WDEL 1150 AM, February 18, 2008

Many people spend extra money they don’t need to when they head to the rental car counter. WDEL’s Carl Kanefsky explains.

Renting a car has become more common for people, whether it’s for convenience when your car is in the shop, or for taking a business or pleasure trip.

State Insurance Commissioner Matt Denn says some people spend more than they have to for their car because they buy insurance from the rental company.

Denn says taking the time to check with your insurance agent and credit card company before you head to the rental counter will help save money, but serve to keep you protected.

Video of this story from WDEL.com

As we get ready to launch the campaign’s new web site, one of the things that we are doing is gathering up some of the thank you letters that I have received from consumers that I went to bat for as Insurance Commissioner. You will be hearing from these consumers during the campaign, because I think that the way that I fought for people in my current job says a lot about how I view being a public servant and how I will act as Lieutenant Governor. Some of the ones that I came across yesterday (names changed until we get the families’ ok to use real names):

“Without your help, Mary would have been unable to go to Sloan-Kettering hospital in New York. Sloan Kettering is the only hospital that could provide the treatment Mary required. As of November, Mary is in remission. It is highly unlikely that remission would have been possible if it were not for your help and God’s. There are so many people that fall through the cracks because they are not aware that there is help through you and your office. We cannot thank you enough for your help.”

“I don’t know what you did, but whatever happened, you certainly got results! My uncle started receiving checks within two weeks…This has been so hard on all of us, but especially my dear uncle. I hated watching him struggle without any way of helping him and you gave me that way.”

“My mom received her chemotherapy pills the next morning at 10:00 am. They must have flown the prescription, because I emailed you at 5pm the night before with the problem. Anyway mom was happy. She looked at us and said ‘What do people do, that don’t have a Matt Denn?’”

Last Thursday, after health insurance giant Aetna announced its somewhat less than enthusiastically received plan to prevent gastroenterologists from giving their patients full anesthesia during colonoscopies, I announced that (among other things) I would ask the General Assembly to take legislative action when it returned to session next month. You can read the original article here. Yesterday, Speaker of the House Terry Spence announced…drumroll please…exactly the same thing. You can read today’s article here. I had sometimes mused out loud to colleagues about what it would take to start bringing the House Republicans around to the cause of health insurance reform, and now I guess I have my answer: having a medical instrument inserted into their colons without full sedation.

In fairness to the Speaker, by the way, he is the only House Republican sponsor of Senate Bill 6, the bill creating a statewide health insurance purchasing pool. So if I have to be plagiarized by a House Republican, I would rather it be him than almost anyone else.

Making my wife Valentines Day dinner. I may be driven, but I ain’t stupid.

Hiring staff people is a very tricky thing for a campaign. Do not take my word for it, look at the churning that has gone on among the senior staff ranks of the top Presidential campaigns such as John McCain and Hillary Clinton. Trying to keep a job as a campaign manager these days is like trying to cross the Bridge of Death in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Back in 2004 when I ran for Insurance Commissioner, I used an extremely scientific process to hire my one campaign staff member, Dana Rohrbough. I met Dana when I was giving a talk at a Political Science department event at the University of Delaware, saw how enthusiastic she was about Democratic politics, asked a few people about her, and then offered her a job. She ended up doing a phenomenal job—so good, in fact, that she was hired by Jack Markell for his 2006 State Treasurer campaign and is now his Deputy Campaign Manager.

Because that Zen style approach worked so well for me in 2004, I adopted it again this year, and I think we have found another star. Beginning Monday, University of Delaware junior Alyssa Koser will be working for the Denn Campaign. Alyssa hails from Lewes, and has the type of broad volunteer background that demonstrates her commitment to the Democratic Party and its causes, including stints with Voices without Borders and the presidential campaigns of some guy named Biden and more recently of Barack Obama. She is very active in a number of groups on campus, and her post-graduation plan is to become a school teacher in the Teach for America program. But most importantly of all, when I talked to her and when I talked to other people about her, my gut told me that this was someone who was going to bring incredible enthusiasm and commitment to my campaign. Of course, my gut has also told me for the last decade that the Eagles had a chance of going all the way, but I think I am on more solid ground here.

Please be nice to Alyssa when she calls—and trust me, she will be calling. And don’t forget, if you would like to contribute to the Pay Alyssa A Decent Wage fund (also known as the Denn campaign treasury), you can do so by clicking here.

It was a busy campaign weekend, which started on Saturday morning at the A. Philip Randolph Institute monthly meeting at the Longshoremens Hall. I have been going to APRI meetings since I got elected, because I think it is one of the most credible, serious activist organizations in the state. However, this was the first time I had appeared as a candidate for Lieutenant Governor.

