Mo. won’t run health insurance exchange by 2014

Thursday, November 8, 2012

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri will not set up an online marketplace for health insurance by the year 2014.

Gov. Jay Nixon said Thursday his administration will inform the federal government that it won’t be running a state-based health insurance exchange when they’re due to begin under the federal health care law. That means that the federal government will step in to create an insurance exchange in Missouri.

Nixon said a federally run insurance exchange is not ideal. But Missouri voters approved a measure Tuesday preventing the governor from establishing a state-run exchange unless lawmakers have authorized it. And lawmakers have not done so.

States face a Nov. 16 deadline to notify the federal government if they want to run their own insurance exchange.

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asb 6 months, 1 week ago

Great, so now we'll have the feds doing what Missouri should be doing ourselves, like some third-world country that just can't figure out how to run a phone system or build decent roads. As much as our industries and cities tussle with DNR, I don't think they've ever had EPA take over a regulatory program. The irony here is that so many of the people who pushed the ban up the creek are the ones who least want the federal goverrnment involved in what should be a state's business. This is what obstruction is all about. Scream and do nothing while the rest of the world moves on. The Exchanges are required, not to mention a good idea unless you're an insuror, and having a federal agency do it makes as much sense as having the army build our high schools. Think about it Missouri legislature, and then fix this foolish childlike mistake.

JCLifer 6 months, 1 week ago

Good point. As horrible as some of our school systems are (Kansas City, St. Louis, Riverview Gardens, etc.), the FEDS have never come in and taken over any of our schools.

We need to do this stuff ourselves and make it fit our needs, not the Feds. Fix it ourselves and tell the Feds to take a hike!

JCLifer 6 months, 1 week ago

Can anyone please tell me what is so bad about a health insurance exchange? I cannot understand why everyone (governor, state legislature, voters) are against Missouri having one.

I would think that opening up interstate competition for health insurance providers would be a better solution for using the free enterprise system to help drive down the cost of health insurance. I'm not sure that the government is the best way to sell health insurance.

JCLifer 6 months, 1 week ago

I looked up Health Insurance Exchanges and I don't see anything evil about them. They seem like just a one-stop web site to compare and shop for health insurance.

healthreform.kff.org/faq/what-is-a-health-insurance-exchange.aspx

TickledPink 6 months, 1 week ago

Because people only heard "Obamacare" and didn't bother reading before they voted. While I don't like everything in the ACA, I do think it has some great plans and this was one of them.

JCLifer 6 months, 1 week ago

We don't need Obamacare to fix the problem. Creating free-market competition would take care of much of it. A health exchange would be a good idea. That is the point- why do we need the Feds to come in and set up yet another bloated program of bureaucrats to fix something that could have been easily fixed without them? We need to route out all the greed, corruption, and cronyism from all levels of government. We voters should not tolerate any of it, where ever we find it. I think that is the point of successionists and potential rebels under a civil war- the system is so bad that it cannot be fixed unless we voters take control of our country and clean it up ourselves.

RobHunterJohnson 6 months, 1 week ago

Because they won't do it JC... Rob

JCLifer 6 months, 1 week ago

The democrat governor said he won't do it either.

Looking at the election numbers, it is obvious both democrats and republican voters don't want it.

JCLifer 6 months, 1 week ago

Wasn't it a Republican idea for ONE STATE to do it, not for the NATION?

That is my point- we as a STATE ought to be running our business, not a massive federal government 1500 miles away.

Crcknup 6 months, 1 week ago

Don't know what's WRONG with it...ask a health insurance agent...snicker, snicker!! You asked for it...you got it...now DEAL with it!

JCLifer 6 months, 1 week ago

I never asked for it. I don't need the government to take care of me. I didn't vote for the fool.

Paroquet 6 months, 1 week ago

Okay. So? You're at the mercy of the company you pay to take care of you. Get that? You pay to be taken care of, unless you don't carry insurance. If you don't? Bully! If you do, though...ahem. Will you be delivering your apology in your hat, or by hand?
The difference between government healthcare and private insurance is...is..what? It's somebody with more influence than you negotiating with the doctors & specialists and agreeing on a price you can't negotiate for yourself. Frankly, I'd be happy to have bargaining in good faith. Funny, though. Can't get good faith out of a healthcare provider.

Call me the Witch Doctor!

