• Home
  • News
    • Business
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
    • Legislature
    • Politics / Govt
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • The Bill Pollock Show
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support

Missourinet

Your source for Missouri News and Sports

You are here: Home / Legislature / Republicans to file court challenge to health exchange ballot language

Republicans to file court challenge to health exchange ballot language

July 5, 2012 By Mike Lear

Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder doesn’t like Secretary of State Robin Carnahan’s ballot language for an issue related to the federal health care law, and he says he’s going to fight it in court.

Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder and Secretary of State Robin Carnahan

The issue would bar the Governor from creating a health insurance exchange as related to the Affordable Care Act unless lawmakers or voters give him that authority. Kinder says the summary Carnahan has released to describe that issue on the November ballot is misleading.

It reads: “Shall Missouri law be amended to deny individuals, families, and small businesses the ability to access affordable health care plans through a state-based health benefit exchange unless authorized by statute, initiative or referendum or through an exchange operated by the federal government as required by the federal health care act?

“No direct costs or savings for state and local governmental entities are expected from this proposal. Indirect costs or savings related to enforcement actions, missed federal funding, avoided implementation costs, and other issues are unknown.”

Kinder says, “To use the very active verb ‘deny’ individuals, families and small businesses the ability to access affordable healthcare plans is outrageously biased. On its face it’s biased. I have not talked to anyone who believes it’s fair.” He says the language is worded “as though the Obama White House had written the language to illicit from Missouri voters a negative result.”

Kinder says he’ll file a lawsuit challenging the wording, “if not Friday then early next week at the latest.” He adds that House Speaker Steven Tilley (R-Perryville) and Senate Majority Floor Leader Tom Dempsey (R-St. Charles) have already committed to joining that suit.

Kinder says he won’t use public money for the suit, adding he doesn’t anticipate any problems getting private dollars to back it.

Carnahan’s office, in a statement, says “This office has always followed our legal obligation to provide Missourians with fair and sufficient summaries of ballot initiatives, and this summary is no different.”

Secretary of State Spokesman Ryan Hobart adds, “we feel it confident it will hold up in court,” and points out the state legislature had an opportunity to write its own ballot language and did not.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Legislature, News, Politics / Govt Tagged With: Affordable Care Act, health care exchange, House Speaker Steven Tilley, Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, Senate Majority Leader Tom Dempsey

Subscribe to our daily newsletter


Tweets by Missourinet

Sports

Tilmon becoming a force in his senior season at Mizzou (PODCAST)

Thanks for … [Read More...]

Tigers build on fast start in win over South Carolina

Behind a … [Read More...]

In the old days, Mahomes would have been back out there against the Browns (PODCAST)

Thanks for … [Read More...]

New U.S. women’s soccer captain Sauerbrunn says she got her toughness from her older brothers

Becky … [Read More...]

State reps want St. Louis Cardinals to erect a slavery monument near Busch Stadium

St. … [Read More...]

More Sports

Tweets by missourisports

Archives

Opinion/Editorials

TwitterFacebook

Copyright © 2021 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC