OLYMPIA -- So the day after Attorney General Rob McKenna announced he was joining the lawsuit to challenge federal health care reform, things got ramped up a few notches.

President Obama signed the bill, and Vice President Joe Biden weighed in that this was a BFD.

McKenna didn't personally answer most media inquiries about his decision, but his staff posted FAQs on the AG Web site and he did do an interview with KING-TV.

Gov. Chris Gregoire repeated her criticism of McKenna's decision, both at an afternoon press conference and in a separate KING-TV session.

The Washington Policy Center, a conservative think tank, released a review of health care reform that contends it would hurt Washington residents.

State Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver, said he was introducing a bill to keep federal health care mandates from taking effect in Washington, and directing the attorney general to sue to enforce them.(Interesting, considering Benton, who is running against U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, has not been in Olympia for the special session.)

U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Eastern Washington, came out in support of fellow Republican McKenna. So did state Sens. Janea Holmquist, R-Moses Lake, and Val Stevens, R-Arlington, who mentioned they had introduced earlier in the session a bill that would keep federal health care mandates from taking effect in Washington. (But doesn't require an AG to enforce that, like Benton's bill does. Their bill got no hearing, and no vote in the regular session, but was resurrected for the special session.)

Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, sent McKenna a letter asking him to reconsider, and called Benton's legislation "more theatrics than substance" and said it has "zero chance" of passing in the special session, which is mainly relegated to the budget. The Legislature is at recess until Thursday, so Republicans have a bit of time to strategize a way to try to bring it up, if they are so inclined. (And no, recess for legislators does not include kickball and snacks.)

The Washington State Labor Council asked him to drop the lawsuit. (Yeah, organized labor telling a GOP attorney general to do something...that'll do it.)

The State Democratic Party filed a public records request for any correspondence or other documents involving McKenna's decision to join the lawsuit, saying the public has a right to know if he was doing this on behalf of the National Republican Party or the insurance industry.

And with that, you're pretty much fully briefed. Go inside the blog to see the details, watch some dueling video of the gov and AG, or leave a comment.

McKenna's interview with KING-TV:

Gregoire countered on a separate interview:

National Health Care Reform Plan Will Have Troubling Consequences in WA

Medicare cuts, higher taxes, and hundreds of thousands still uninsured

 Spokane – The national health care reform plan signed into law by President Obama today will have far-reaching effects across the nation and right here in Washington state.

 Washington Policy Center, a non-partisan public policy research organization with offices in Seattle, Olympia, Spokane, and Tri-Cities, is analyzing the new law.  Dr. Roger Stark, a retired surgeon and a health care policy analyst with WPC, has made some startling findings about its impact in Washington state:

 ·         The uninsured rate was 13.2% last year in Washington state. Half of these people are in the 18-34 y/o range. The new law will force 432,000 young healthy people into insurance they may not want, need, or be able to afford.

·         205,000 WA seniors will be forced out of Medicare Part C.

·         Because of the 21% cuts in Medicare reimbursements to providers, WA seniors will have a more difficult time finding a physician.

·         130,000 WA residents have Health Savings Accounts. The new law restricts the amount they can contribute to their HSAs and because of limitations on high deductible insurance plans, may totally eliminate HSAs.

·         Between 300,000 - 480,000 people in Washington state will still lack health insurance.

·         The number of people on Medicaid will increase by 280,000 for a total cost of Medicaid to WA taxpayers of $36 billion over the next 10 years.

For more information or to arrange an interview, contact Chris Cargill (WPC’s Eastern WA office director) at 509-570-2384 or ccargill@washingtonpolicy.org.

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Benton introduces Health Care Freedom Act for Washingtonians
‘The cornerstone of real health care reform must be preserving and protecting the people’s right to make their own health care choices.’

OLYMPIA…Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver, introduced a bill today to prohibit a federal mandate on Washington citizens to purchase health care.

 “Congress has no power to require Americans to purchase health care insurance,” Benton said. “My bill will likely be duplicated across the country as states defend their citizens and states’ rights under the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

 “Under the federal health care reform bill signed today by the President, Washington citizens will be assessed a monetary penalty if they don’t have health care insurance by 2014 – the amount goes up yearly as long as a person chooses not to buy health care insurance.

 “My bill would prevent any fine or penalty from being imposed on individuals and families who are unable or choose not to purchase a health care plan. The state attorney general would be required to protect our citizens from this clearly unconstitutional intrusion of the federal government.

 “Congressional Republicans and Republican lawmakers in our state have offered promising and thoughtful solutions to the myriad of problems that plague our health care system and force people into the category of ‘uninsured’ – but they have been universally ignored.

 “It is just outrageous that Democrat members of the U.S. House and Senate would even concoct this money-grabbing scheme when they have repeatedly shot down ideas to make health care insurance affordable.

 “The cornerstone of real health care reform must be preserving and protecting the people’s right to make their own health care choices.”

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McMorris Rodgers Supports Attorney General’s

Challenge to Constitutionality of Health Care Bill

“Unconstitutional Federal Requirements Should Be Overturned”

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference, released the following statement after Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna decided to join a multistate challenge to the constitutionality of the radical health care bill signed by President Obama today.

“I agree with Attorney General Rob McKenna that the requirement for people to buy health insurance is an ‘unprecedented federal mandate’ that violates the commerce clause and the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.”

Under the controversial law, the Obama Administration will be hiring over 16,000 new I.R.S. agents to monitor people’s private health insurance.  Those who are convicted of willfully evading the insurance requirement can be fined up to $100,000 and imprisoned for five years.

 “I voted against this $938 billion, 2,700-page bill for many reasons, and one of the most important reasons is that it will ‘erode the freedom of the American individual.’  I commend Attorney General McKenna for standing up for the citizens of Washington State who have the constitutional right to decide what is the best health care for themselves and their families.”

 

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