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STUDIES
 Medical Savings Accounts Study Straightforward and simple as MSAs are, there is strong opposition to MSA-catastrophic insurance programs. Nearly all of the opposition comes from vested interests with ill-founded and incomplete arguments. However, responding to public demand, and in spite of opposition, eight states (as of February 1995) have enacted specific MSA legislation. The U.S. Congress and several other state legislatures are considering enabling legislation, including favorable tax treatment. As a part of the public debate several policy studies have been generated. These studies and arguments require review and commentary because they report similar assumptions observations and concerns. They also share commonly held objections to MSA programs. Descriptions of some arguments can be found in the Appendix. "The program is reputed to enjoy reasonable success, especially in a community described as having high unemployment and a low wage base."
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1 Part Honesty; 2 Parts Arrogance At a March 23, 2005, House Appropriations hearing on a bill to gut the voter-approved I-601 spending limit, Rep. Jim McIntire (D) asked a supporter of I-601’s two-third supermajority requirement for the legislature to raise taxes the following question: "Can you name a time when we [legislators] have actually not just set it [supermajority requirement] aside by majority vote? I mean, this is in many respects a procedural motion that has no bearing. It’s a statutory constraint that cannot constrain any legislature that chooses as a majority to set it aside . . . have we ever used a supermajority [to raise taxes]?" - Rep. Jim McIntire (D - 46) Despite the arrogance of some state officials, Washington's constitution is clear: "All political power is inherent in the people..." |
