KIM MOSER, GATE KEEPER OF YOUR HEALTH
The Case For Karen Campbell, Candidate for KY House of Representatives from District 64
What would you think if there was a law in Kentucky that allowed Kroger to prevent Costco, or Sam’s Club, or Publix or you from selling groceries in your area? Or perhaps, a law that allowed Ford to veto Toyota from entering the market in Northern Kentucky or Lexington or Louisville or Alexandria or Independence. My guess is that you would demand that law be either modified or removed from the books. Why? Because this is America and we were built on the idea that markets should be free and competition should be encouraged in all aspects of our life. But in Kentucky that does not apply to healthcare.
The Certificate of Need (CON) is an instrument that is intended to ensure equity of healthcare presence and delivery through out the Commonwealth but it is actually being used to restrict who can provide that healthcare by the biggest healthcare organizations in the state. Most recently it allowed Garren Colvin and the monolithic St. Elizabeth Healthcare to prevent The Christ Hospital from building a surgical center in Northern Kentucky.
Here and here are explanations of exactly what happened in Northern Kentucky just seven years ago when The Christ Hospital wanted to build an outpatient surgery center in Northern Kentucky just minutes from St. Elizabeth hospitals in Florence, Covington, Ft. Thomas, and Edgewood. In the first story you’ll find an interesting name, Sarah Giolando. If you read my piece about Christopher Pavese (the primary opponent of Representative Marianne Proctor, KY House District 60) you may recall that Giolando donated $1,000.00 to Mr. Pavese. Ms. Giolando is the Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for St. Elizabeth Healthcare and she lives in Ohio.
Representative Proctor is on record opposing the Certificate of Need because it is anticompetitive and limits treatment options that are available to the people in her district, NKY, and the State.
This is what Ms. Giolando had to say about the Christ Hospital’s intention to build its surgery center in NKY in 2017:
“People say, ‘What’s wrong with competition?’ We say nothing, as long as it’s fair,” said Sarah Giolando, St. Elizabeth senior vice president and chief strategy officer. “You can’t take all the gravy. You can’t just take people with the insurance and the self-pays and let another facility be the safety-net position.”
”Gravy” is money and in the case of St. Elizabeth Healthcare we’re not talking about just one facility as suggested by Ms. Giolando but rather 26 separate buildings in two states. Ms. Giolando is not concerned with your health care but she is concerned that NOBODY takes St. E’s “gravy”.
And so it is no surprise that Ms. Giolando, an Ohio resident, donated $500.00 to Representative Kim Moser’s re-election campaign. Why would an Ohio resident make financial contributions to two candidates running for seats in the Kentucky house? Simple; because one, Mr. Pavese is trying to unseat Rep. Marianne Proctor who opposes the Certificate of Need and the other, Kim Moser, is the Chairperson of the Legislature’s powerful House Committee on Health Services, the committee that is the gate keeper for any changes to health related legislation.
For Saint Elizabeth Healthcare the CON is all about your money and not your health and so they have allied themselves financially with two candidates one, Pavese, who would eliminate opposition to St. Elizabeth’s monopoly and the other, Kim Moser, who will ensure that St. Elizabeth will face no competition from other healthcare organizations by making sure that any legislation that might weaken or remove the CON never sees the light of day.
In short, the CON is being used by St. Elizabeth Healthcare to ensure a legal monopoly on the provision your health care. AND if you are a NKY health professional then St. Elizabeth is virtually the only game in town.
IF we wouldn’t tolerate a monopoly in the grocery or automotive industries in Kentucky then why are we agreeing to a monopoly in health care provision?
And THAT is exactly what Garren Colvin President and CEO of St. Elizabeth Healthcare enjoys in Northern Kentucky. With its six hospitals in two states and 20 buildings in eleven different cities throughout Northern Kentucky and Indiana there are no other choices for either patient or future healthcare employee in Northern Kentucky — except St. Elizabeth Healthcare.
By the way, one of those facilities is a brand new same day surgery center just like the one that The Christ Hospital was prevented from building by Garren Colvin and his monolithic St. Elizabeth Healthcare through legal action and private donations to candidates like Christopher Pavese and Kim Moser.
