States continue to react to health reform's high-risk insurance pools, individual insurance requirement

The Arizona Republic: "Gov. Jan. Brewer told the Obama administration that Arizona can't afford an insurance program that would extend health coverage to Arizonans unable to purchase insurance because of pre-existing medical conditions. Arizona is among 19 states that have rejected federal funds to administer a high-risk insurance pool. That means the federal government will create and run such a pool on behalf of Arizona and the other states that have declined participation" (Alltucker, 5/5).

The Chicago Tribune: "Gov. Pat Quinn today urged lawmakers to approve legislation to provide health coverage for high-risk people who have a tough time getting insurance and tap $200 million in federal funds to pay for it. The proposal would use the federal money to manage an expanded health insurance plan for residents with pre-existing conditions until 2014, when the people are supposed to be covered under the recently approved federal health care reform. Legislators are hoping to finish their work this week, but Quinn said they should take up this legislation before they leave town" (Byrne, 5/4).

The Oklahoman: The Oklahoma Senate Wednesday approved a ballot measure designed to block new federal legislation that would require individuals to have health insurance. The proposal approved by the Senate "would allow Oklahoma voters to decide if the state's constitution should forbid regulations that force people to buy health insurance. ... Sen. Dan Newberry, R-Tulsa, the author of the bill, said a change in the state constitution is an additional way to block the federal health care plan in Oklahoma." The measure now goes to the House for consideration (Bisbee, 5/6).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.