Polemic Assignment progress continued

I. Rebuttal, Concession, Redirection

a. Cost

i. Concede the fact that costs will rise

ii. Increased cigarette tax

b. Compliance

i. Cigarette tax curbing cost à Won’t have to force people to pay more

ii. Compliance will remain the same

c. Limited market

i. Benefits of The Connector

ii. No authority to regulate insurance

Rebuttal, Concession, and Redirection

Cost and Compliance

It is true that health care costs will continue to rise but Massachusetts lawmakers have already devised a plan to solve this problem. To help pay for the larger-than-expected enrollment in the law’s subsidized insurance plans, lawmakers have decided to raise the state’s cigarette tax by a dollar. Steve LeBlanc, Associated Press Writer for the Boston Globe writes, “Lawmakers are hoping to close the gap in part with a new cigarette tax expected to generate about $154 million a year.”8 With the cigarette tax curbing the rising cost of health care, the state will not have to force people to pay more for their health insurance. Therefore, non-compliance will not be an issue due to cost. If costs remain the same or decrease, then compliance will most likely remain the same as it is now or even increase.

Limited Market

It is true that the Connector has a limited selection of insurance options but the benefits of the Connector outweigh the detriments tremendously. The Heritage Foundation, an advocate of the Massachusetts health law states, “Markets sometimes work more efficiently and effectively when there is a single place to facilitate diverse economic activity.”7 The Heritage Foundation also compares the Connector to the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program, which both exemplify the basic features of managed competition.7 With the Connector, consumers are able to choose from a limited menu of insurance plans where subsidies are structured so that consumers choosing more expensive plans have to bear the portion of the cost.7 Also, contrary to belief, the Connector has no authority to regulate insurance. Defenders of the Massachusetts law say that the Connector “must offer for sale any and all products that have been approved for sale by the state’s Division of Insurance.”7 Therefore, the Connector solely aids as a middleman to help citizens find affordable coverage. Through the Connector, thousands of Massachusetts citizens have become insured since the law was implemented.