John Brummett lays out competing political interests that pit the Arkansas Republican Party against Gov. Mike Beebe, Blue Cross and the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce on planning for health insurance exchanges to be set up under federal health care legislation, presuming the right-wing Supreme Court doesn’t go to legislating and strike it down.
Bottom line: “Republicans play a more cynical and illogical brand of politics”
Republicans hope against hope their Supreme Court justices will stymie federal law. Even if not, they’re content to let Washington run Arkansas health care programs. (Given that the chamber of commerce is on the other side in favor of state control, this might be a blind-hog-finds-acorn moment.) More health coverage for more people? The Republicans DON’T want that.
Brummett notes that Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, soon to be in Arkansas to raise money for Republicans, has happily applied for the federal health planning money that Arkansas Republicans disdain.