Assemblyman Brian Nestande
Republican Assemblyman Brian Nestande has announced that he is introducing legislation when the State Assembly reconvenes in January that will mandate that if the 120 members of the California legislature want to continue to enjoy taxpayer funded healthcare insurance that they all must enroll in the plans offered under the Obamacare health insurance exchange. This is a great bill and at a minimum I would hope that it would have 36 co-sponsors out the chute — Nestande’s Republican colleagues.
I have yet to hear one Democrat in the California legislature call for a repeal of Obamacare — and to play off the colloquial expression, what’s good for the gander ought to be good for the goose.
In announcing his intention to author this legislation, Nestande said, ““As legislators, we are responsible for implementing the guidelines under the Affordable Care Act. If the laws that we pass are good enough for our citizens and businesses, they should be good enough for us as elected officials. If we truly want to understand how the ACA is working and being implemented, there is no better way than to enroll in the Exchange along with the people who elected us and share in the same benefits program.”
Nestande is absolutely correct. The introduction of this legislation will set up a mirror discussion to one taking place in Washington, D.C., right now. There has been a lot of controversy that Members of Congress and their staff do not have to participate in the Obamacare program. If the Democrats who control super-majorities in the California legislature reject Nestande’s bill to require them all to enter the Obamacare healthcare exchange that will send quite a message to the public — “Let them eat cake!”