Mississippi currently stands among those states committed to moving forward with a state-based insurance exchange under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
But that could soon change.
The Mississippi legislature will consider a bill that would take the first step in stopping implementation of Obamacare in the Magnolia State.
Sen. Chris McDaniel (R-Ellisville) introduced SB2775 on Jan. 25. The bill would prohibit creation of a health insurance exchange and retroactively invalidate any moves to create one prior to passage.
No state agency, department or political subdivision thereof shall plan, create, participate in or enable a state-based exchange for health insurance under the federal patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or contract with any private entity to do so. If such an exchange is established by a state agency, department or political subdivision thereof before the effective date of this act, any such action shall be invalid and such exchange must be discontinued.
The bill has three Senate cosponsors.
Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney informed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that he would move forward with creating a state-based exchange last November, despite opposition from Gov. Phil Bryant.
“I have, again, been against the expansion of Obamacare throughout the state of Mississippi. I believe a health care exchange is a portal for that,” Bryant told reporters at the time. “I’m worried about the federal government taking over that system, and I worry about expanding a large entitlement program in the state of Mississippi through what was to be a free-market based system in the insurance exchange. So, I’m disappointed.”
Chaney argues that even though he is no fan of the health care law, creating the exchange will give the state control over the system.
“If you default to the federal government, you forever give the keys to the state’s health insurance market to the federal government,” he said.
Tenth Amendment Center communications director Mike Maharrey says Chaney can’t see the big picture.
“Obamacare is an unconstitutional intrusion into a state issue. The feds have no business directing the health care decisions of Mississippians. Chaney is nuts if he thinks creating a state exchange under federal guidelines – in the framework of this system – is going to somehow give him control of it. The feds will control it. Period,” he said. “The health care act itself needs to be stopped. The only way to do that is for the states to refuse to implement it. By setting up the exchange, Chaney is basically supporting President Obama. And that’s what they want. The feds’ system is predicated on the states doing the heavy lifting. If the states refuse to lift, it places all of the weight on the feds’ shoulders and they don’t have any mechanism set up to deal with it. If enough states refuse to play along, the system collapses.”
SB2775 was referred to the Insurance Committee and the Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency Committee.
ACTION ITEMS
If you live in Mississippi, contact the committee members and let them know you want the bill passed out for consideration in the full Senate. You can find committee member contact information HERE.
Also contact your senator and representative and ask them to support SB2775. You can find contact information for legislators HERE.
If you don’t live in Mississippi, you can track efforts to nullify Obamacare across the U.S. and find model legislation to propose to your legislature HERE.
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