Christie nixes New Jersey’s health exchange bill
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie isn’t letting his state implement one of the biggest pieces of President Barack Obama’s health care plan — at least not yet.
On Thursday, Christie, who’s in the national spotlight again as a potential running mate for Mitt Romney, vetoed the Legislature’s bill that would have set up a health insurance exchange in the state. He called it the safe move, since the Supreme Court isn’t expected to rule on the Affordable Care Act until the end of June.
Continue Reading“Because it is not known whether the Affordable Care Act will remain, in whole or in part, it would be imprudent for New Jersey to create an exchange at this moment in time before critical threshold issues are decided with finality by the court,” Christie said in a statement.
Despite the veto, the state has received almost $9 million to study and plan for an exchange, an insurance marketplace that would let individuals and small businesses shop and compare health plans. A central part of the federal health reform law, the state health exchanges — which will launch in 2014 — will enable low- and middle-income individuals to receive government subsidies to help them purchase coverage.
Christie’s veto signifies the tough spot Republican governors are in — they don’t like the health reform law, but if their states don’t set up exchanges, the Obama administration says the feds will set one up by 2014, when the law’s fuller coverage expansions go into effect.
As recently as last week, Christie said publicly he wasn’t sure how he will decide on the Legislature’s exchange bill. That sparked a flurry of activity from local and national groups pushing Christie to block the bill.
“We’re thrilled with the governor’s unconditional veto,” said Steve Lonegan, New Jersey state director of Americans for Prosperity. “We believe he listened to the message not only in New Jersey but from around the country. This sends a powerful message to governors across the country that they should all be vetoing exchanges.”
Jeff Brown of New Jersey Citizen Action said consumer groups were “clearly disappointed” with Christie’s decision. The governor’s past statements about waiting on a Supreme Court decision made it virtually impossible that he would have approved the exchange bill, but consumer advocates had been hoping for a “conditional veto” — a maneuver that would have potentially let the Legislature come back to the bill after a Supreme Court decision.
“I think this is national politics intruding on something that could potentially be good for New Jersey,” Brown said, pointing out that 1.3 million of the state’s residents lack health insurance coverage.
Christie isn’t the only GOP governor who’s had to dance carefully around the exchange issue in the face of the national spotlight. Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virginia, also considered a possible pick for vice president, has stated his preference for a state-based exchange but only if the Supreme Court upholds health reform.
The veto makes Christie the second Republican governor to reject an exchange bill. New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez issued a veto in April 2011, arguing that the state didn’t have enough information from the feds about how the exchanges would operate.
Readers' Comments (28)
Of course he did. If it is anything to help his state, he against it. Wait!! Maybe he is really Groucho Marx, and his administration is just a comedy routine? That would make a lot more sense.
http://www.youtube.com/watc...
Two years is plenty of time to set up exchanges if it comes to that.
Its visually clear that fatty would nix any health bill.
The house republicans are puzzled why he is so fat. He switched to pizza's when the republican declared pizzas are to be categorized as vegetables in schools.
The republicans are happy with the another lie: America has fatter people but there are more pizza jobs now because of the house republicans. Their sincerity to the health of our children over corporate profits is saintly.
Do shirts in that cost more?
Bravo!
Our healthcare system is broken and doesn't work it's too expensive and the problem isn't going away. Conservatives have to deal with it. No more socialize medicine BS arguments.
Why would any state set-up the exchanges-- if ObamaCare will probably be declared unconstitutional and repealed?
It would be a waste of time.
It seems odd that people aren't upset with the members of Congress who wrote a bill that isn't clearly constitutional. If the Supreme Court overturns the Affordable Care Act, every single member of Congress who voted for it should face heavy criticism for wasting some much of the country's time and energy. We have so many problems and the Pelosi-Reid Congress from 2006-2010 really accomplished little in those four years if the ACA is overturned. Thanks a lot for nothing!
Its visually clear that fatty would nix any health bill.
Pathetic.
Yeah, I'm not shocked that this man is not all that in to health care.
Once Romney is inaugurated and ushers in his "Lord of the Flies" reign, Christy will begin to understand the evils of bullying and the unfortunate fate of "Piggy" in that prophetic story. Piggy didn't fare too well, as I remember.
this man looks absolutely ridiculous.
disgusting little man. yes, i really mean that.
What is so bad about having the Feds run the health exchanges? Does not seem to me that there is a downside to vetoing a state run exchange that has to follow federal rules anyway.
Gov. Your correct again !!!! Lets fight this terrible socialist law !!!!!
Rioyce wrote - What is so bad about having the Feds run the health exchanges?
In my not-so-honest-opinion, it comes down to what many of us on the Right view as a violation of the Tenth Amendment, whereas the counter-argument is the "Commerce Clause", as specified in Article I, Section 8, Paragraph 3:
The Congress shall have Power ... (Paragraph 1 pre-empted by yours truly)... To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
Whereas the 10th Amendment states:
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
The question, I would propose, is just how big should the Federal government become? How much influence should it wield over the States?
Sure, let's not set up health exchanges that would help the good people of N.J.
Go Christie. It's a shame that people who oppose him are so uneducated and pathetic , that when they comment , it's always a personal attack about his weight. What morons they must be.
BS.. Our healthcare system works well from my experience. It is expensive due to Government interference, Medicare fraud and trial lawyers getting rich but the ACA corrects none of that. The ACA will make healthcare more expensive and will lower the quality of care the average American receives. Sometimes the best thing one can do to "correct" an imperfect system is nothing.
It relies on government, and government has proven time and again they can't run anything very well. Governor Christie and others - Kill the health care bill and go for real change and improvements - let the free market work.
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