Tell Your State Legislators To Not Change or Adjust IM17 Patient Choice

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HB (House Bill) 1067 dubbed “The Sanford Choice Bill” is scheduled to be heard by the House Commerce Committee on Wednesday, February 3 at 10:00 a.m. We would ask that you consider calling & emailing our state legislators to let them know that the people of South Dakota do not want the legislature to “change or adjust IM17 Patient Choice.” It is crucial that the committee members hear our voices and are inundated with emails and/or calls throughout the weekend—asking them to oppose HB1067 “The Sanford Choice Bill.”

  • 62% of South Dakotans voted for the right to have Patient Choice when they approved Initiative Measure 17 on November 4, 2014.
  • It’s not right that the Legislature is considering overriding the will of the people of South Dakota.
  • Initiative Measure 17 gives patient’s choice. HB1067 gives Insurance providers, such as Sanford Health Plan, the choice to exclude patients from the doctors they might want to see.
  • The people of South Dakota that voted for the bill are smart and were not tricked into voting for Initiative Measure 17.
  • The people of South Dakota voted for the right to have the choice to choose their physician, hospital, chiropractor, dentist or other health care provider. HB1067 threatens this right that was approved by 62% of the population of South Dakota.
  • All payers in the state, with the exception of Sanford, are complying with IM17, and have been since it was approved by nearly 62% of the voters.
  • This bill would allow insurance providers, like Sanford Health Plans, to have only one health plan that includes all providers—and, you can bet it will be the most expensive, simply because they want patients to use their physicians and their facilities.
  • IM 17 is being misrepresented and they claim that the bill requires that all doctors be included in plans regardless of cost. This is not true. Insurance plans can set their fees at the levels they want, but cannot exclude a doctor who is qualified and willing to accept those fees.
  • Is it the will of the people or the will of one corporate entity that would best look out for the interest of South Dakotans?Thank you for your support and consideration to ask our state legislators to OPPOSE HB1067, “THE SANFORD CHOICE BILL”.To find the legislators in your district (area) please go to: http://legis.sd.gov/Le…/Who_Are_My_Legislators/default.aspx

Here are the e-mail addresses of the legislators that are on this committee:

  • rep.rounds@state.sd.us
  • rep.schoenbeck@state.sd.us
  • rep.novstrup@state.sd.us
  • rep.wiik@state.sd.us
  • rep.willadsen@state.sd.us
  • rep.beal@state.sd.us
  • rep.stalzer@state.sd.us
  • rep.hawley@state.sd.us
  • rep.wollmann@state.sd.us
  • rep.kirschman@state.sd.us
  • rep.zikmund@state.sd.us
  • rep.steinhauer@state.sd.us
  • rep.harrison@state.sd.us