2/27/13 - A local legislator says he reluctantly agreed with a majority of members on a Michigan legislative panel that voted to spend $31 million to help build a health insurance marketplace required under the contentious federal health care overhaul. Today's 24-3 vote by the House Appropriations Committee signals the Republican-led Legislature may be ready to go along with Gov. Snyder's plan to pursue a partnership exchange controlled almost entirely by the federal government. Genoa Township Republican State Representative Bill Rogers says while this isnât what he ultimately wanted to see, it is more prudent to implement the exchange under a state-federal partnership than to rely totally on the federal government. "Elections do have consequences and as a result we know that Obamacare is coming, or ACA whichever you prefer to call it, and there's no way around it now." GOP legislators last year rejected the Republican governor's preference for a state-run marketplace in a vote cast before President Obamaâs re-election. GOP leaders had hoped a Romney win in November would have halted the health care reform effort. The partnership exchange lets states handle some customer service functions and approve insurers on the website, which is supposed to make it easier for people and businesses forced to carry insurance under the health care law. Michigan was awarded a $31 million federal grant for the exchange. But Snyder needs legislative approval to spend it. (JK)
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