Fed Grants Walker Administration $38 million to set up IT Health Exchange System to offer Lower prices. How fast will Scott Send that back?

Although the story below doesn’t say, we can only assume Gov. Doyle requested the federal help, to set up a cost saving IT exchange to make it easy for Wisconsinites to buy affordable insurance.

So what about Gov. Scott Walker? Since Walker dissolved the health exchanges “just because,” we can expect to see taxpayers in Wisconsin pay more out of pocket costs through the current maze of intentionally confusing insurance policies.

   

Walker knows the price of freedom. He’s defining it as private sector profits?

jsonline: The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has been named one of seven "Early Innovators" nationwide in the health insurance marketplace, and will receive a $37.7 million federal grant to help design and implement an Information Technology infrastructure that can be adopted and tailored by other states. "These states are leading the way on building a better health insurance marketplace, one that allows individuals and small-business owners to pool their purchasing power to negotiate lower rates," a news release explained. 

Wisconsin's proposal (Doyles?) envisions a single, intuitive portal through which residents can access subsidized and non-subsidized health care and other state-based programs (e.g. Medicaid, CHIP, child care). The Exchange will integrate across health and human services programs to promote efficiency and lower overall administrative cost. 

"Early Innovator states will play a critical role in developing a consumer-friendly marketplace where insurers must compete to deliver the best deal," HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a prepared statement.  

The best deal doesn’t necessarily mean bigger insurer profits. And that’s a big problem for Republicans. Here are a few comments to the story:

1. Wow, this is great! How long until DICKtator Scott Wanker decides to say "no" and give the money back? 

2. The ticker is going... Walker will give this back as well. More of my federal tax dollars will go to another state!! Send it back to the taxpayers. People are perfectly capable of shopping for insurance on their own without having their nanny government holding their hand through the process.

Yes people can shop, but can they get a good deal without the power and size of a group rate? Of course not.