At Least 20 States Not Selling Child-Only Policies
Sen. Enzi’s staff have compiled a report finding that children in at least 20 states are unable to obtain child-only health insurance, thanks to the clumsy way the law’s ban on pre-existing condition exclusions has taken effect. In other words, in many cases, the individuals targeted by the law for assistance are some of the ones directly suffering as a result of its many flaws. That report can be found here.
It’s also worth noting that in a Politico story on the matter, advocates claim “that the damage could have actually been a lot worse, had [states] not taken aggressive action to intervene.” It’s interesting first that having “only” 20 states not selling child-only policies is being claimed by some as progress, and second that the apparent “solution” to government intervention (i.e., a bad law passed by Congress) is yet more government intervention, in the form of “aggressive action” by state governments and regulators. It’s enough to bring to mind the famous quote that “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
Also, the Ways and Means Committee has posted video of Rep. Tiberi’s exchange yesterday with Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Austan Goolsbee, in which Mr. Goolsbee claimed it is “not accurate” to describe the individual mandate as a tax. That video can be found here.