Rally supports state health insurance commissioner

PROVIDENCE—Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts organized a rally at the State House on Tuesday, calling on lawmakers not to eliminate the state Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner.

“We need this office of the health commissioner now more than ever,“ she said.

Commissioner Christopher F. Koller and his office were cut in the budget that will be debated and voted on Wednesday. If his office were cut, it would save the state $700,000. Advocates, however, said the costs will be much higher.

Phil Papoojian, managing director of Mereco Technologies Group and vice chairman of the Small Business Association of New England, said if insurance premiums continue to rise at their current rate, workers will be paying $3,000 a month for a family plan.

“To pay for that health plan, the employee is going to consume about 35 percent of his income,“ Papoojian said.

Diane Siedlecki, president of the Rhode Island Medical Society, said Koller’s work goes beyond overseeing rate hikes.

“The way you cover cost is by actually making an affordable model and changing the way you deliver health care. That’s what makes it affordable, that’s what will keep the premiums down,“ she said. “It’s not just about rates.“