It isn't surprising that the DFL has fought for the health care exchanges that are part of the Obamacare bill. What's surprising is the unseriousness of their arguments for these exchanges. Here's a perfect example of the unseriousness of their arguments:
REP. LIEBLING: I think it is very clear that just having an endless number of choices is not necessarily real choice and the example I like to use is I go to the store to buy a can of soup. If there are 30 brands, I may walk out without any soup. And I've done that. I mean, it's hard. When you have that many choices, that means your opportunity costs of trying to figure out what the differences is is very high. So we want to make very sure that the people that understand and can sit down and look at the various aspects of products, the values and the costs of the products and so on and can give consumers meaningful choices so they can actually go on the exchange, maybe with some help, maybe without help, and make a decision and get the coverage that they need and not walk away without any soup as it were.
That's insulting to individuals on a multitude of levels.
First, it assumes that only qualified agents of the government, aka bureaucrats, can make informed decisions.
Second, it presupposes that there will be lots of insurance options in the Affordable Care Act. There aren't. The ACA requires that each policy has a specific list of coverages. According to the ACA, the only difference between the Cadillac policy and the Plain Jane policy is the amount of the co-pay or deductible.
Rep. Lebling's statement isn't serious. That said, the DFL will shove these exchanges down our throats, most likely by the Easter/Passover recess.
Here's how Rep. Tony Albright responded to Rep. Liebling:
REP. ALBRIGHT: If I go into a grocery store for a can of soup, it isn't likely that I won't walk out without a can of soup because I'm hungry.
What wasn't discussed in this exchange or during the hearing is the fact that Minnesota has done a fantastic job of insuring the uninsured. The ACA doesn't improve on Minnesota's system. It gives people worse options.
Heading in the wrong direction, then calling it reform, isn't progress.
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