PatsFanInVa

Daily Kos: Obama backs Wyden-Brown state waivers for Affordable Care Act

What this does is move up by 3 years the right of any state to get a waiver from the Affordable Care Act, if that state has its own way of meeting the same levels of care and coverage that the federal law does.

The two reads I have seen are (1) the president knows how much everybody hates him and health care, and that's part of the moveable feast we encapsulate with the phrase "the will of the people", and the tea party lost the battle but won the war blah blah blah and (2) That it's basically Obama saying "Okay fine, you got it - meet the same objectives another way... now you have to just make policy, not complain from the sidelines."

Obviously this act - and this thread - is about the law on the books, not the pending million and twenty six lawsuits that will not be resolved all the way through the courts for at least a couple of years.

So let's assume those suits fail. I only say that because otherwise the whole topic is moot; if those suits succeed, it does not matter that there are state waivers, because nobody has to cover anybody.

So assuming the lawsuits fail, are you for or against Scott Brown's health care waivers for the states?

What's your read of the state waivers -- for the states, for national politics, and most importantly, for the health care consumer, that is, all of us?

The Brandon Five

I think the fact that the waivers are tied to requirement that an alternative means of meeting the goals is good. I am opposed to the waivers being granted to companies on a case-by-case basis.

Patsfanin Philly

If it's flexible enough, it serves a purpose that many of us raised during the HC debate last year. By giving the states waivers, it allows 50 little labs to experiment with different means to the same end with out rigid (hopefully) Federal rules. If they can set up different systems, maybe one state can come up with a model for all. The Massachusetts health care model under Romneycare has its limitations and maybe another state can improve on the desired end, to cover as many people as possible without killing the existing system.

PatsFanInVa

Yep, & by the same token, I believe Vermont's going single-payer.

It'll be interesting to see who does & doesn't apply for the waivers

Nikolai

It's a step in the right direction.

I'm sure the insurance companies are curious how this will turn out.

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