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The Texas Blue
Advancing Progressive Ideas

Texas Watch

When Josh Berthume called me recently and asked me to write a column about my organization, Texas Watch, I jumped at the chance. After all, what kind of Executive Director would I be if I wasn’t interested in an opportunity to raise awareness about Texas Watch and the work we do on behalf of Texas families, patients, workers, homeowners, and consumers?

I’ll be honest, though. When I sat down to put the proverbial pen to paper, I struggled with how to make this interesting. Usually this kind of thing involves talk of organizational goals and objectives. My aim is not to cure your insomnia, but rather I want to get you interested enough in Texas Watch that you consider getting involved. So, instead of the usual spiel about mission statements and long-term strategic planning, I’m just going to tell you a little bit about who we are, what we do, and what you can do.

WHO WE ARE
Simply put, we’re the good guys. We want to strengthen protections for Texas families by ensuring a fair insurance market, as well as open access to our legal accountability system. We are a grassroots organization with over 9,000 activist members from every corner of our state. These are Texans from virtually every walk of life who share our values of a fair insurance marketplace, real patient safety standards, and a system of true legal accountability.

Who are the bad guys, you ask? Without naming names, let’s just say that we don’t much like the fact that the insurance industry and its special interest groups have stripped your right to a trial by jury while posting excessive profits borne out of outrageous overcharges.

There are literally hundreds of lobbyists who work for the insurance industry crawling around the Texas Capitol. Think about that. There are 181 members of the Texas legislature and about 700 insurance industry lobbyists. That means that there are 4 insurance lobbyists for every single legislator. You can bet that those lobbyists are not being paid to look out for your interests (unless of course you are the CEO of an insurance company).

We will never be able to compete dollar for dollar with the insurance lobby or groups like the self-styled Texans for Lawsuit “Reform,” but we can beat them. The fact is that we are right on the issues. Call me an optimist, but sooner or later fairness and accountability have to win out over special favors for political moneymen and a lack of personal responsibility.

WHAT WE DO
At Texas Watch, we provide Texas families with a platform to become engaged in the legislative process through direct advocacy. Our goal is to strengthen protections for children and seniors, lower insurance rates, provide safer workplaces and neighborhoods, and level the playing field for homeowners and small businesses.

To get involved, all you have to have is a willingness to become engaged in the process and a commitment to fair markets and open access to the legal system. We recognize that not everyone can become an uber-activist. So, we make every effort to provide different levels of activism ranging from sending an e-mail to your legislator all the way up to testifying before a legislative committee. The easiest way to get involved is to sign up to get our e-updates. We’ll keep you informed about the issues we’re working on, send you consumer tips, and give you opportunities to take action. Also, you can share your personal story with us so that we can educate the media and lawmakers about the need for real reforms.

ISSUES WE WORK ON
I think most people have a sense that they are being taken advantage of by the insurance industry and other special interests, but they don’t know exactly how. Here’s a snapshot of some of the problems Texans are facing:

Homeowners Insurance — Texans pay the highest insurance premiums in the nation. In fact, we’re paying roughly twice the national average for homeowners insurance. Today, as premiums remain inflated and coverage options continue to be whittled away, Texas policyholders are getting less and less for their insurance premium dollar. In short, we are paying more for less. Policyholders deserve to have an insurance policy that gives them the security they need at a price they can afford.

Patient Safety — Lawmakers misdiagnosed our health care crisis in 2003. Instead of beefing up patient safety standards and finding constructive ways to attract physicians to underserved areas of our state, they opted to impose arbitrary barriers to our legal system. As a result, families devastated by medical negligence have been denied access to our courts. Meanwhile, underserved areas remain underserved, health care costs have not come down for patients, and the quality of care has not improved. Texans need real reforms that strengthen accountability measures, and improve the quality and access of our health care.

The TRCC and Homeowners Rights — Passage of the Texas Residential Construction Commission Act (TRCCA) allowed builders of shoddy homes to escape accountability by forcing homeowners into a bureaucratic maze. This legislation was billed as a way to streamline disputes between homeowners and builders. Instead of regulating the homebuilding industry through real oversight and enforcement, Texas is regulating consumers by putting severe restrictions on our ability to hold bad builders accountable.

Workplace Safety — Texas workers have a right to expect that their employers will provide a safe workplace. While many jobs include some risk of injury, it is incumbent upon every employer to take all steps necessary to ensure the safety and well being of the Texas workforce. All too often employers fall short of fulfilling the duty they have to their workers. That is why we need strong legal protections for workers who are harmed on the job. Special interests have been trying to undo important legal protections for workers. We need to stop this assault on these long held legal protections before it is too late.

Court Watch — Not surprisingly, the current Court has a long track record of anti-consumer decision making. For more than 10 years, our Court Watch project has served as a key resource on civil court issues, producing regular reports, analyses and releases to the public, the media and decision-makers about the Texas Supreme Court and how its decisions impact Texas families.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
I hope you’ll take a few minutes to poke around our website. If you like what you see and you agree that the insurance industry has far too much influence at the Texas Capitol then please sign up. We’re on the cusp of making real progress. With your help, we’ll be able to turn the corner and begin to make meaningful improvements that will benefit Texas families.

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