Posted by JM Ashby
Oh delicious irony. You can't make this stuff up.
Feb. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Republican governors said they may ask the federal government to run the exchanges where residents will buy medical insurance in 2014 under the new health-care law, unless they’re given more flexibility.
States rights! States rights! Wait... what?
They want to give up the power to run their own exchanges to the diabolical federal government? Why?
Twenty-one Republicans sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today asking that they be given greater sway to set benefit rules, decide which insurers are allowed to sell plans on their exchanges and force residents who would otherwise be covered by Medicaid to buy their own insurance.
"decide which insurers are allowed to sell plans on their exchanges"
To me that sounds like they want the ability to create a government-sanctioned monopoly of their choosing, with spots on the exchange probably going to the highest bidder (aka biggest campaign contributor).
The governors also claim that adding more people to Medicaid rolls will simply cause their budgets to explode without a plan to make up for the cost. My suggestion would be to stop cutting taxes like they're a weed in your garden. Teabagger Governor Rick Scott is currently proposing cutting corporate income taxes from 5% to 3.5% Somehow I doubt cutting taxes even further will suddenly give states a windfall with which to patch their budget holes.
At some point, reality is going to hit home for the Republicans and the math isn't going to add up. Who wants to bet the first state to attempt declaring bankruptcy is a red state? Additionally, what are the chances that state is a net receiver of tax dollars? And who is going to be asked to bail them out? The evil federal government.