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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe White House calls Utah’s Obamacare bluff
The White House calls Utahs Obamacare bluff
Posted by Sarah Kliff on January 3, 2013 at 4:10 pm
For months now, Utah has put the White House in a sticky spot on Obamacare.
snip//
Utah initially told the Obama administration that this is how the Utah exchange works now, and will work in the future.
That strong statement had many health policy observers expecting that the White House would turn down Utahs application to run an exchange, given that the program they operate now is not compliant with the Affordable Care.
Thursday afternoon, however, the opposite happened: The Obama administration approved Utahs application to run an exchange. So did the White House cave? Not really. Rather, Utah decided to run its exchange more in accordance with the Affordable Care Act.
The Obama administration responded to Gov. Herberts Dec. 10 letter swiftly. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius wouldnt approve the Utah exchange, but she would offer her offices help in getting the state to become Obamacare compliant. It was a sort of kill-them-with-kindness strategy.
snip//
Still, Utah and the Obama administration seem to find themselves in an unexpected, and exceedingly peaceful, space: Theyre in agreement about how the state should move forward on the health-care law.
For the real wonks, heres the full text of Utahs 72-page health exchange blueprint:
@ link~
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/01/03/the-white-house-calls-utahs-obamacare-bluff/
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Cha
(295,926 posts)Sounds like the beginning of a smart play by Utah..Bless HHS Sec Kathleen Sebelius' kind heart
tridim
(45,358 posts)annabanana
(52,791 posts)If it works.. go for it! The better established it gets, the clearer the road to fixing the flaws.
babylonsister
(170,963 posts)Signed,
Forever hopeful!
TygrBright
(20,733 posts)...he's allowing them to quietly slide out of the ideological corners many of them have painted themselves into.
Yes, it might be more satisfying to rub their noses in it and play a high-profile hardball/hardass position, but that would end up with much less favorable outcomes for the people of those states being held hostage by posturing goons-er-Goobs playing to the teapeanut gallery.
Allowing them to save face in public gives him way more leverage to turn the screws behind the scenes to get some real, meaningful concessions on the exchange issue.
Speaking as a resident of the state being held hostage by our GOPpie Goob, Texas Susie, this gives me some hope.
interestedly,
Bright
Skraxx
(2,965 posts)BlueDemKev
(3,003 posts)Obama is using the bullypit against these right-wing assholes.
siligut
(12,272 posts)The most criminal medical care systems I have seen are in Florida and Utah.
yodermon
(6,143 posts)and are just as deserving of health care as everyone else.
bluestate10
(10,942 posts)in accordance with the ACA. While the government there is conservative, with typical thinking limitations of that philosophy, by and large, it lives up to agreements once it make them. We won't see southern state type trickery to cause ACA to look bad.