Health-care access and affordability are important goals. But they will never be achieved with a single-payer system – and that isn’t bad news.

If lawmakers begin to enter the ObamaCare exchanges themselves, it will certainly draw attention to the hypocrisy of some lawmakers who have imposed this costly law on Americans. But perhaps more importantly, it could serve as an important lever to force lawmakers to re-examine the most damaging aspects of the law.

The new federal spending bill, dubbed the “CRomnibus,” codifies that the ACA payments to insurers are budget-neutral, as the revenue to fund them will come from fees already assessed on health-insurance plans. This is not the blank check that insurers were hoping for.

It might be rare to heap praise on Illinois’ state lawmakers, but their decision not to move forward on a state-funded exchange deserves recognition.

“It just seemed wrong to me, that you would deny a woman, or a person of color, or someone from downstate, a seat on this governing board, just based on who they happen to be, as opposed to their merit and their talent.”

Legislation being advanced by state Rep. Robyn Gabel, D-Chicago, would attempt to cover costs by charging a fee on every health-insurance plan sold through the state-funded health insurance exchange. This funding mechanism is likely to be insufficient. In fact, the new state tax on insurance plans may need to be three times the amount currently under consideration to truly cover administrative costs.



There is a silver lining should the Supreme Court rule against the ACA: Illinoisans would no longer be subject to an estimated $6.5 billion in IRS penalties.

Despite Illinois’ precarious financial situation, some lawmakers are continuing their efforts to establish an expensive state-based ObamaCare exchange.