JCLifer 6 months, 1 week ago

Free market competition. Go with a better company of your choice.
Group buying is fine too. Do it on a state level if that is what the voters want.

Paroquet 6 months, 1 week ago

You walked right into the wall, as expected. Free market competition means every provider will negotiate in good faith.

Tried negotiating with a healthcare professional recently? And I don't mean through your insurance company. As an individual, you have no standing, no leverage, nothing. You are hosed.

JCLifer 6 months, 1 week ago

Not sure why you are making this personal.

I don't need to negotiate with my healthcare professionals. My insurance company has already negotiated lower rates with them. The rates are very reasonable to me.

Paroquet 6 months, 1 week ago

That would be personal how? A question; how do you feel about Unions? Think about it--they only do exactly the same as your insurance provider. And you still can't negotiate independently with your own doctor.

Chummer, it ain't personal for me. It never is when it involves pixels.

connor 6 months, 1 week ago

Well He-ll I tried coming over and commenting on some of the old threads that I see are still up but they were all comment closed. Jeez.

Eileen - I will still stop by from time to time but honestly the larger national forums are much more fun and with substantially less censorship in their moderation and much easier verification processes too.

As predicted Obummer has already made moves for Gun Control and energy sectors are already being squeezed as well. Coal and energy companies laid off more than 800 people just today from W. Virginia to Utah and the EPA ordered the removal of even more oil production lands out West which start the 60 day period for the decision to be protested. Not that a legal protest has ever stopped them from removing the land before. Other EPA regulations set to hit in 2013 are gong to be devastating as well.

What I didn't expect because I hadn't really realized just how far the Lefties had sunk was the bribery of a mercenary Hispanic voting army. Of course all mercenaries need to get paid and they didn't wait long to start clamoring for their spoils either. This is going to be the real danger as things progress. They are already screaming for Amnesty and open immigration reform to bring more in unopposed. I see a repeat of Saxon England on a grand scale shaping up.

The real question is whether the Golfer in chief will actually hold up his end of the bargain or simply ignore them. My bet is that he ignores them at first, at which point those few little blue enclaves that imported in the South American mercenary voter force will be the first to suffer the backlash. Lets just see what happens when they come running for Red America to save em.

People freezing in New York and Jersey. Now being moved into FEMA camps, at least when FEMA doesn't close for bad weather lol.

Lastly for the first time in my life I am hearing serious comments about succession. I happen to agree with the talk myself. And for all of you Conservatives out there that these hateful liberals on this board have told to move you remember we are deep in Red country it isn't you who better start to think about moving. I thought at first most of the talk would drop off but it has grown by leaps and bounds just today. If Fienstien (or however it is spelled) comes after firearms things are going to go hot fast I think.

I will check back in laterz. Things are moving fast out there more articles to read and forums to follow.

Keep up the good fight!!!

eileen10 6 months, 1 week ago

Looks like I might get bleeped again for mentioning something I shouldn't. If this is the only comment you see that means my first one was removed. So to repeat... I'm so happy to see you back! The two places I went into are telegraph and , um, can't remember the name but you mentioned it before and it's written down somewhere. Guess I better mention something about this article. Oh, gee golly. DUH! Don't know diddly squat.

connor 6 months, 1 week ago

Oh I am all over the place normally. I start at Drudge of course and follow links from there. Real Clear politics is another one but they are link pages so no telling where they will take you to. Then browse the blog rolls. I have an entire list I check nightly. I actually, despite accusations to the contrary, run the gambit and end up over at SLATE, POlitico and Washpo alot too.

No I am not paid by the Republican party lol or any Pac. I am an Independent as a matter of fact and if the Republican's cave and begin swinging left on things I won;t support them at all anymore.

Interesting exit polls this time around though. Romney actually gained over McCain on the White Female percentage by a few points and among Married women by a considerable amount. It also appears Romney lost mostly because of White voters going with Goode or other third party contenders. That a few thousand military votes that were "lost" ya that's it lost.

I see a solid White Party forming now actually. Gonna get interesting fast.

I hope you didn't put any democrat signs out in your yard.

eileen10 6 months, 1 week ago

LOL. Nope. Don't have any signs in my yard. There's lots of posts about lots of things. The normal bickering of course. We started out talking about the KKK and ended up talking about guns. I enjoy it here but I'll check out the other places too.

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