ObamaCare: States' Clocks Will Tick

[Badger52]

Post-election (or whatever term yields visceral satisfaction), many states who waited for Obama to go off in the horizon (since SCOTUS didn't work out so well) will need to - again - deal with the G again in many respects. One of those is health exchanges.

So far, here's the scuttlebutt coming out of Mad-town.

“Wisconsin must retain authority, flexibility and leverage — tools that will keep us on the path to achieving true reform and preserve our leading edge health care system as a Wisconsin strength,” said Eric Borgerding, executive vice president of the Wisconsin Hospitals Association. “WHA believes the correct choice for Wisconsin is steering its own course. That means, to the greatest extent possible, operating a Wisconsin-run health insurance exchange.”

I don't see Walker allowing a Fed-mix of anything and, in another seeming contradiction of views, most WI residents agree with that approach*, if it must be so. The biz/commerce outfits & the health care associations are lions & lambs seemingly lying down in agreement on this one. In terms of quality of care, there are some pretty damn good partnerships already with clinics attached to hospitals at the local level which are affiliated with Mayo over in Rochester (MN).

* being witness to how well VA (at several of the large VAMCs) and the USPS work... remember, this is the place with complete Republican Gov & Legislature, electing Obama - twice.

[darbs]

I too am curious to see how this Obamacare thing is going to affect the public schools.
Surely the school districts here in IL will look at the option of paying the $700 fine per employee vs paying a majority of the of the employee's insurancw as a way to cut the budget.
Realistically they could definitely cut the "classified" (support staff/aids/security guards) benefits.

This would be ME...

[Buffalobob]

It already has been helpful for our family.

[Badger52]

Originally Posted by Buffalobob

It already has been helpful for our family.

I'm curious, in what way; extended benefit for adult child or filling a hole in another program?

[Buffalobob]

Extended benefits.

I turn 65 in February and am going to have to deal with the stupid doughnut hole in medicare in the next few months. Sometimes I wonder what people in congress use for brains but then remember that the medulla allows people to breathe without thinking.

[Badger52]

Originally Posted by Buffalobob

Extended benefits.

I turn 65 in February and am going to have to deal with the stupid doughnut hole in medicare in the next few months. Sometimes I wonder what people in congress use for brains but then remember that the medulla allows people to breathe without thinking.

Thanks. BTW, I'm tagging your last sentence. That's seriously quotable.

[Pete]

If politicians didn't break it they wouldn't have to fix it.

[BOfH]

Speaking of Mad-Town, here is one for the record: Wisconsin legislators call for arrest of federal officials implementing Obamacare

[Team Sergeant]

Originally Posted by Pete

If politicians didn't break it they wouldn't have to fix it.

You mean like the government run postal system?

I have an idea, lets place the feds in charge of everything......

[Badger52]

Originally Posted by Team Sergeant

You mean like the government run postal system?

I have an idea, lets place the feds in charge of everything......

Let's see, USPS recently defaulted on their latest $5,000,000,000 interest payment.

What we need is that promised Department of Business, with everything that another cabinet-level monolith could possibly hose up.

[Razor]

Originally Posted by Buffalobob

Extended benefits.

I turn 65 in February and am going to have to deal with the stupid doughnut hole in medicare in the next few months. Sometimes I wonder what people in congress use for brains but then remember that the medulla allows people to breathe without thinking.

Aren't we lucky we live in a country where we have the availability of drugs that keep us alive and make us more comfortable? Even better that we can get someone else to pay for more than half the cost of them for us.

[Go Devil]

Originally Posted by Badger52

Thanks. BTW, I'm tagging your last sentence. That's seriously quotable.

I am as well!

[Badger52]

I must apologize to Team Sergeant for this response above.

I should never have trivialized his assessment of the postal service, citing a paltry $5B, when there was this.
From the AP story cited:

The struggling U.S. Postal Service is reporting a record annual loss of $15.9 billion.
Well, that explains everything.
The financial losses for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30 were nearly $11 billion more than the previous year.
Consistent achievement of the annual performance metric; what an outfit!
Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe says the large losses cannot be sustained.
All evidence to the contrary.

[Badger52]

From the Milwaukee Urinal Sentinel

Gov. Scott Walker signaled to the national media Wednesday that Wisconsin likely won’t create its own insurance marketplace as called for under Obamacare, leaving that to the federal government.
...
“I’d much prefer control at the state level,” Mr. Walker said to The New York Times, “but the problem is, I don’t think they are really state-run.”

He said that he would give his final say on Friday but added, “Why do I want to take on the potential risk to my taxpayers if I don’t really have any true authority about what’s going to happen?”

It's possible he's thinking a bit longer term and letting the machine sink/swim on its relative merits for all to see. He also could have aspirations and doesn't want anything like this tied around his neck. Pretty good guy, but he's still a politician.

As I mentioned to someone from Madison the other day - one of those I Support Walker/Vote Obama types: "Congratulations! YOU are now the establishment and will totally own what goes down."