EXCHANGE: 'Wait this mess out'

I don’t know your position on the state exchange, but I personally smell a big fat Blue Crossed Rat. I believe we ultimately need a state exchange. However, it would be in everyone’s best interest, except the insurers, to just wait things out.

The Feds are completely befuddled by ACA. Nobody knows how it will actually work, or the cost. It’s very scary legislation and as a supporter of universal health care, it’s quite possibly the worst option because it does nothing to control cost.

Basically we are taking 30M + uninsured who now either get charity or don’t pay and assigning them to for-profit entities via the government. We are also requiring the healthiest members of our society, young adults who typically don’t carry insurance, to belly up and find insurance as well.

We can afford to wait this mess out and learn from others’ mistakes. That $20M may or may not be gone, but I can assure you this: The only winners if we act this year are the insurers. Why give them another free gift? If we wait, we can see how things shake out. Idaho is a low cost healthcare state; maybe we create a multi state with say Wyoming, maybe even Montana?

There are options, but Gov. Otter is doing one thing and one thing only. He’s catering to the insurers and that’s not good medicine.

REID HARLOCKER

Hayden