For Immediate Release: December 21, 2011

For More Information, Please Contact: Greg White, Public Relations Coordinator 207-622-7083 (o); 202-674-4491(c) gwhite@mainecahc.org

Maine Health Care Consumer Advocate Named to Another

Term on Prestigious National Panel

(Augusta) Joseph Ditré, Esq., the founding executive director of Consumers for Affordable Health Care (CAHC), has again been named to serve as a consumer liaison representative for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) beginning on January 1, 2012. This will be Ditré's third consecutive one year term on the panel. He is joined by 27 other consumer advocates nationwide, 18 of which are funded while 10 are unfunded representatives. Funded consumer representatives are provided with small stipends to cover travel and lodging to make it affordable for them to attend NAIC meetings.

"It has been a great honor to have represented Maine consumers on this panel for the past two years, and I look forward to continuing our work to protect health insurance consumers throughout the nation in 2012. Often when it comes to creating policies and laws, the interests of insurance industry professionals and political insiders often outweighs the voice of the people.  I am eager to help make sure the consumer voice remains a vital part of the discussions around health care and coverage," said Ditré.

The following are the 2012 NAIC funded consumer liaison representatives:

Elizabeth Abbott: Project Director, Health Access
Amy Bach: Executive Director, United Policyholders
Deeia Beck: Public Counsel, Office of Public Insurance Counsel/Texas
Brendan M. Bridgeland: Director, Center for Insurance Research
Bonnie Burns: Training and Policy Specialist, California Health Advocate
Sabrina Corlette: Research Professor, Georgetown University Health Policy Institute
Brenda J. Cude: Professor, University of Georgia
Joseph P. Ditré: Executive Director, Consumers for Affordable Health Care
Timothy Stoltzfus Jost: Professor, Washington and Lee University School of Law
Kathleen Gmeiner: Project Director, UHCAN Ohio*
Karrol Kitt: Associate Professor, University of Texas at Austin
Peter Kochenburger: Executive Director, Insurance Law Center, Univ. of Connecticut School of Law
Sonja L. Larkin-Thorne: Consumer Advocate, Avon, CT
Sarah Lueck: Health Policy Analyst, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Jennifer Mishory: Deputy Director, Young Invincibles*
Andrea J. Routh: Missouri Health Advocacy Alliance*
Daniel Schwarcz: Associate Professor of Law, University of Minnesota Law School
Barbara Yondorf: President: Colorado Consumer Health Initiative

* New NAIC funded consumer representative in 2012  

In addition, there are 10 unfunded consumer representatives (5 returning from 2011 and 5 new as noted with an asterisk):

Birny Birnbaum: Executive Director, Center for Economic Justice*

Stephen Finan: Senior Director of Policy, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Carrie Fitzgerald: Senior Policy Advisor for Health, First Focus*
Howard Goldblatt: Director of Government Affairs, Coalition Against Insurance Fraud
Marguerite Herman: Consumer Advocate, Project Healthcare*
Adam Linker: Health Policy Analyst, North Carolina Justice Center*
Stephanie Mohl: Government Relations Manager, American Heart Association
Lynn Quincy: Senior Policy Analyst, Consumers Union
Stuart Spielman: Senior Policy Advisor and Counsel, Autism Speaks
Cindy Zeldin: Executive Director, Georgians for a Healthy Future*

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Consumers for Affordable Health Care is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that has been helping Maine people get quality, affordable health care for more than 20 years. If you have any public or private insurance questions please call our toll free consumer HelpLine at 1-800-965-7476.  

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