File Under: That is what we should have had in the first place

Maine lawmakers are attempting to do something smart. I hear your collective gasps of surprise and sympathize. As many of you know who live in Maine, the Dirigo health plan has been a glorious failure. I have attributed this to not following the plan created in the 90s to fix the horrible Worker's Comp situation. The beauty of that self-insured plan, it allows the state to call "bull shit" if an insurer's whining about cost increases gets out of hand.

I believe this concept would apply well to health insurance. As to those Senators worried about free enterprise being stifled. To this I say "Bah" for we (my company) currently use a private insurer for our worker's comp not the state run plan. Also, health insurance companies are big spenders in the lobbying arena. If they can spend it there, then they can trim it from their budget and undercut the state, like any other competitor. More importantly, you don't get to whine about profits when lives are on the line.