Calif. legislator seeks to move all state lawmakers to marketplace; Virginia utility says it will drop coverage for employees because of tax

Republican Assemblyman Brian Nestande doesn't like the health law but says state legislators should have to live with it. Meanwhile Gov. Jerry Brown signs a bill easing secrecy around the state agency overseeing the health law. In Virginia, Fairfax's water authority says taxes on generous health plans will cause it to drop coverage for workers.

Los Angeles Times: Assemblyman Wants Lawmakers To Enroll In Health Insurance Exchange
Assemblyman Brian Nestande is no fan of Obamacare, but he's pushing a proposal to require all state lawmakers to get their benefits through the newly launched healthcare exchanges. The Palm Desert Republican said he'll be introducing a bill that would require lawmakers who want to get health benefits offered by the Legislature to enroll through Covered California, the state's healthcare exchange (Mason, 10/2).

The Washington Post: Fairfax Utility: Obamacare Will Likely Lead To Dropped Coverage
The Fairfax County Water Authority said that it will likely drop insurance coverage for its nearly 400 employees if taxes on generous health-care plans take effect as planned in 2018 under the federal Affordable Care Act. The public utility, a quasi-governmental entity that provides water to 1.7 million Northern Virginians, said that the tax would eventually cost it millions of dollars a year (Vozzella, 10/2).

The Associated Press: Calif. Eases Secrecy Rules Around Health Contracts
Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Tuesday stripping broad secrecy provisions from the state agency overseeing health care reform in California that gave it the power to shield from the public how hundreds of millions of dollars are spent. The Democratic governor signed the bill on the same day online insurance marketplaces that are at the heart of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul went into business around the country (Blood, 10/2).