Rep. Ron Nate - Dist. 34 - Legislative Update 1-25-18

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Idaho State Legislture

January 25, 2018

Rep. Ronald Nate - District 34

Idaho Healthcare Choices

Curing what Ails Idaho Health Insurance:
More Freedom, Less Design

   Yesterday I attended a presentation by the Department of Health and Welfare and the Department of Insurance.  The directors of these departments described the "Dual Waivers" idea of reforming Idaho's health insurance options.  They began by pointing to the problems of Idaho's health insurance: high costs of insurance, and not everyone is covered.  They claim their dual waivers proposal will reduce costs, cover more people, stabilize the insurance market, and improve health coverage.  Sound familiar?  If so, it's because it is exactly what Pres. Obama promised a few years ago with the Affordable Care Act. 

   The ACA replaced somewhat free markets and freedom with socialized medicine and it has failed miserably. Idaho policymakers were also duped into a broken-from-the-get-go system.  They created the Idaho health insurance exchange to lower costs and provide more coverage options.  Since then, we've only seen costs (both deductibles and premiums) soar, insurance providers leave the Idaho market, and fewer options for Idahoans. Every government health insurance program could be summed up as, "promises unrealized." 

   The dual waivers proposal is complicated and highly "engineered" to get to the promised results.  But, here are the main problems with the proposal: it would put more Idahoans on Medicaid (many who already have private coverage), it derives its outcomes by having healthy people pay even more to cover unhealthy people, and there is zero guarantee for health insurance companies to lower their rates (and our costs) when and if any savings are realized.  The plan is a complicated mess built on the hope there will be savings and rates will drop. 

   A famous economist once said, "The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design."  It is so true with health insurance policy.  Idaho government is full of policy engineers who imagine they can design great things. They create a program, make promises, realize failures, propose a new program, and repeat the cycle.  No policy maker or administrator has all the information nor understanding of complex economic systems involving millions of people to be able to make all the right decisions for everyone involved.  There are no bureaucratic gods in Idaho. The good news is, freedom doesn't require geniuses.  Let's try it.

 


Rep. Nate with Idaho III%

Some Bills of Interest

Electronic Public Notice

  It is expensive for taxpayers to pay for public notices. City and county governments, local highway districts, state agencies, and other government entities are required to publish public notices in local and regional newspapers. In the internet age, almost everyone has access to the internet either at home, work, on their devices, or even at public libraries. I am proposing a law to allow (not mandate) government agencies to post and archive public notices online rather than incur the expense of newspaper publication.  This option could save counties more than $600,000 and state agencies hundreds of thousands too.  Cities and other government entities could save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

Repeal Common Core - Education Freedom

   In 2017, Idaho Education rules were changed so the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) test is no longer a graduation requirement for Idaho high school students. It was a good start for restoring Idaho's education freedom.  

   This year I'm proposing two more changes to regain more of our state education autonomy.  The first is to remove the requirement for school districts to adopt Common Core curriculum or standards. Districts should have the freedom to choose alternative standards when the state adopts the questionable and problematic Common Core standards (and associated methods).  The second, is a proposal to fund Idaho education completely with state funds, accepting no federal help.  This makes it so the federal government cannot threaten education funding in order to get Idaho to adopt federal rules, mandates, or any unacceptable policies.  (The main reason Idaho implemented Common Core was because the US Department of Education said our funding would be at risk if we did not comply with the standards.)

Miscellaneous

   I'm also working on bills to allow and encourage public schools to teach gun safety to kids, to provide full disclosure on bond elections, to change the way we elect county commissioners, to allow family businesses to hire their own family below the minimum wage, repeal the grocery tax, reduce income taxes, and to make the Huckleberry Pie the official state dessert (it came from Mrs. Hargrave's 4th grade class in Iona). 

 



Madison High School Speech and Debate Team

Madison High School Speech and Debate Team

   It's always a pleasure to have visitors come to Boise from District 34.  This week, the Madison High School Speech and Debate Team stopped by the capitol while in Boise for a tournament.  We had a great time chatting in the House and Senate Chambers (above) about Idaho government and parliamentary procedure.  This team, led by their coach, Bruce Benson, is among the top in the state.  They are fantastic kids with a wonderful coach and I wish them well this debate season.  Go Bobcats!!

 


Growing Freedom - Get Involved!

   Please visit the Growing Freedom Idaho website to help all citizens be more involved with what is going on in the Idaho Legislature and how to effectively make their voices heard.  The site includes a Freedom Agenda of legislation brought to the legislature by citizens and is what liberty minded legislators are pursuing this session.

www.GrowingFreedomIdaho.com


Stay in Touch!

   As always my goals are to best represent District 34’s views and interests, keep my oath to protect and defend the U.S. and State Constitutions, restrain government influence, keep taxes low, and support legislation that is constitutional, economical, and moral.  I always appreciate feedback from voters and citizens.  As you probably know, citizen input is very important and influential.  When you and others contact legislators, they have the power and incentives to protect rights and keep their oaths.  Together, we can keep Idaho great and free.

 

   You and your friends can contact your legislators to make your views known by emailing or calling them.  To find your representatives’ and senators’ contact information you can click here for representatives, and here for senators. 

Please email me your questions and comments:  nater@house.idaho.gov