County lops member off health care panel

By BILL VARIAN and MICHAEL VAN SICKLER
Published June 2, 2005

TAMPA - Hillsborough commissioners booted former state Rep. Sandra Murman from a panel looking for ways to revamp the county's indigent health plan, saying she has a potential conflict of interest.

Murman, who has filed to run for the state Senate, does consulting work for WellCare Health Plans Inc. Representatives of the company have urged commissioners to privatize the health plan, preferably with their company. The company has also previously sought unsuccessfully to administer the program.

"Therefore, the recommendations of the committee are suspect," said Commissioner Ronda Storms, who joined Commissioners Brian Blair, Ken Hagan, Jim Norman, Tom Scott and Mark Sharpe in voting to remove Murman from the board during Wednesday's meeting.

A county policy adopted in April bars anyone from serving on the panel who is paid or employed by any group that may benefit from its recommendations. Murman, who was named to the board before the policy was adopted, denied a conflict.

She said she advises WellCare on legislation and how to advocate issues with lawmakers. She spent eight years in the state House and chaired the Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee before leaving in November because of term limits.

"I'm not interested in being a lobbyist," Murman said. "I thought having worked on health care in the Legislature, I had a lot to offer the board. They wanted to move in another direction. I wish them well."

She said WellCare wasn't interested in bidding on the county's health care plan and blamed her removal on special interests, which she wouldn't name, that were uncomfortable with her fiscally conservative views.

"I've been very vocal about making the health care plan more cost-effective, serving more people with the money we have," she said. "There's a lot of people with a lot of agendas."

Murman wouldn't disclose how much WellCare pays her, and said she didn't know the exact figure. "It's not a lot," she said.

Late last month, County Attorney Renee Lee issued an opinion that the policy may indicate a conflict for both Murman and former Hillsborough Commissioner Phyllis Busansky, one of the primary architects of the county's health plan who now has a consulting business that helps other governments create similar programs.

Commissioners voted Wednesday that there is no conflict in Busansky's case.

Some of the commissioners expressed reluctance to remove Murman, saying they value her expertise on health care.

Blair likened her work to campaign contributions, which he said don't affect his decisions. Blair received several campaign contributions from WellCare officials when he ran for office last year.

The county Health Care Plan Study Group was set up in March to evaluate the program that provides basic and emergency health coverage to poor people. The coverage is paid for by a half-cent sales tax, and in recent years the proceeds have not been covering costs.

Murman asked to be appointed, citing her expertise in Medicaid issues. But she didn't disclose her ties to WellCare until it was later required. She said Wednesday that no one told her that board members couldn't work for a health care group.

"If I had known it was going to be a problem, I wouldn't have wanted to sit on the board," Murman said.

County Commissioner Kathy Castor called her omission unforgivable.

"What is offensive to me is the deception," said Castor, who is running for the seat in Congress Jim Davis is vacating but left the meeting early before the vote.

[Last modified June 2, 2005, 01:07:17]