Everything went great. Adam and Zach came with me and were well behaved, I gave my standard remarks about my campaign’s focus on the welfare of children and fielded a lot of questions, and then the crowd serenaded me with “Happy Birthday.” Then I went to the back of the room to get my kids, and one of the members said “Hey, Mr. Save the Children. That kid’s shoes are on the wrong feet.” And he was right.

Video to follow.

Del. companies urged to pick up costs of colonoscopy sedation

News Journal, February 9, 2008

Aetna Inc.’s decision Thursday to restrict coverage of a doctor-preferred anesthetic used during colonoscopies prompted a harsh rebuke from the governor and other state leaders.

Aetna Inc. has told doctors, that as of April 1, it will restrict coverage of propofol, used during colonoscopies.

Doctors fear the move will discourage patients from getting the cancer screening because propofol makes patients more comfortable.

In response, Gov. Ruth Ann Minner announced Friday that state employees would not be affected by the announcement. The state will pay for it using its tax dollars.

She was joined by insurance commissioner Matt Denn and state treasurer and gubernatorial candidate Jack Markell, who has had three colonoscopies, all fully sedated. They urged large Delaware companies that are self-insured through Aetna to do likewise. Among them are Du Pont, Avon, Computer Science Corp. and Liberty Mutual Insurance.

Patients in need of colonoscopies besieged Dr. Joseph Hacker’s office on Friday.

Since Aetna Inc. announced that it will no longer cover full sedation for the procedure, patients are calling to get an appointment before the deadline.

“We’re getting them in but the schedule is getting tighter,” said Hacker, a gastroenterologist in Stanton.

Dr. Robert McDonough of Aetna, an internist, disagreed with state officials and local doctors, who have said that the lack of full sedation would deter patients from getting screened.

“We’re aware of no empirical evidence that the attendance of an anesthesiologist, or the use of propofol sedation, affects colon-cancer screening rates,” said McDonough, the head of clinical policy research and development. “In most areas of the country, screening is done without the anesthesiologist, using moderate sedation.”

Hacker said the lack of evidence is due to a paucity of comparative studies on the issue.

“If I have to go back to having them lightly sedated, a guy may be leaving this place and telling family and friends about a bad experience,” he said. “The rate of colon-cancer screening goes down and the colon-cancer [mortality] rate goes up.”

Only 12 percent of Aetna colonoscopy patients are sedated in Chicago, which is located in Cook County. According to the National Cancer Institute, 21.8 to 23.6 of every 100,000 residents in Cook County died from colorectal cancer. In Delaware, the death rate is 19.7 out of every 100,000.

In Delaware, thousands of cancer screenings have been financed by the state. They have been credited with leading to early detection as well as dropping Delaware’s death rate.

Sandra Lehman says her colonoscopy three years ago saved her life.

The 67-year-old Bethany Beach resident found out she had colorectal cancer and had to go through chemotherapy. Now she’s cancer-free. The colonoscopy was easy to undergo because she was fully sedated.

“First of all, people are afraid of a colonoscopy because they say it’s going to be painful,” she said. “They think they’ll be embarrassed. It’s not the most pleasant thing to think about. But if you’re on sedation, you’re not going to feel the discomfort.”

Her private insurance at the time covered the full sedation.

“I would pay for it with my own money” if sedation wasn’t covered now, she said.

Denn said pricey medical treatments can be avoided through early screening.

“We’ve seen the mortality rate go down, so this is just a step in the wrong direction,” he said.

Thousands of reminders are sent to patients to emphasize the importance of getting screened, McDonough said.

The move is expected to shave $300 to $1,000 off the cost of the procedure. Aetna has about 95,000 subscribers in Delaware. The insurance company covers about 9,000 state employees, pensioners and their dependents.

Lori Captain, spokeswoman for DuPont, indicated that a decision would be made in a few weeks. Roughly 14,500 DuPont employees nationwide participate in the Aetna program.

“DuPont is reviewing Aetna’s new medical necessity protocol and determining appropriate next steps,” she said.

If Aetna does not reverse its decision, Denn said he will appeal to the General Assembly to consider making a new rule for companies that work with Aetna and aren’t self-insured. It would require that insurers continue to cover full anesthesia for those companies’ patients during a colonoscopy.

“But my hope is that Aetna will reverse its policy,” Denn said.

And if it doesn’t, Claymont resident Mike Cattermole has a suggestion for Aetna colonoscopy patients:

“It looks like the other alternative will be to take some Valium beforehand and chug some Jack Daniels.”

