Kansas refuses federal Obamacare grant!
WASHINGTON (PNN) - August 9, 2011 - On Tuesday, Kansas became the second U.S. state to return a large federal grant meant to help it create a prototype health insurance exchange as part of the illegitimate Obama regime's health care overhaul.
Republican Governor Sam Brownback said the state would give back the $31.5 million it received from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to become an early leader, along with six other states, in establishing health insurance exchanges that other local governments could use as a model.
Exchanges are meant to provide an open marketplace of competing insurance plans that allow uninsured people and small businesses to band together to negotiate cheaper rates.
Kansas's move brings the total amount of the returned exchange-related federal grants to almost $90 million as Republican governors seek to block implementation of the health care law supported largely by Democrat lawmakers.
Experts warn that many states are falling far behind schedule for a smooth and timely roll-out of the reform.
States are facing a deadline of January 1, 2013, to submit detailed plans for their exchanges or see HHS come in and build one itself. States returning grants increases the likelihood that HHS would have to do the work.
"It could come around to hurt the state in the long run," said Sabrina Corlette, a research professor at the nonpartisan Health Policy Institute at Georgetown University.
"The more states that say, “Forget it, let's have the Feds run it,” the more likely the (federal government) is going to have a one-size-fits-all solution."
