Brummett: On Health Care And A Federal Government Shutdown

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette political columnist John Brummett said the forthcoming health care exchange in Arkansas is likely to create temporary chaos, but he warned that a greater political disruption would occur for Republicans if the federal government shuts down.

Appearing on this week’s Talk Business program, Brummett said the health insurance exchange that launches on Tuesday, Oct. 1 is going to have its fair share of problems.

“It’s going to be an administrative nightmare. Things are going to go wrong, people are not going to know what to do. The politicians are going to exploit the uncertainty,” Brummett said. “Everything requires two or three paragraphs just to get started.”

That said, Brummett contended that the insurance rates that were revealed last Monday were surprisingly reasonable and will temporarily assuage some heated political rhetoric.

“But for the moment, I think the rates that were announced this week have sort of lessened the vitriol,” he said.

A looming federal government shutdown has positioned the GOP-led House and the Democratic-controlled Senate and White House into a game of political brinksmanship. Republicans in the House sought to defund and now delay the federal health care law.

Brummett thinks a shutdown will work against Republicans and could impact the U.S. Senate race between Sen. Mark Pryor (D) and Cong. Tom Cotton (R).

“Each side is working hard to make sure it’s the other side that gets the political disadvantage. You asked me, so I’ll tell you. If the government shuts down the blame will accrue to the Republicans. It simply will. All the polls show that. It will be true that the President could have made some concession and avoided the shutdown, if it happens, but that concession would have required him to have abandoned his centerpiece policy without a vote to repeal it,” Brummett said.

“The Republicans have only the House. They don’t have the Senate. They don’t have the White House. They’re not in a position to do anything other than obstruct and I think the people get that. I think if we shut down, and then if worse than that we default on debt, it is a political implosion for the Republicans,” he added.

Watch his full interview below.