Is Your Health Care Better Now?- A Letter to the Editor

It has been just over six years since President Obama signed his sweeping health care legislation into law, subjecting every American to federal mandates. How is it working out? Are your insurance premiums lower? Are your deductibles lower? Is it easier to get an appointment to see a physician? Were you able to keep your same physician?

The legislation was passed in such a fashion as to strain the boundaries of the Constitution so severely that the Supreme Court had to decide if several of its components were legal, including whether the costs to implement the legislation were considered “taxes” or just “fees.”

Call them whatever you want, the American people and the people of Montana have been paying dramatically more for health insurance ever since the passage of Obamacare. Last week, the Montana Auditor’s Office (review online at CSIMT.gov) released the new rate requests from insurance companies, and rates are increasing yet again. The proposed rate increases range from a whopping 20% to an unbelievably high 108%. In simple terms, that means your already-high insurance premium could be twice as high next year.

While the Auditor’s Office does not set rates, they do set policy; that policy affects price. The current Auditor’s Office has been staunch advocates of President Obama’s nationalized health care agenda which has been a disaster for the people of Montana. The Auditor’s Office has refused to support options such as primary care provider agreements, health care sharing ministries, and increased competition across state lines for insurance. I have worked tirelessly in an attempt to pass many of these reforms while serving as Majority Leader in the Montana Senate. I believe that providing options—not mandates—is the best way to reduce costs and improve the quality of our health care.

Meanwhile, insurance companies are guaranteed a profit and their executives are receiving huge bonuses. Who is really looking out for you?

Montana will not see any meaningful change in the cost and delivery of health care as long as the same people continue to play musical chairs in the offices that are charged with watching over it.

Senate Majority Leader

Matt Rosendale

Glendive, MT