Posted on 07/01/2012 11:59:48 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
....Under the health care law, by 2014, states must implement a health insurance exchange, or a Web-based marketplace where people can shop for insurance, or defer to a federal program. States need to submit plans to the federal government by Nov. 16 that demonstrate their readiness to launch health exchanges.
....."We care about having a health care safety net for the vulnerable Floridians," Scott said on Fox. "But this is an expansion that just doesn't make any sense."
....."Hopefully we won't have to worry about it because by November we're going to have a new president-elect who is going to repeal it," Scott press secretary Lane Wright said.
The White House was asked for comment Saturday but declined.
Scott said other Republican governors agreed their focus should be fighting the law and supporting Romney, including Rick Perry of Texas, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Scott Walker of Wisconsin.
"Here in Louisiana, look, we refused to set up the exchange. We're not going to start implementing Obamacare," Jindal told POLITICO. "We have not applied for the grants, we have not accepted many of these dollars, we are not implementing the exchanges, we don't think it makes any sense to implement Obamacare in Louisiana."
Scott said the governors arrived at the same conclusion that expanding Medicaid and creating exchanges are not good for taxpayers.
"We care about the citizens of our state," he said. "We know this will be bad for our health care. We want jobs in our state. This is going to put American businesses at an unbelievable disadvantage as compared to businesses around the world."...........
(Excerpt) Read more at tampabay.com ...
Sometimes I get very frustrated that the people running Mitt Romney's campaign are not articulating the differences better than they are.
Unlike Barack Obama, Mitt Romney did not campaign on "Romneycare" when he was running for the office of Governor of Massachusetts. It was not until after he became Governor that Mitt Romney was more or less compelled to sign "Romneycare" into law when the Federal Government threatened to cut $385 million of Medicaid funding if the state did not reduce the number of uninsured recipients of health care services.
Given the recent Supreme Court ruling regarding states having the option to opt out of Medicaid expansion without being financially penalized, I have to wonder if this threat was likewise unconstitutional.
In any case, the law that came to be known as "Romneycare" was passed here in Massachusetts and everyone was required to purchase health insurance or pay a penalty which Romney didn't hesitate to call a tax.
If the "Romneycare" of today is not exactly the same as the original piece of legislation signed into law, it needs to be pointed out that Mitt Romney had to deal with a Democrat-controlled state legislature that overrode many of Mitt Romney's vetoes of additional "pork" they added to the law.
Romney sought to bring near-universal health insurance coverage to the state. This came after Staples founder Stemberg told him at the start of his term that doing so would be the best way he could help people, and after the federal government, owing to the rules of Medicaid funding, threatened to cut $385 million in those payments to Massachusetts if the state did not reduce the number of uninsured recipients of health care services.
Although he had not campaigned on the idea of universal health insurance, Romney decided that because people without insurance still received expensive health care, the money spent by the state for such care could be better used to subsidize insurance for the poor. After positing that any measure adopted not raise taxes ( apart from the tax penalty for non-compliance ) and not resemble the previous decade's failed "Hillarycare" proposal, Romney formed a team of consultants from diverse political backgrounds. Beginning in late 2004, they came up with a set of proposals more ambitious than an incremental one from the Massachusetts Senate and more acceptable to him than one from the Massachusetts House of Representatives that incorporated a new payroll tax.
In particular, Romney pushed for incorporating an individual mandate at the state level. Past rival Ted Kennedy, who had made universal health coverage his life's work and who, over time, had developed a warm relationship with Romney, gave the plan a positive reception, which encouraged Democratic legislators to cooperate. The effort eventually gained the support of all major stakeholders within the state, and Romney helped break a logjam between rival Democratic leaders in the legislature.
