With the attitude of the current crop of Republican's perhaps they should include Medicare in their bill. If we are afraid of creeping socialism perhaps we should stop federal road funding - or even state road funding.

What if the feds offer a bill to end pre-existing condition restrictions? Or to dial back insurance company executive compensation? Or end policies that restrict access to medical care. Do we then have the freedom to get sicker?

Doesn't the legislature have better things to do than waste taxpayer money in an effort to grandstand for their rabid supporters?

Unelect all that support this waste of taxpayer funds.

Insurance rates just went up big time in Ca. after the health reform stalled. Idaho will be next. Did you read one of the reasons.
More people dropping insurance, therefore the existing policy holders have to make up the difference. Semanko should worry about the rate increases and why he didnt do anything to stop the increases.

I still can't figure out how he can be a registered lobbyist, head of the party and an elected official. That bill sent a strong message to me that members of the GOP are willing to plug their nose and vote for an unnecessary bill that authorizes $100,000 or more to be spent just to make a political statement. While I am not in favor of the health reform proposals that we have seen in congress so far, I also don't have any patience for grandstanding for campaign purposes.

The only ones who benefits are the health care industries. In Idaho we have Otter and Gwartney who are in bed with the Blues.
Why didn't GW and the GOP try to do anything other than giving big pharma a blank check?

Douchenozzle

This legislation was drafted by a lobbyist group ALEC and presented to the conservative Idaho legislature to pass. There intention is to make both a federally created health insurance exchange and a public health insurance option illegal under the 10th Amendment to the Constitution.

A senior executive at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, played a key role in crafting this legislation and worked with ALEC to promote to conservative State legislators across the U.S.

Let us not forget that the power to impose mandates is firmly rooted in the Constitution, Congress has ample power & precedent through the Constitution’s “Commerce Clause” to regulate the national economy, Health insurance is quintessentially an economic good and clearly falls under the definition of economic activity.

Governor Otter & Idaho republicans prefer that health care be governed like Wall Street with no regulations. How can everyday Idahoan really believe Republicans are working for the people's best intrests.

What we really do know, is that this bill is not about people and our health, it is about how Health Care Reform is a massive threat to conservatism.

The standard ploy of anti-tax politics has always been tax cuts for the wealthy combined with token cuts for the middle class. However, once we get millions of middle class families to participate & depend on federal health care then GOP token tax cuts will pale in comparison.

Democrats can easily trump tax cut politics with promises of increased health care benefits which are much more valuable to our families and cheaper to deliver since it won't need to be attached to tax cuts for the wealthy.

Remember everyday Idahoans, well known conservative Bill Kristol has said, conservatives must kill health care by any means necessary, any successful passage of health care reform bill will be the death knell for conservatism.

It will relegitimize the middle classes dependence for security on government spending and regulation. It will revive the reputation of the party that spends and regulates, the Democrats will be the protector of middle class interests, while striking a blow against Republican claims to defeat the middle class by restraining government.

Beware taters what you support, make sure your self interests are addressed….!

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Like a midair collision with a tugboat

They are calling this the "Health Freedom Act" Anytime a Republican starts talking about protecting your freedom you had better check your wallet. If you follow the money it is simple for most intelligent people to see through their plans.

Of course, Repubs don't care if a corporation is stealing from them - as long as their TAXES don't go up!

on top of the posted 15% increase before I renewed it. I'm stuck for a year and can't cancel. Needless to say I am getting all of my dental work done this year and then adios you MF's.

that's all I hear whenever a politician opens his/her mouth. They are all meaningless losers who are woefully overpaid with our tax dollars.

That goes double for Semanko. (How's that mortgage thing working out, Norm?)

Statistically Daniel Popkey's statement, is a wrong statement. For the first time ever, more Americans want their politicians punished, *regardless* of party and that's a fact. I wrote a while back that President Obama was never going to even try to get Health Care Reform passed and nothing will change. He came from the exact corrupt, sold out club of American Politicians, (Senators) that ARE the problem. Republicans and Democrats alike _no longer_ hold their allegiance to traditional values, or to Americans, or even to American business. Today is a new day and their only allegiance is the 'almighty PAC Fund dollars' that they effectively trade for rhetoric and votes. The truth is America's Politics has been corrupted by this process and it has turned our supposed representatives into a glut of 'Used Car Salespeople'. The 'Texas Think Tanks' put out policy and American Politicians get their marching orders via their laptops, blackberries and smart phones. Effectively taking over American Politics and the sad thing is, besides all the millions of people President Bush and Congress left suffering, is that Americans have it almost exactly backwards. The tea parties and the town hall meetings, all dog and pony shows, but the outcome was always going to be the same. Make it look like the President and Congress would be doing something, then blame the other guy, or circumstances and kill any chance for reform. Things are far worse than you all know, or are being told. If you watched C-Span this week, (Probably not, I think there are two of us.), you would know that our Country's economic professors are starting to get it and that is the worst is not over, there is much more bad to come. Unfortunately the system is broken, Capitalism is dead and I firmly believe a reckoning is coming, and it won't be just the one American Political Party either. Next on America's agenda will be the media and when Americans find out just how corrupt that has become, there will be a little reckoning going on there as well. Enough rhetoric already! Jail, Baby, Jail!

Is that a bridge over a canyon, like the Perrine bridge?