Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a conservative economist and former director of the Congressional Budget Office, said states failing to establish their own health insurance exchanges could be one of the first steps toward "European-style, single-payor healthcare," according to his op-ed in the National Review.
So far, 18 states have decided to leave their insurance exchanges to the federal government. States have until Dec. 18 to decide whether they will establish their own exchange. If not, they must implement the exchange designed by the government.
Mr. Holtz-Eakin said "federal 'fallback' exchanges are the single-payor Trojan horse hidden in Obamacare. Conservatives must not allow themselves to be outfoxed and overrun."
He urged states to run their own exchanges on their own terms, based on policies and programs designed to meet the needs of their own states, rather than the government's "one-size-fits-all default arrangement."
Mr. Holtz-Eakin, who was also an economic policy advisor to Sen. John McCain during his 2008 presidential campaign, said lawmakers and others should not consider state-run exchanges acquiescence to the healthcare reform law. Instead, he says the choice is one way to retain state control.
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So far, 18 states have decided to leave their insurance exchanges to the federal government. States have until Dec. 18 to decide whether they will establish their own exchange. If not, they must implement the exchange designed by the government.
Mr. Holtz-Eakin said "federal 'fallback' exchanges are the single-payor Trojan horse hidden in Obamacare. Conservatives must not allow themselves to be outfoxed and overrun."
He urged states to run their own exchanges on their own terms, based on policies and programs designed to meet the needs of their own states, rather than the government's "one-size-fits-all default arrangement."
Mr. Holtz-Eakin, who was also an economic policy advisor to Sen. John McCain during his 2008 presidential campaign, said lawmakers and others should not consider state-run exchanges acquiescence to the healthcare reform law. Instead, he says the choice is one way to retain state control.
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