Health Care Exchanges – PART 18 >>> SB200 is Law & ObamaCare has its Hands in Colorado

This is Part 18 in my series about ObamaCare health care exchanges. For the facts on exchanges, be sure to read the entire series here.

Health care exchanges are simply this: State-level bureaucracies that ObamaCare must coerce into existence. Without exchanges, there is no ObamaCare implementation. With exchanges, the federal government has the hands it needs to meddle into and control the health care of every American citizen. 

The Federal Government Now has Those Unconstitutional Hands in Colorado

Thanks to 13 “Republicans” in the Colorado legislature, the federal government was officially given those unconstitutional hands.  On June 1, 2011, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper(D) signed into law the Colorado Health Care Exchange Bill, SB11-200.

Recap and Remember

Remember that SB 11-200 is the Colorado Health Benefit Exchange bill that was co-sponsored by Colorado State House Representative Majority Leader Amy Stephens(R) and Colorado State Senator Betty Boyd(D).  The purpose of the bill was “creating a process for the implementation of a health benefit exchange in Colorado.”

Remember that not a single Republican State Senator voted for this bill, and only 13 out of 33 Republicans voted against the Constitution and forObamaCare in Colorado.

Remember that ObamaCare is the surest, quickest way to choke individual freedom in the USA.  Mark Steyn details this very clearly here.

Remember that the vast majority of Americans are opposed to ObamaCare.

Remember thatObamaCare has been declared unconstitutional, in whole, by Senior US District Justice Roger Vinson… and we wait for its final ruling in the Supreme Court.

Remember that Judge Vinson also said that the Executive branch is using delay tactics to allow more provisions to be implemented by States.

Remember that the lone voice publicly supporting the bill, that of its Republican co-sponsor House Majority Leader Amy Stephens, repeatedly stated this is a “free-market” bill.  And remember that when supposed “free” markets are managed by government at any level, consumers pay more and choice is choked.  Every time.

Remember that we have Congressional Republicans fighting the good fight against ObamaCare at every level on Capitol Hill.  Congresswoman Bachmann and Congressman Ryan both have spoken out against state level health care exchanges.

Remember that multiple free-market health care policy analysts have explained in great detail why health care exchanges must be resisted.  Listen to CATO’s Michael Cannon here and here.  Read Pacific Research Institute’s John Graham here and here.  These are top experts in the field.

And remember that SB11-200 was a Democrat bill which creates a board to implement ObamaCare.

And did I mention that 13 Republicans voted YES for this ObamaCare bill?

And They Still Say it’s all About Helping Business

From the Denver Business Journal article “Hickenlooper signs health exchange bill,”written by Ed Sealover:

“ ‘We are going to do this in such a way … that it helps the business community control costs and, at the same time, expand access,’ Hickenlooper said.”

“SB 200 was hammered out as a compromise between health-care advocates and business groups. Business interests wanted to ensure that insurers and brokers would be able to play a role in setting up a system in a way that would not disenfranchise the industry.”