Lots of talk out there these days about the insurance industry’s influence over the General Assembly.
Now Democracy North Carolina is questioning two Triad -area legislators sponsorship of a bill creating the North Carolina Benefit Exchange. Davidson County Rep. Jerry Docker –a former health insurance executive —– and Randolph County Rep. Harold Brubaker “are the top two recipients in the Legislature of campaign money given from Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Political Action Campaign over the past decade, according to Democracy North Carolina.”
While the bill sponsored by Docker and Brubaker gives the insurance industry a seat at the table, Civitas notes that Democrats have countered with a bill that excludes the insurance industry, in effect giving government the upper hand. Under that scenario, the state exchange is even more likely to result in a single-payer system.
The benefit exchange is an issue only because of Obamacare, which is still a (faulty) work in progress. Its constitutionality is still in question, too. With that in mind, Democracy North Carolina and Civitas can agree on one thing: there’s no need to rush into this.