I stayed up late to see the California primary results come in, for no good reason that I can articulate as I sit here this morning. Good job by Senator Obama. To come from as far behind as he did to a virtual draw in delegates in a matter of just a few weeks is remarkable. And I thought the tone Senator Clinton struck last night was very good. I am obviously for Senator Obama and am proud of how well he did here in Delaware, but we Democrats are going to be in good shape in November with either of our candidates at the top of the ticket.

I have only glanced at the Delaware numbers, but I think they are interesting in terms of what they portend for the state’s September Democratic primary. Total statewide Democratic vote yesterday was 96,341—an increase of almost exactly 200% over the number of people who turned out to vote in my primary election in 2004. But the increase in turnout accelerated dramatically as the polling places got further south. In the City of Wilmington, turnout increased over 2004 by between 83% and 98%. Some of the other suburban New Castle County RDs were up by similar amounts–RD 13 up by 93%, RD 17 up by 86%. But several other New Castle County RDs had much higher turnout bumps–RD 25 up 240%, RD 15 up 473%. And the districts that really took off were the districts in Kent and Sussex County whose primary turnout is traditionally low compared to their populations–RD 31 (Dover) was up by 320%, RD 35 (Milford) up by 570%, RD 41 (furthest south RD in the state) up by 537%, RD 14 (Rehoboth) up by 590%. The net result: turnout in Kent and Sussex County was 27% of the statewide total, as opposed to the average figure of about 20%. The message is that people in Kent and Sussex County will vote in Democratic primaries in much higher numbers if they think a lot is at stake.

I intend to make this an election where people realize that a lot is at stake. I can already hear the Ford Focus groaning as it contemplates what this means for the Denn campaign.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 18, 2008

Matt Denn, Delaware’s Insurance Commissioner and 2008 candidate for Lieutenant Governor, announced Friday that he will file a campaign finance report showing just over $375,000 cash on hand – more than three times the amount of any previous Lieutenant Governor candidate 11 months ahead of the general election based on Department of Elections records.

In 2007, the period covered by the report, Denn raised just over $200,000 in contributions from 518 individuals, businesses and groups. His campaign started 2007 with a balance of about $202,000 and spent about $26,000 during the year.

Although Denn is not running for re-election as Insurance Commissioner, he has maintained the pledge from his 2004 campaign not to accept donations from insurance companies, directors or officers of insurance companies doing business in Delaware, Delaware insurance company lobbyists or Delaware insurance agents.

“I am very grateful to the many supporters who have shown such faith in me,” Denn said. “I think the message of my campaign – focusing on the issues that affect Delaware’s children – is a compelling one, and this fundraising success will make it possible for me to share that message with voters.”

Previously, the most successful pre-election year fundraising effort on record at the Department of Elections was by current Lieutenant Governor John Carney, who reported $117,655 cash on hand at the end of 2003 when he was running for re-election.

***

Cape Gazette, January 30, 2008

Insurance Commissioner Matt Denn filed a finance committee report on Tuesday, Jan. 22, a move indicating he will run for lieutenant governor this year.

“Technically, the way you start raising money is by changing the purpose of your fundraising committee. I did that in January,” said Denn. Although Denn has not yet made his bid official, he said he has more than $375,000 cash in hand. “I am running and we had a great year,” said Denn, who has served as the state’s insurance commissioner since 2005.

Denn said he has a proven record as insurance commissioner.

“I’ve kept the promises I made when I ran for insurance commissioner. I do what I say I’m going to do when I run,” he said. “No. 1, I promised to try to control the cost of insurance. Auto rates were in the double digits before I took office. They’ve remained flat or been down over the last three years.

“The other thing I said I want to do is keep patient insurance rates down.

“We have one of the nation’s toughest use of laws of credit when it comes to setting insurance rates. We’ve put in place much stricter laws that treat how people make claims,” he said.

Denn said as lieutenant governor, he would pay special attention to children in Delaware.

He will officially announce his candidacy in the spring when he will kick off a three county tour.

Wilmington City Council President Ted Blunt announced nearly a year ago – in February, 2007 – that he’s in the running for lieutenant governor. Blunt has worked as an administrator in the Red Clay school district and since 1984 has served on Wilmington City Council, becoming president in 2001.

Delaware Democratic Party Communications Director Joe Sheeran said, so far, the party has endorsed no candidates for lieutenant governor. Candidates for statewide office have until Friday, July 25, to file. The Democratic primary will be held Tuesday, Sept. 9.