(NECN: Brian Burnell, Hartford, Conn.) - Friday’s vote in the House funding the federal government but de-funding health care reform is nothing more than obstructionism on the part of a conservative fringe, according to CT Sen. Richard Blumenthal.
"My hope is that we'll have a bi-partisan coalition of common sense rejecting and ideological extremist fringe in the House of Representatives that has chosen not simply to make a statement but hold hostage job creation and economic growth,” Blumenthal commented.
All of this talk about de-funding healthcare reform is just that- talk. It's not going to happen, but it does create confusion, which people at the state's healthcare insurance exchange have to somehow cut through.
The exchange is up and running, ready to guide people through their health insurance choices. However, the first job may be making sure people know the truth.
"Every time there's a change, people think the law's either being deferred, repealed, deleted, something’s happening. If you look at the data, the polls, 12-percent of the population think the law's already been repealed,” said Kevin Counihan is CEO of Access Health Conn.
It hasn't. Counihan expects health care reform to follow a similar path other big government programs of the past.
"It took about 10 years for Social Security, which started in 1965, to actually stabilize. It took 3 years for Medicare Part B in 2006 to stabilize,” Counihan shared.
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He says October 1, 2013 is day 1 of a 3-year implementation of healthcare reform.
