Kernan names members of proposed task force

Gov. Joe Kernan named a nine-person task force to steer his proposed "Hoosier Health Plan" Wednesday. The group would serve until December 2005 and includes small-business owners, physicians and hospital administrators from seven different cities.\nThe Kernan administration announced the Hoosier Health Plan in late June. The governor's plan is to pool small-business employees and owners to receive lower rates with insurance companies, said Lisa Sirkin, the Kernan administration's press secretary.\n"The plan will bring more people together," she said. "The larger the pool, the more competitive the health insurance rates are."\nSirkin said the administration chose a variety of members to steer the development of the Hoosier Health Plan.\n"We wanted to have a diverse group," she said. "They are from different geographic locations and there are a variety of industries affected, from health insurance providers to the receiving end with small businesses."\nSirkin said 530,000 unemployed Hoosiers don't have access to employer-sponsored health benefits.\n"Many of these people work for small businesses who can't afford to provide coverage to their employees," she said.\nShould both the governor's proposed Peak Performance government overhaul plan and the Hoosier Health Plan pass legislation, administrators of the Hoosier Health Plan would answer to the Health Policy and Purchasing agency.\nAccording to the press release, the task force would decide how to spend a $272,000 grant Indiana received from the federal government for growth of the proposed Hoosier Health Plan.\nThe governor said the plan would be an important tool for those without health insurance.\n"This program will maximize the purchasing power of the participants and create an affordable benefits package," Kernan said in the press release. "It will be a realistic option for small businesses and start-ups who want to attract and retain qualified workers but can't afford costly health insurance premiums."\nRepresentatives from Mitch Daniels' campaign said the announcement is "just another campaign news release."\n"This is the 14th commission the governor has announced since June," said Marc Lotter, press secretary for the Daniels campaign. "On Monday he announced an end to commissions, and here he is four days later announcing another one."\nLotter also said Daniels has presented a better health care option for voters.\n"Throughout the entire campaign, Mitch has been talking about quality affordable health care for Hoosiers," he said.\n-- Contact senior writer Rick Newkirk at