Auchtoon!Governor Snyder Experiences Health Care Reform…
Originally published in the Ann Arbor News, Bay City Times, Flint Journal, Grand Rapids Press, Jackson Citizen Patriot, Kalamazoo Gazette, Muskegon Chronicle, Saginaw News
September 16, 2012
Our Governor Snyder this past week floated the idea of updating our state’s relationship with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM). Currently by law, BCBSM is the insurer of last resort. That is, they cannot reject you even if all other insurers have. In exchange for this, BCBSM gets certain tax advantages. Now if the Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare) actually goes into practice (and even Romney has hinted that he would keep popular reforms like no rejecting for pre-existing conditions), there is no reason for BCBSM to have this special relationship with the state. So Governor Snyder is simply saying, “let’s start planning for this.”
But if we have learned anything these past few years it’s that good intentions for reforming health care will soon be met with hysteria. Reform will inevitably make somebody’s life worse — if even ever so slightly — and that will not go well. Let the hysteria begin!
