their likelihood of voting for, you. Your move to reject insurers' premium increases was a good one: it bolsters your populist credentials and depicts you as an active, attentive chief executive, not a milquetoast pushover who passively stands by while constituents see their health care costs rise.

There is the danger of being painted as a meddler with free markets. But truth is, even in Massachusetts, perhaps the most-educated state in the nation, the average Joes and Janes don't know how healthcare works. This gives you the chance to frame the issue, and frame you should.

Push forward on this issue unapologetically. When reporters ask you if denying premium rises for insurers will doom them to insolvency and costly state receivership, answer this way:

"That's a good question, an important question. Since Commonwealth Care began in 2006, we've worked with insurers to ensure that consumers are getting a fair shake and that health care is affordable and fair. We're coming out of a recession, and middle-class Massachusetts families are struggling to get by. They need to pay their bills—rent, mortgage, food, electric, tuition, and, of course, health insurance. We will work with health insurance providers to reach an agreement on a fair premium adjustment, fair for insurers and families both. This is something we can do, and I am confident that all sides will emerge from this pleased, and that the Massachusetts consumer will save some money they didn't need to spend."

Whether or not the courts rule in the governor's favor, your campaign has a wonderful opportunity to directly advocate for voters' finances, and if you frame the issue thusly, it's a major winner of public opinion.