Posted By: Ashley Harding
aharding@klkntv.com
The Affordable Care Act continues to draw much debate here in Nebraska... While some say it's too costly for our state, others disagree.
"They're spending the tax dollars of Nebraskans to fight this bill when it would benefit hundreds of thousands of people," says supporter Cathy Lohmeier.
But others are saying, where do we go from here? To help answer that, state lawmakers and insurance officials met to discuss an insurance exchange program which is designed to help people choose a suitable coverage plan.
Officials say there's a November 16th deadline to decide if the exchange will be run by the state or the federal government. They also said that decision could be left to Governor Heineman.
One lawmaker questioned whether or not the governor has that power. They say if not, a special session would need to be called.
"I would probably know a little bit about that and that has never been brought to me nor have I asked about that, on my part," says Omaha Senator Rich Pahls.
Also at the hearing, officials say more research needs to be done to move forward with the medicaid expansion. That's a measure Governor Heineman has said he plans to reject. Some supporters hope it doesn't turn into a lost cause.
"I'm hopeful because it's really the right thing to do. Not only from a human perspective but it really is the right thing to do if we're interested at all in solving the issue of the uninsured in our state," says Jennifer Carter with Nebraska Appleseed.
Officials say the next step from here will be to learn more about medicaid expansion and try to get some of their questions answered.
