Michigan Republican Fred Upton wants to re-legalize voluntary insurance contracts.
What’s not to like unless one wants to double down on Obamacare insurance coverage mandates? Some conservatives favor only a full repeal of Obamacare or worry that the Upton bill is a trap.
They reason that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid would probably return the bill by Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu or other Democratic that (probably unconstitutionally) mandates insurance companies to re-instate cancelled policies. But of course, the Senate could do that even if a full repeal bill were passed out of the House.
Yes, Republicans can always decide to fold, cave and otherwise re-visit the timidity we saw after 18 days of the government shutdown. But the Upton bill is not timid and best addresses the fall-out from President Barack Obama (see video further below) and Democrats’ betrayed promise that “if you like your plan, you can keep it” without doing further violence to Liberty:
The concept of the Upton bill is straightforward: it removes the impediments in Obamacare that have forced insurers to issue the cancellations in the first place. Specifically, it would allow insurers to continue offering individual insurance market policies under the state insurance rules that are in effect in 2013. As a practical matter, that means these insurance plans will be able to offer coverage at far lower premiums than the Obamacare-compliant plans will charge because the plans made viable by the Upton bill will not be forced to subsidize the less healthy risk pool that is likely to show up in the Obamacare exchanges. Further, the Upton bill would allow individuals to stay in these reopened insurance plans without fear of being penalized for not enrolling in Obamacare-compliant products.
The House bill would repeal certain premium and deductible-increasing Obamacare-mandates in a portion of the individual market.
It is a partial repeal of Obamacare. It is not a fix that helps Democrats and most importantly it will provide relief to some Americans harmed by the Obamacare law and Democrats’ lies. Republicans and all members of Congress should vote for the bill. We suspect that voters, especially those helped by the change in the law, will be grateful in 2014 and 2016.
Mike DeVine‘s Right.com @ Joe For America.com
“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson
