Current activity around implementing the Affordable Care Act, and specifically its approaching deadline for States to notify the Federal government about whether they will run their own health benefit exchanges or will allow the Federal government to run it for them, for me indicates real weakness in modern conservatism and the approach of the “new” Republican party.
As indicated in recent headlines, states have been given an extension until December to notify the Federal government whether under section 1311 they will create and operate their own health benefit exchanges or whether they will let the Feds do it for them. Though an extension for providing a blueprint of their plan was provided by the Health and Human Services Director, Kathleen Sibelius, they must provide the Federal government with notification of their intention by November 16, 2012.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures site (search ncsl.org), Many states have not yet submitted their intentions about whether they or the Federal government will run their exchanges. But surprisingly, of those states voluntarily CHOOSING Federal over state control there are more red states than blue, so far. Louisiana (red), Texas (red), Alaska (red), South Dakota (red), South Carolina (red) and most recently, Kansas (red), and Missouri (red), have all opted for Federal control. The blue states of Wisconsin, Florida, Maine and New Hampshire have also indicated they will let the Feds run their health benefits exchanges.
So what political approach are these RED states communicating? For me there are many, and they’re not complimentary.
Republicans are not acting realistic in contrast to their claims to be plain spoken and realistic. After all, Affordable Care has continuously been the law since 2010. Wishful thinking like a child putting off doing homework hoping for a snow day is hardly realistic. OK, they HOPED that Mitt Romney would win, and they HOPED that the Constitutional challenge would go their way, but the law of the land was and does include Affordable Care.
Second, in stark contrast to a resilient work ethic that rewards effort, expertise and personal responsibility, you know, the “We did it” T-shirt fallacy that eliminates concepts of gratitude to all factors that contribute to a person’s success and failure in addition to hard work, Republicans are being lazy and avoiding doing the work of creating state-run health benefit exchanges by letting the Federal government do it for them.
Let’s face it, read through the provisions of the Affordable Care Act including Subtitle D-Available Coverage Choices for All Americans, Part II-Consumer Choices and Insurance Competition Through Health Benefit Exchanges, Section 1311, Affordable Choices of Health Benefit Plans (a) Assistance to States to Establish American health Benefit Exchanges and Part III State Flexibility in Relating to Exchanges Section, as well as Section 1321, State Flexibility in Operation and Enforcement of Exchanges and Related Requirements which provides for Federal grants to states to set up health benefits exchanges, not easy.
Third, don’t even bother with the claim that Republicans don’t believe in big government and non-expansion of Federal law, just take a look at the proposed laws and efforts regarding everything flashy from marriage amendments to privacy rights for women. They love the sexy issues that they can create a tagline for and avoid real thought and discussion.
Fourth, Republicans are not “willing to work with” anyone. The resolution to work within the framework of our American government, the patriotism of supporting our system of government and constantly working to maintain and improve the quality of life in America should not mean that if the Republicans don’t like something they opt out like spoiled sports quitting a game.
Today’s Republicans are experts at cutting their noses to spite their faces. Regardless of their expressed reason “why”, we’re left with the Red states above and perhaps many more to come digging their heels in with some phony allegiance to a flawed philosophy that will lead to the ironic result that many RED states are taking a bluer approach than blue states by voluntarily giving over control of health exchanges to the Federal government.
