Conservative Groups Urge ND Leaders To Just Say No To Obamacare Exchanges

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Written By:
Rob Port

Jul 23, 2012
1:33pm

I’m proud to say that SayAnythingBlog.com was a sponsor of this press conference held at the capitol today (I was unfortunately unable to be there in person today).

BISMARCK — A coalition of conservatives says it will continue to oppose federal health care reform and does not think North Dakota should implement provisions of the law.

The North Dakota Policy Council and Liberty ND PAC said Monday they hope the Legislature and Gov. Jack Dalrymple continue to oppose establishing a state-run health insurance exchange.

Under the federal law, states must establish their own exchange or the federal government will do it for them. The exchange would allow individuals and small employers to compare health plan coverage and costs.

Coalition spokesman Dustin Gawrylow said implementing a state health exchange would give legitimacy to the overall law and undermine efforts to repeal it.

Not only would implementing the health care exchanges at the state level undermine the push for repealing Obamacare – which 64% of North Dakotans want according to polling conducted earlier this month – but it’s a bad deal for the states. The federal government would give us only the illusion of local control over the exchanges, while maintaining the ability to overrule the states on the exchange whenever the want, while obligating the state to pay for a hefty chunk of the exchange.

Whether you like the concept of an exchange or not, that’s a bad deal for the state.

Plus, the exchanges are hardly the pro-consumer shopping experience supporters would have you believe. The exchanges aren’t about making the health insurance market more free. They’re about more government control over the market, which is exactly what the state and the country doesn’t need.