Conservative States: Do a Partnership Exchange? Expand Medicaid?

Should states build their own health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) ("Obamacare")?

Should states expand their Medicaid programs under the ACA?

These are the tough questions many, particularly conservative, states are now wrestling with. While it is too late for a state to now decide to build an exchange before the fast approaching launch date, it is still possible to build an exchange in partnership with the feds.

Last week I participated in just these discussions with Kansas state legislators and stakeholders at a meeting sponsored by the non-partisan Kansas Health Institute.

There is no "redder" state than Kansas and its conservative governor has clearly put ideology ahead of pragmatism when it comes to "Obamacare."

Here is a follow-up article that does a very good job of laying out the issues conservative states like Kansas are facing:

ACA opponent says Brownback should reconsider stand on insurance exchange

Insurance industry consultant says state should partner with feds on exchange and use Medicaid expansion to bargain for block grant

TOPEKA — Like Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, Bob Laszewski is a staunch opponent of the Affordable Care Act.

Despite that, the Washington, D.C. consultant said at a meeting here today that Brownback is making a mistake by refusing to partner with the federal government to run the Kansas health insurance purchasing exchange that the law requires to be operational by 2014.
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