Obamacare Rejected: Republican Governors Refuse Key Aspect Of Law
Obamacare has been rejected by a number of Republican governors including Scott Walker, as the Wisconsin governor announced Friday that he will not implement a key measure of President Obama’s health care reform law.
Friday marked the original deadline for states to declare if they would run a health insurance exchange, which are online marketplaces where uninsured people and small businesses could search for coverage. As The Huffington Post noted, Walker decided that his state would not implement the Obamacare measure, instead leaving it to the federal government to set up.
In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Scott Walker said his state wouldn’t have enough say in their health markets.
“No matter which option is chosen, Wisconsin taxpayers will not have meaningful control over the health care policies and services sold to Wisconsin residents,” Walker wrote. “If the state option is chosen, however, Wisconsinites face risk from a federal mandate lacking long-term guaranteed funding.”
Scott Walker is not the only governor to spur Obamacare. Earlier that day, Maine Gov. Paul LePage said his state would not create an exchange either. Ohio Gov. John Kasich made the same decision, saying that allowing federal regulation of the state’s health insurance industry was “the best approach.”
“Despite the perception to the contrary, the law gives states little flexibility or control over how the exchange in their state operates, making it difficult for Ohio to set up an exchange that responds to the unique needs of Ohioans or the Ohio insurance market. States running exchanges must request permission and receive approval from the federal government for their initial plans, and almost every change must be approved by the federal government as well. Basic operational details are controlled by the federal government, including open enrollment periods, requirements on how to set up and run call centers and the exchange’s website”
Eighteen states and the District of Columbia are likely to follow Obamacare and implement their own exchanges by October 1, 2013, The Huffington Post noted. That is the date when people will being using them to buy health insurance.
