OOPS: The GOP Governors Resisting Obamacare Are Endorsing A More Liberal Version Of Health Reform

[ProSense]

OOPS: The GOP Governors Resisting Obamacare Are Endorsing A More Liberal Version Of Health Reform

By Tara Culp-Ressler

This past Friday was the final deadline for governors to decide whether they will take some ownership over setting up a state-level health insurance exchange, an Obamacare provision that will take effect in 2014. But even though the Republican Party typically resists handing over any power to the federal government, the vast majority of GOP governors have decided to cede all their control over their own insurance marketplaces to federal officials — an uncharacteristic move that’s out of step with typical GOP ideals.

As stubborn Obamacare opponents continue to resist implementing the health care reform law, most governors have refused to do any work to set up an insurance marketplace. But those GOP-led states’ refusal won’t actually bring health reform to a grinding halt; instead, the federal government will simply step in and do the work for them. Altogether, the federal government will run health exchanges in 26 states, and partner with state officials in an additional seven states to help them set up their marketplaces:

Even though you wouldn’t know it from looking at the partisan breakdown in the chart above, state-run health exchanges are actually a conservative idea. Democratic proponents of reform initially advocated for a nationally-run insurance marketplace, but the final version of the health reform law gave more control to states in order to compromise with conservatives...Ironically, as Wonkblog’s Sarah Kliff points out, GOP leaders’ refusal to set up their own exchanges means they’re defaulting to a more liberal version of health care reform. Some members of the Republican Party have already recognized this — but their attempts to convince their colleagues to implement Obamacare on a state level haven’t been met with much success, since the facts don’t matter to the partisan lawmakers who will stop at nothing to oppose the health reform law.

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/02/19/1608051/oops-gop-governors-health-exchanges/

[99th_Monkey]

1. Ooops. Your title suggests the GOP gov.s are outflanking Obamacare to the Left.

Glad that's not really what's happening.

[ProSense]

2. Actually,

"Ooops. Your title suggests the GOP gov.s are outflanking Obamacare to the Left."

...I think the word "resisting" suggests this is typical stupidity stemming from the anti-Obama stance. Sometimes things backfire. This is one of those times...not that I'm complaining.

[99th_Monkey]

4. It's one for the poly-sci textbooks for sure.

It is gratifying. Is a little like Obama saying "Proceed Governor" at
the debate. He had them boxed in at the state level, and it seems
to be working nicely, as planned .

[msongs]

3. if it leads to medicare for all and eliminates for profit death care that's fine nt