[joe fonebone]

"he Commerce clause included virtually everything.” That’s the major problem. "
and this point is why I am against opening up health insurance across state lines. Insurance is commerce, and once it is sold across state lines, it becomes interstate commerce, subject to regulations by the fed.....backdoor national health insurance will be the result..

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

Very good point. But somehow, the feds must be reined in! Over-regulation must stop.

[El Gato]

and this point is why I am against opening up health insurance across state lines. Insurance is commerce, and once it is sold across state lines, it becomes interstate commerce, subject to regulations by the fed.....backdoor national health insurance will be the result..

Only insurance bought and sold across state lines would be interstate commerce, the rest would be by definition be intrastate commerce, not subject to federal regulation. Just like with the arms.

Well, not just like. Congress is expressly forbidden, by an amendment from "infringing" in the right to keep and bear arms. They are not so limited on other regulation of *interstate* commerce. The very nature of the amendments of the Bill of Rights was to restrict how Congress could exercise it's powers granted under the "base" constitution.

[greeneyes]

I agree Insurance should not be regulated across state lines. When I was an agent, all I had to do was pay a licensing fee to be able to sell Insurance in another state.

Many Insurance companies have offices in the majority of states. Each agency operates as an independent office under that company-such as Prudential, Equitable, and others to numerous to mention.

Each agent in that Office starts from sctratch and builds their own business. They are considered indpendent contractors. It is up to them to decide which states they are going to service.