On April 12, 2006, the governor signed the resulting Massachusetts health reform law, commonly called "Romneycare", which requires nearly all Massachusetts residents to buy health insurance coverage or face escalating tax penalties, such as the loss of their personal income tax exemption. The bill also establishes means-tested state subsidies for people who do not have adequate employer insurance and whose income is below a threshold, with funds that were previously used to compensate for the health costs of the uninsured. He vetoed eight sections of the health care legislation, including a controversial $295-per-employee assessment on businesses that do not offer health insurance and provisions guaranteeing dental benefits to Medicaid recipients. The legislature overrode all eight vetoes, but the governor's office said the differences were not essential. The law was the first of its kind in the nation and became the signature achievement of Romney's term in office...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M... __________________________________________________________
The essential differences between Romneycare and the Obamatax is this; namely that Romneycare merely sought to get citizens here in Massachusetts insured so that our hospitals wouldn't go bankrupt providing expensive healthcare to uninsured recipients - especially if a threatened Medicaid cut were implemented by the Federal Government.
Romneycare never envisioned a government takeover and control of 1/6 of our state's economy as Obamatax envisions a government takeover and control of 1/6 of our nation's economy.
I hope this helps people to better understand where Mitt Romney is coming from. Given the extremely liberal political atmosphere here in Massachusetts, Mitt Romney deserves a lot of credit for the way he got things done against less than perfect odds. I think he would be similarly able to get things done as President of the United States.
Looks like some Governors are acting to protect their people from this monstrosity or at least starting to. Let us hope this start grows and expands.
These governors are upstanding, brave men and women. We The People must show them support and aid them in any way we can.
“And the Feds will withhold highway funds until they comply. Game over. States have zero independence now.
So the states refuse to send their tax receipts to Washington. Who looses? Its a (Pardon the expression) Mexican standoff.”
The time to start purging the State National Guards of non-patriot(defender of liberty) officers. If there is going to be any kind of standoff the State defense forces must stand with the State not Washington tyrants.
“And the Feds will withhold highway funds until they comply. Game over. States have zero independence now.
So the states refuse to send their tax receipts to Washington. Who looses? Its a (Pardon the expression) Mexican standoff.”
The time to start purging the State National Guards of non-patriot(defender of liberty) officers. If there is going to be any kind of standoff the State defense forces must stand with the State not Washington tyrants.
“Yes and we just need a few fearless statesmen leaders to stand up and call their stinkin bluff , and to articulate clearly why they arent joining in, and to clear the path for free market solutions. Just a few brave men could give those with less courage the inspiration to also stand up to fedgov.”
I agree wholeheartedly. Perhaps we should try and help come up with words for them to say, then ask them?
http://tenthamendmentcenter.com/ Seems a logical rallying point. We must see to it that the defenders of liberty make their stand, now or tomorrow.
FYI -
New Hampshire legislature already outlawed the forming of this health exchange here, so add NH as another state in this battle.
I’m glad I think all the governors should refuse to implement the OBAMATAX too...
Sorry, but Karl Rove is a traitor to the Tea-Party cause.
I don’t want to here him or see him, he is the heart and soul of the GOP-E and the GOP-E declared war on conservatives and the Tea-Party.
While VA does have a very proud history it is also happens to be one of the biggest recipients of the boodle. Its also very royalist in its politics and culture. And frankly I just don’t see the compelling economic or cultural argument for VA that exists elsewhere.
One strategy does not necessarily negate all others.
An article on New Hampshire Democratic gov Lynch actually signing a Republican bill to block the creation of the exchange in New Hampshire:
http://newmediajournal.us/indx.php/item/5961
NH Governor Lynch Blocks
Obamacare Insurance Exchange
New Hampshire Watchdog
New Hampshire Governor John Lynch (D) this morning signed legislation blocking implementation of a health insurance exchange in New Hampshire. The Obama Administration has been urging states to set up exchanges under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known as ObamaCare
BTW, the other main pol available in the search was-
It is great to see the states refusing to set up exchanges. The exchanges are a Potemkin village to give the uninformed the belief that they are buying traditional health insurance.
It is all very slick brand marketing using the insurance companies people are familiar with to introduce socialized medicine. In reality all components of “health plans” will be regulated by HHS and kenyancare is totally unsustainable.
These corporations like Blue Cross will stick around but they won’t be insurance companies. They will be more like sales companies taking a skim off the top.
Have shovels, buckets of tar and gravel in the back of our trucks and fill them in as we go. We can have donated supplies.
Thanks Cincinatus’ Wife.
I pray they hold steady on this and don’t crumble.
But we (and I am sure, they,) are very aware of Obama and his Chicago style politics.
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