Health Reform: Who’s in Charge Here? The U.S. Government or State Governments

I see U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) have introduced S.244, The State Health Care Choice Act, to repeal and replace Obamacare by allowing states to ‘Opt-Out’ of its major provisions. Under the legislation, states could choose to ‘Opt-Out’ of:

• Individual mandate – the requirement to buy government-approved health insurance coupled with a financial penalty for not doing so.

• Employer mandate – the requirement for businesses to provide government-approved health insurance coupled with financial penalties for not doing so.

• Medicaid mandate – the forced expansion of state Medicaid programs.

• Benefit mandates – defines what qualifies as a health plan as well as new federal requirements for regulating health insurance.

So far governors of 28 states have said they would like to “opt-out” of Obamacare. They say they can not afford to pay for the increased Medicaid load on their budgets.

This makes me wonder about the power of federal mandates if states refuse to comply and leads to the following verse.

What is the meaning of federal mandates,

When state budgets are in dire straits?

What is the meaning of a federal mandate,

If it proves unconstitutional at a later date?

Repeal and replace might be the mandates’ fate.