Politico has run my letter to the editor regarding their article on states refusing to create ObamaCare’s health insurance Exchanges:
“Right winning war on state health-insurance exchanges,” (POLITICO, Apr. 18) is false or misleading on several points.
It mislabels me a conservative and the Cato Institute a “national conservative organization,” when both are libertarian. Cato scholars and supporters advocate reducing military spending, and legalizing drugs, gambling, and gay marriage.
It states that Cato receives funding from “the Koch brothers” — who apparently lack first names. This claim is false. Cato now receives no funding from Charles or David Koch, and may never again.
The Kochs’ past contributions to Cato have no bearing on this article — aside from the potential (and false) implication that the Kochs and Cato have a financial interest in persuading states not to create Obamacare exchanges.
The article also quotes a Leavitt Partners employee who criticizes Cato’s position as reckless. Yet the article fails to mention that Leavitt does have a direct financial interest in creating exchanges: Politico has reported that Leavitt can’t hire staff fast enough for all the exchange contracts it is getting from state governments.
Finally, the article states “most legal experts” think the Obama administration may offer health insurance tax credits and subsidies through exchanges created by the federal government, despite a lack of statutory authority. The article does not provide – and despite multiple requests, its authors have not furnished – any support for their claim of consensus.
Other than that, it really was a good article.
