Issue Position: Health Insurance Exchange

Issue Position

The Affordable Care Act, unfortunately, has been ruled to be the law of the land, with a few rights retained by the States as ruled by the U. S. Supreme Court. While I had hoped for a different outcome, the Affordable Care Act is a federal law. The Health Insurance Exchange is not an option, the Affordable Care Act will impose the Federal Exchange on any State that elects not to manage its own Exchange. The only question before the Idaho Legislature in 2012 and 2013 is who will manage the Health Exchange, the Federal Government or an Exchange managed by Idahoans. I believe that the State should assure that its values are optimally incorporated into the federally required health insurance exchange. The values include: keeping the costs to citizens at a minimum; assuring Idaho insurance companies receive fair treatment; assuring that agents and brokers are not excluded; a provision for Idaho Legislative oversight; protecting the Idaho taxpayer from risk of financial failure of the exchange; assuring that Idaho values are protected by Idaho citizens; and, finally, assuring that Idaho citizens will control the insurance decisions to assure that Idaho pro-life values are incorporated in the design and implementation of the exchange. This can only be done through an independently created Idaho Health Insurance Exchange.

Source