Republicans at all levels of government have been attempting to thwart the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, since it was passed into law on March 23, 2010. The House of Representatives has voted 42 times to repeal Obamacare since they took control of the majority in 2011. Twenty-six states, all controlled by Republican lawmakers, have refused to set up the Health Insurance Marketplace, which is set to come online Oct. 1.
After the Supreme Court ruled it was up to the states to expand Medicaid, 19 states – also all Republican led – have refused the federal funds to expand Medicaid coverage. The latest tactic is to bar state employees, who have been trained as “navigators” under the guidelines of the ACA from doing their job of helping citizens through the complicated process of buying health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace.
Florida Governor Rick Scott has done just that, citing a concern that the navigators will compromise the private information of citizens who seek their help. This is an insidious scare tactic the governors are using to play upon the fears, generated by the recent IRS and NSA scandals, that somehow all government workers are incapable of safeguarding the same information one would provide to a private health insurance company when shopping for insurance.
In addition, there are already several mechanisms in place to provide oversight and ensure the navigators aren’t violating Florida citizens’ privacy. All navigators must complete a background check and register with the Florida State Department of Financial Services, which has the power to review their qualifications. Navigators must also complete a federally sponsored training program similar to the state-run agency licensing training already done for private insurance companies.
Rick Scott’s alarm is a diversion from the Republican Party’s real motivation: to sabotage the ACA so they can go back to their constituents, waving the corpse of Obamacare, proclaiming “See, we told you the law was bad. Elect us so we can repeal and replace it!”
The problem is, Obamacare is the law of the land. Its individual mandate is set to begin on Jan. 1 and many individuals and businesses will need help navigating the complex and confusing landscape of health insurance coverage. Banning navigators from working in Florida over unfounded privacy concerns only hurts Floridians, not Obamacare.
There has already been pushback from county governments. Broward County has voted to defy Rick Scott. Miami-Dade County, where the greatest number of uninsured in the state of Florida live, has recently come on board, voting 8-1 to allow the navigators to do their jobs.
These brave county commissioners should be commended for standing up to the strong arm tactics of the governor. The implementation of Obamacare, which was passed into law by both houses of congress, signed by the president, litigated in both the Supreme Court and in the 2012 elections, is not a partisan issue. The individual mandate will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2014. There is nothing the Republicans can do to stop it, and there is no harm in allowing state employees to do their jobs in providing much needed information and guidance on the new health exchange system to citizens who need it.
Love it or hate it, Obamacare is the current law. It deserves a chance to succeed or fail on its own merits without the Republicans deliberately sabotaging it at every turn.
