“The governor has said before that he will not act unilaterally against those wishes [applying for a federal grant to set up a healthcare exchange], and he does not plan to change that stance,” Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample said."
The above statement was made on back on August. Fast forward to just last week when the Governor says this:
"To that end, this past week, I endorsed Arkansas' involvement in a Federal Exchange Partnership. This partnership will allow us to apply for the federal money that will permit us to meet our legal requirements using as little state funding as possible."
Yes, you read that right. Governor Beebe is now moving forward with implementing as much of Obamacare as he possibly can despite a Supreme Court ruling that could come as early as mid-2012. Here is a link to a news article on it: http://www.5newsonline.com/news/sns-ap-ar--healthoverhaul-arkansas,0,2036597.story
The Federal Exchange Partnership that is mentioned is nothing more then an end-around the legislature. In fact, neither the Governor nor Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford testified before a legislative committee before pursuing this latest round of grant money.
According to what I have been told, the decision on the grant will be made sometime in early February. This will need to be watched closely as the Fiscal Session starts in February and the money will need to be appropriated.
Arkansans have overwhelmingly rejected Obamacare, yet the Governor continues to try to move forward with it.
I will continue to fight for you. Thank you once again for the opportunity to serve you.
If you any questions or comments, feel free to contact me: david.meeks@arkansashouse.org
