Texas Bill Would Identify Those With Obamacare Subsidies

[RandySF]

House Bill 1514, which would add a special label to the health insurance cards of people receiving financial assistance under the Affordable Care Act, tentatively passed the Texas House on Friday afternoon.

After Democrats unsuccessfully sought to derail the bill — authored by J. D. Sheffield, R-Gatesville — the bill cleared the House with a 90-46 vote. It now heads to the Senate.

Roughly a million Texans with government-subsidized health coverage could see a new label on their health insurance cards, and critics say the designation is akin to a “scarlet letter.”

But instead of Hester Prynne’s infamous “A,” insurance cards for Texans with coverage under the federal Affordable Care Act would bear the letter “S,” for subsidy.



https://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/08/lawmakers-consider-health-plan-scarlet-letter-bill/

[Coventina]

1. Do they have a REASON for this? Or is it literally only about shame?

Good thing that things in TX are apparently so hunky-dory that their biggest problem is trying to shame the poor.



on edit: clarity

[RandySF]

2. I wish the rumors about Jade Helm are true when I see something like this.

[Coventina]

3. Is it wrong that your response made me laugh?

[Thinkingabout]

4. Or the S may stand for Stupid Statesmen.

[dsc]

5. that just might bite them on the ass

It is one thing for doctors to know there is a general increase the number of insured thanks to Obama care but quite different to have the numbers pointed out to their billing department each and every time one of them comes in for a service. They might gin up an immense amount of support among doctors for Obama care.

[hollysmom]

6. If I lived in Texas, I would want my state reps drug tested before they could pick up their checks.

or better yet, vote.

[MohRokTah]

7. Violation of the 14th Amendment.

Equal protection under the law.

This singles out a class or poor people for special scrutiny and thus fails the test of equal protection.