Idaho governor Butch Otter is trying to garner attention as he is wont to do. He was one of the first governors who came out with both barrels against the stimulus and finally agreed to "hold his nose" and accept every penny.
Now, he's out to save the great state of Idaho from a government takeover of healthcare, apparently.
Link:
Idaho took the lead in a growing, nationwide fight against health care overhaul Wednesday when its governor became the first to sign a measure requiring the state attorney general to sue the federal government if residents are forced to buy health insurance. Similar legislation is pending in 37 other states.
Constitutional law experts say the movement is mostly symbolic because federal laws supersede those of the states.
But the state measures reflect a growing frustration with President President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. The proposal would cover some 30 million uninsured people, end insurance practices such as denying coverage to those with pre-existing conditions, require almost all Americans to get coverage by law, and try to slow the cost of medical care nationwide.
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"What the Idaho Health Freedom Act says is that the citizens of our state won't be subject to another federal mandate or turn over another part of their life to government control," Otter said.
Minority Democrats in Idaho who opposed the bill called the lawsuits frivolous
Last week, Virginia legislators passed a measure similar to Idaho's new law, but Otter was the first state chief executive to sign such a bill, according to the American Legislative Exchange Council, which created model legislation for Idaho and other states. The Washington, D.C.,-based nonprofit group promotes limited government.
"Congress is planning to force an unconstitutional mandate on the states," said Herrera, the group's health task force director.
Otter already warned U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in December that Idaho was considering litigation. He signed the bill during his first public ceremony of the 2010 Legislature.
Now let's look at this pompous posturing in the light of certain facts:
Per dollar of Federal tax collected in 2005, Idaho citizens received approximately $1.21 in the way of federal spending.
Link:
In Idaho, over 221,000 people lack health insurance, nearly 90% have jobs -- for most, the cost is simply too high. Nearly 400,000 Idahoans spend 10% of their income on health care; over 100,000 spend upwards of 25%. Twenty-seven percent of our state's 213,00 Medicare beneficiaries fell into the prescription drug "doughnut hole" -- forced to pay full price for their medications -- with many having to cut pills or stop taking them altogether.
And the "unconstitutional mandate on states" he's talking about?
The "Health Freedom Act," recently passed by the House State Affairs Committee, raises some very serious concerns. The legislation appears contradictive to existing state law. While state lawmakers passed a law requiring students to carry health insurance, they now seem on the verge of attempting to stop the federal government from enacting a similar mandate.
In short, he's full of it.