Keith Hennessy appears to be the first one to break Sen. Kennedy's health-reform bill, posting a draft that was clearly still being written. Since then, I've received a good copy that's over 600 pages long via e-mail, and Mr. Hennessy has also posted an agreement by three Committee Barons in the House of Representatives, the so-called "Tri-Committee Health Reform Proposal" (or Tri-Tip, for short, I guess). The Tri-Tip largely agrees with Sen. Kennedy's bill.
Mr. Hennessy has done a fine job summarizing the bills. What's in it for states? Here's where I had to laugh.
Mr. Kennedy's bill proposes "Gateways" (which we've all seen before, as "exchanges" or "connectors"). Because the reform includes a tax (which, in a remarkable abandonment of legislative responsibility, he surrenders to the Secretary of Health & Human Services to determine), it envisions Gateways being established by states to facilitate individuals and businesses finding health insurance that suits their purposes.
However, it also creates a new species of government agent: "Navigators", which are private-sector outfits that get government hand-outs to help you "navigate" the exchange. Incredible! They haven't even't established any Gateways yet, and they're already admitting that they'll be too confusing for ordinary folks to understand!
(Don't I wish the government would give H&R Block or TurboTax a hand-out to help me "navigate" the tax code...)
Who will line up for this new boondoggle, winning a government contract to be a Navigator? Darned if I know, but if you ask me, Americans should navigate away from this health-care take-over as quickly as possible.
Research and commentary from a former senior executive in the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
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