Citing opposition in the Arkansas Legislature, state Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford announced Friday afternoon that his agency will not set up a health-insurance exchange as required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
The following statements from Kendall Antekeier, legislative specialist for health care at The Heartland Institute – a free-market think tank – may be used for attribution. For more comments, refer to the contact information below. To book a Heartland guest on your program, please contact Tammy Nash at [email protected] and 312/377-4000. After regular business hours, contact Jim Lakely at [email protected] and 312/731-9364.
“By refraining from implementing a health insurance exchange, the state of Arkansas has recognized that there is no such thing as a state health insurance exchange. The state would still have to abide by federal regulations, losing authority over its own health system while enduring heavy financial costs.
“By rejecting the implementation of a health insurance exchange, Arkansas has refused to set the foundation for President Obama’s disastrous health care law, protecting both patient power in health care and our nation’s constitution.”
Kendall Antekeier
Legislative Specialist, Health Care
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000
The Heartland Institute is a 27-year-old national nonprofit organization with offices in Chicago, Illinois; Washington, DC; Austin, Texas; Tallahassee, Florida; and Columbus, Ohio. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our Web site or call 312/377-4000.
Kendall Antekeier is a former government relations staffer with The Heartland Institute.
