Poll: I-673 Appears Doomed Health-Insurance Measure Hurt By Confusing Ballot Title

Washington voters strongly believe people should be able to keep their doctors when they change insurance plans.

They think their insurance companies should cover visits to licensed chiropractors and naturopaths, even if that means higher premiums.

But they aren’t wild about Initiative 673, a ballot proposal that would place those requirements into state law.

A new scientific survey suggests that I-673, one of eight statewide ballot measures, is headed for defeat, perhaps because voters have trouble connecting the proposal with concepts they support.

“It’s the language,” said Del Ali, an analyst for Mason-Dixon Political/ Media Inc., which conducted the poll for The Spokesman-Review and KHQ-TV. “It’s so vague you have a problem understanding what it means.”

About a third of the state’s voters said they would vote for the initiative, while about the same number said they’d vote against it. Another third were undecided about two weeks before the election.

Supporters say the initiative will give subscribers of health insurance plans more choice in their medical care. But the ballot title - the language voters see when they go to the polls - asks about “provision of services by designated health care providers” and “disclosure of certain plan information.”

“That sounds like an aspect of someone’s lifestyle,” Ali said.

If supporters can’t clear up the confusion, voters are more likely to reject the initiative, he said.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” said Teresa Wippel, the initiative’s campaign manager, who said the ballot title is an immediate handicap.

The title was written by the state attorney general’s office.

“Even though these numbers are discouraging, I still don’t feel it’s hopeless,” Wippel said.

The campaign has tried to explain the proposal to voters but is strapped for funds, she said. It has raised about $290,000. Opponents have raised nearly $1.2 million.

The poll shows the opponents’ campaign “has knocked a significant number of voters into the undecided column,” said Mark Funk, a spokesman for the Coalition for Affordable Health Care, which is fighting the proposal.

Opponents believe that the language, though vague, had initial support because people support the concept of choice in health care. The opposition campaign has been trying to undercut that support by contending the proposal represents sweeping reform and higher costs, Funk said.

The ballot title for another initiative on a health-related topic is clearer and has more support in the poll.

Initiative 678, which would allow dental hygienists to work without supervision from dentists, has the support of just under half the voters. It has strong support in Seattle and Tacoma, and is strongly supported by female voters.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: Voters support ideas, not 673

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: TO LEARN MORE For summaries, the full text and past articles about Initiatives 673 and 678, log on to The Spokesman-Review’s Web site, Virtually Northwest, at www.virtuallynw.com, and click on Election Central.