Health Insurance Forum

Group calls on Idaho to drop health care reform lawsuit

by mahir on 27/04/10 at 6:49 am

by Kim Fields - A group of small business owners is calling on the state to drop the lawsuit over health care reform passed by Congress.   About a half dozen people went to the Idaho Capitol Tuesday morning to hand deliver a letter to Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden.Nancy Snodgrass with Idaho Main Street Alliance is spearheading the movement.  She says 10 people and 30 small businesses throughout Idaho have signed the letter. We oppose a very costly legal action that takes resources away from Idaho that we don’t have,” said Snodgrass.

Michaile Metro is one of the 30 small business owners who signed and hand delivered the letter to Wasden.I decided instead of complaining that I’d do something about it, said Metro.Metro owns Metropolis Hair Salon in Boise.  She says as a small business owner she pays at least 18 percent more for health insurance than big corporations.I’m just a normal working small business owner and the health insurance rates they’ve doubled since 2004 and my deductible is more than $5,000 a month,” said Metro.

Metro supports the health care reform bill because it will end insurance discrimination.  The new bill protects small business from arbitrary and unreasonable rate hikes.It’s not like we don’t want to pay.  We do want to pay, but it’s not even affordable, attainable,” said Metro.Part of the group’s letter reads: “The cost of mounting a lawsuit will be very expensive and will ultimately be a waste of taxpayer money because the legal theory supporting it will not convince the Court that the Act is unconstitutional.”

Metro says she’s also concerned the lawsuit will deny her the affordable health care promised under the new bill — health care she and others in hair salon desperately need.
I just hope they come to the realization that there’s other people in Idaho who want it,” said Metro.The group says the money spent on the lawsuit could be better spent on schools and other state agencies that have had their budgets cut this legislative session.

Wasden did not immediately respond to the letter.  He was not in his office at the time.
As for the status of the lawsuit, Idaho and the 12 other states named are still waiting for the federal government to formally respond to it.