Kim Moser District 64 State Representative, Chairperson of the very powerful House Health Services Committee is the gate keeper for legislation affecting healthcare in the commonwealth is financially supported every healthcare pac, pharmaceutical industry pac, hospital pac, legal pac, and large hospital system in the commonwealth.
Kim Moser’s Money
According to the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance, on May 7, 2024 Kim Moser had $128,298.41 in her campaign account.
Q: Where did Rep. Moser get her campaign money?
A: From a whole lot of places but virtually none of those places are the homes of her constituents who are not in someway associated with healthcare.
Of the 97 donations recorded during this last reporting period only three were from individuals not affiliated with any aspect of healthcare or were not lawyers. Those three donated a total of $300.00. The rest of Moser’s campaign funds ($127,998.41) have come from special interests and their pacs.
That pattern of her reliance on the healthcare industry money began in 2006 when she first ran for office; and now it includes political action committees such as the Kentucky Hospital Association, CEOs of hospitals throughout the state, the Secretary of State, Michael Adams, the Commonwealth Treasurer, Mark Metcalf, and Houchen’s PAC a Louisville based pac that focuses on food processing and sales. It has been reported that 57.89% of the Houchen’s PAC donations in the last year have gone to Democrats. It is a curiosity as to why Houchen’s PAC would be donating to an allegedly “conservative” republican in a mostly middle class politically conservative district in Northern Kentucky. Unless, of course, it is to buy access to her office.
Then there’s the $1,500.00 donation from Susan Colvin, wife of St. Elizabeth’s President and CEO, Garren Colvin.
If you want to see the details of who is giving Kim Moser money you can browse through Kentucky Registry of Election Finance and exam each of the 897 donations and their sources going back to her very first gift from a doctor in Cynthiana in 2006.
There’s one twist to this story. Neal Moser is a physician employed by St. Elizabeth Healthcare and he is the husband of Kim Moser and a $250.00 contributor to the campaign of Christopher Pavese. Why would Dr. Moser donate to the opponent of Representative Proctor and not his wife? That was rhetorical.
When Competition Is Stifled So Is Innovation And Creativity
Whether it is groceries or cars or COVID or Cancer or heart disease makes no difference. If your state’s legalized monopoly only allows one auto dealer in your region it is no different than a healthcare system shutting out competing healthcare providers who may have the cure that you, your child, parent or friend needs.
When our local, district, state, and federal representatives are focused on the industry they regulate for campaign funds as Kim Moser is then her constituents are ill served and treated with disregard.
The Boone County GOP has made its case for the importance of this primary because for all practical purposes this primary is really the deciding vote for who will represent you.
Do you want to be represented by the healthcare industry in Kentucky or do you want to be represented by someone who understands this issue and wants to change the monopoly held by St. Elizabeth Healthcare and its cronies throughout the state?
This is what Karen Campbell the woman who is fighting the healthcare monopoly in Northern Kentucky, has to offer in response to this question:
What plans do you have for Northern Kentucky?
“A major concern that has been voiced to me is the lack of medical options in Northern Kentucky.
NKY residents know that Cincinnati is equipped with said options. However, the commute, especially during rush hours, sports events, and traffic due to accidents becomes even more cumbersome. Elderly residents, afraid of driving routes to these facilities, are deprived of expanded options, or must arrange special transportation for expanded treatment options. Repealing the certificate of need will open up avenues of medical choice for NKY residents and families.”(emphasis added)
I know that even though I am not a resident of District 64, that Karen Campbell will represent my interests and not those of St. Elizabeth Healthcare.
So, Ms. Moser, who’s interests are you representing because they are most certainly not mine and not your constituents or those of the good people of Northern Kentucky who’s health care choices you have limited.
A final note. IF the CEO of Churchill Downs can donate $1,000.00 to Kim Moser, anyone, anywhere can spare a few dollars to try to take back control of your healthcare.
Union, Kentucky
11 May 2024