A new study from George Washington University measuring the effects of state non-cooperation on Obamacare indicates that these state efforts are working.
As more and more states ramp up efforts to refuse cooperation with the federal health care bill, federal officials are having a more difficult time getting individuals to sign up in those states, signaling trouble for the federal health care initiative.
The way these laws work is simple. They prohibit state officials from cooperating with the federal law. They bar the state from creating an exchange. And some states, like Missouri, Montana, Texas, and Florida restrict what navigators, essentially Obamacare guides, can ask. This means that individuals who want to purchase health insurance under the new law will have to be more independent and self-starting in these states; the work will not be done for them to be sure.
Navigators in Missouri, for example, are required to pass an exam and pay a fee in order to be certified. Florida forbids state offices from being used by navigators, and Florida and Texas requires extra training and testing as well, according to NBC News.
The end result of these efforts is that the federal government is going to be handcuffed in their efforts to market Obamacare in these states, making is much harder for the Obama administration to meet their quota of new sign-ups the program needs to function. Without hitting the quotas, both in total sign-ups and in sign-ups of young, healthy people whose resources and good health are required to subsidize this program, the whole thing will ultimately collapse.
These efforts appear to be working.
“We haven’t been able to reach as many people,” said one Obamacare navigator.
According to Sara Rosenbaum, the team leader on GW’s Department of Health Policy that did the study, “This is the first attempt to measure the impact of restrictive state policies. The navigator laws are having a real effect.”
The laws, however, are not intended to merely be a hindrance to federal efforts to sign people up. Supporters of the nullification laws have real and valid concerns over the ability of the Obama administration and their navigators to keep the private, confidential information provided to them by potential enrollees under wraps. As a result, some states are increasing training requirements for navigators and instituting more stringent background checks. Fabien Levy, President Obama’s U.S. Health and Human Services department spokesman, ironically complains, “This is a blatant attempt to add cumbersome requirements to the navigator program and deter groups from working to inform Americans about their new health insurance options and help them enroll in coverage.”
Regardless of intent, the success of this law depends on the administration getting a group of people who were previously uninsured to proactively take steps on their own behalf in order to get insured. Nullification efforts so far have been successful in hindering Obama’s plans. The end is near.
Click HERE for the Tenth Amendment Center four-step plan to nullify Obamacare.