Texas AG Will Fight For Insurance Companies

It is an unassailable fact that Texas will benefit from the health care reform passed by Democrats as much, if not much more, than any other state. That's because Texas is a low-wage "right to work" state where many employers, especially small businesses, do not provide employer-paid health insurance for their employees. In fact, more than 25% of Texas citizens do not have any health insurance coverage.

Sunday night, Democrats acted to fix that problem. Thanks to the new health care reform bill, now many Texans who could not get insurance because of pre-existing conditions will now be able to get health insurance. Many more poor people will be able to get insurance through Medicaid (and it won't cost Texas a single penny until 2018, when it'll have to start kicking in 10% of the cost).

The millions who couldn't buy insurance because their wages were too low will now get government help to purchase insurance. And of course, small businesses will get monetary help from the government to provide insurance for their employees. Texans may not realize it yet, but the new health care reform will be a very good thing for the citizens and small businesses in the state.

In fact, there are only a couple of groups that will be negatively affected by the new bill, and they can easily afford it. The rich will have to pay a small tax on their "cadillac" insurance policies (and the cut-off is high enough that middle and working class workers will not be affected), and the insurance companies may have to survive with smaller than windfall profits (since they will have to cover pre-existing conditions and can't drop someone's insurance when they get a serious illness).

One would think that our state's leaders would appreciate the fact that most Texans will be able to get insurance, and it will be at minimal cost to the state government. But that is not how our Republican state leadership thinks. They have always favored the rich and corporate interests over ordinary citizens and small businesses, and they plan to go on doing that -- regardless of how many Texans will be helped by the new bill.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott (pictured) has announced that he will file suit against the federal government the minute President Obama signs the new health care reform bill into law. He said, "To protect all Texans' constitutional rights, preserve the constitutional framework intended by our nation's founders, and defend our state from further infringement by the federal government, the state of Texas and other states will legally challenge the federal health care legislation."

What a horses' ass! He is either being disingenuous or he's the stupidest lawyer in the state of Texas. There is nothing unconstitutional about the health care reform bill. Congress had both the right and the authority to do exactly what they have done. I believe the courts will quickly dispose of this lawsuit, and I seriously doubt the Supreme Court (as conservative as they are) will overturn them.

But there is an election coming up in November, and I'm sure that's why the AG is filing the lawsuit. He needs the right-wingers (and there are many in Texas) to turn out in force to vote for him, because he has an intelligent and very able Democratic opponent named Barbara Radnofsky who is fighting to take his job.

In other words, he is willing to spend a huge amount of state money fighting a lawsuit he can't win for purely political purposes. And this is in a state that already knows it will have an $8-$11 billion shortfall in the next biennium. I can think of no better reason to vote against this fool next November!

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By the way, only one Texas Democrat voted against health care reform -- Chet Edwards in House District 17. This blue dog doesn't deserve the support of Democrats in November.