Oregon NFIB member Poll Puts Finger on the Pulse of the Problem With ObamaCare
By Oregon NFIB,
SALEM, Ore., March 7, 2011—They are both the engine of all economies and also the people at the center of the health-care debate in America, and their responses to one of the questions in a poll released today by their leading representative association show them deeply uncertain and extremely suspect over one particular element of ObamaCare that the Oregon Legislature is now having to grapple with…
The narrowest margin of difference came on the question: Should Oregon establish its own health insurance exchange instead of deferring to the federal government? Only 36 percent of NFIB-member, small-business owners voted ‘Yes,’ 35 percent said ‘No,’ and 29 percent were undecided.
Unless repealed, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (popularly called ObamaCare) will require every American not dependent on government health plans like Medicaid or Medicare, or those with employer-paid benefits, to purchase health insurance either through the marketplace or a state-based exchange as of January 2014. The exchange, administered by a government agency or nonprofit organization, is a mechanism through which individuals and small businesses with up to 50 employees (100 at state discretion) can purchase “qualified” coverage, as defined by the federal government. But there is no penalty to states for failure to act. If a state does not create an exchange, the federal government will provide a default exchange to be designed by HHS.
“Simply put, we are fighting to have the entire Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act tossed out as unconstitutional,” said Jan Meekcoms, Oregon state director for NFIB. “In the meantime, states are still obligated to abide by the exchange component and make their decision. I think the results from this ballot question reflect a historically justified uncertainty on the part of small-business owners over the ability of governments, federal or state, to design and run anything this huge and have it truly work as intended for people.”
In other results from the poll:
– Should the Legislature prohibit workers’ compensation funds from being used to balance the state budget? Yes, 82 percent; No, 16 percent; Undecided, 2 percent
– Should Oregon impose penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants? Yes, 66 percent; No, 22 percent; Undecided, 12 percent
– Should legislation be enacted to amend the medical marijuana law in Oregon to more specifically address the rules and regulations within the workplace? Yes, 64 percent; No, 24 percent; Undecided, 12
– Do you support legislation that provides tax incentives to businesses and public monies for loans or grants to businesses to promote economic development and job growth? Yes, 51 percent
Disclaimer: Articles featured on Oregon Report are the creation, responsibility and opinion of the authoring individual or organization which is featured at the top of every article.