I was complaining to a friend, as is my wont, about Steve Daines, Montana’s media-shy representative in the U.S. Senate. (more…) Continue Reading →
Daines a shy flower in healthcare debate
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Obamacare
Recent Posts
Prairie Lights: In accident’s wake, reflections on luck, fate
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Like most people who write for a living, I sometimes resort to the use of clichéd expressions. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to make use of “deer in the headlights” again. The idiom will always remind me unpleasantly of the actual experience of having a deer directly in my headlights and then crumpling the hood of my car and causing both airbags to deploy. (more…) Continue Reading →
Filed under: Prairie Lights, insurance, Obamacare, Subaru Forester
Sailing on the good, but sinking, ship ‘Healthcare’
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Nothing summarizes the emptiness of Montana’s special election for the U.S. House better than the candidates’ stances on what may be the second-most important issue to come before Congress in the next two years: healthcare. Those 30-second TV ads leave little time to flesh out plans for reforming healthcare. But the candidates’ websites, with virtually unlimited and cheap space, aren’t much better. (more…) Continue Reading →
Filed under: Opinion, Donald Trump, Greg Gianforte, Mark Wicks, Obamacare, Rob Quist
Montana Viewpoint: Rename it Trumpcare and call it good
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Well, the dust has settled and Obamacare is still the law of the land, proving two things; talk is cheap and political talk is even cheaper. I have never understood why universal health insurance, which was first introduced to the world by Germany in 1883, was so unpopular with so many Americans. (more…) Continue Reading →
Filed under: Opinion, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Obamacare, President Nixon
Politics gets its hand in your genes
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Idly trolling for news about the Republicans’ healthcare plan, I ran across a health insurance story that raised my conservative hackles. Or was it my liberal hackles? These days, it’s hard to tell. (more…) Continue Reading →
Filed under: Opinion, Democrat, HR 1313, Obamacare, Republican
Only thing worse than Obamacare is … what?
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The most important issue before Montana legislators this session isn’t really even on the agenda. And it’s not their fault.
The fate of health insurance for millions of Americans, and for tens of thousands of Montanans, rests in the hands of a Congress dominated by Republicans, who have vowed to repeal the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, as one of their first items of business when Donald Trump takes over as president. The GOP also has vowed to replace Obamacare, but that could take years. In the meantime, uncertainty could damage or even destroy insurance companies, and millions of people could lose insurance. This has left Montana lawmakers in a quandary. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Opinion, Affordable Care Act, Austin Knudsen, Obamacare, Scott Sales, Steve Bullock
Tester seeks input on Obamacare
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Has the Affordable Care Act made your life better? If so, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., wants to know. Tester has set up a website to gather input from Montanans about what the ACA, better known as Obamacare, has done for them. The goal is to thwart plans by Republicans to repeal the law once Donald Trump takes office as president. “I know our healthcare system isn’t perfect,” Tester said in a news release. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Last Best Blog, Affordable Care Act, Jon Tester, Obamacare, Ryan Zinke, Steve Daines
Montana Viewpoint: Thoughts for the coming Legislature
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The Montana Legislature will convene in a few days to conduct the business of the citizens of Montana. Legislators have some serious work to do, little time to do it, and less time to think about how their actions will affect their employers. Here are some issues they might want to think about as they begin the session: (more…) Continue Reading →
Filed under: Opinion, infrastructure, Montana Legislature, Obamacare
Obamacare update: the good, bad and ugly
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I got a “Dear David” email from U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., on Friday that began, “I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news … .”
Actually, it sounded like he was delighted to be the bearer of bad news. Proposed healthcare premiums under Obamacare are soaring next year, the email said, proving once again that “Obamacare is failing Montanans,” and allowing him to echo what has been a Republican mantra ever since the bill passed. Unfortunately, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., wasn’t much more helpful. In a statement on Friday, he said, “It is outrageous that a major corporation is trying to raise insurance rates on Montanans as they hand out lavish bonuses to their executives.”
Neither senator wastes the precious time of his constituents by delving into the actual facts. A quick check of the website of the state insurance commissioner, Monica Lindeen, bore out the bad news. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Last Best Blog, Affordable Care Act, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Jon Tester, Monica Lindeen, Obamacare, Steve Daines
David Crisp: Warning—This column contains alleged facts
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An alert reader sent along a message he got from U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont. “I just thought this might need an editorial reply,” the reader wrote. Agreed. In the message, Daines happily reported that the Senate had just voted to repeal Obamacare. Not until the eighth paragraph did he mention that President Obama still has to sign the bill, which nobody expects to happen. Continue Reading →
