The debate among Idaho lawmakers started in earnest Tuesday over whether the state should create its own health insurance exchange.
At its heart, the debate is an ideological one: does Idaho work within the confines of the federal health care law to establish its own exchange? Or, does Idaho continue to fight the law and reject the exchange, defaulting to a marketplace run by the federal government?
The Otter administration is pushing for the first option. Even though the governor has opposed, what he and others call Obamacare in the past, he supports creating a state-based exchange so Idaho has as much control possible over the online marketplace to purchase insurance.
Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter’s chief of staff David Hensley told lawmakers, “Do we want in on the ground floor? Or do we want to inherit what the federal government sets up for the state of Idaho? Continue reading here...