It’s “gut and amend” season in the California Legislature. More like shuck and jive and obfuscate. Last week, I received information that another bill had been gutted of its original intent, and new language added to greatly benefit labor unions. By the end of the day, two additional bills were uncovered that had also been grossly amended on behalf of labor unions.

In a recent article, I reported and discussed the lackluster - basically non-existent - results of the Utah Health Exchange. As a critic has pointed out, I used to be much more accomodating of the Utah exchange. However, Utah's experience demonstrates why unsubsidized exchanges are unlikely to attract significant numbers of beneficiaries from the small-group market.

Last year a Los Angeles Times investigation revealed that California welfare “clients” were using their Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards to spend millions at Las Vegas casinos and on cruise ships to hardship destinations such as Rio de Janeiro. Working Californians will be interested to know what the state did to counter this fraud, and abuse of welfare in general.

The Utah Health Exchange is the model some conservatives believe can be used to push back against Obamacare.  Witness the Wall Street Journal (July 16) soundly rejecting regulatory guidance on what the Administration is now calling “Affordable Insurance Exchanges,” but encouraging governors to get on the exchange bandwagon, in the hope they can build free-market exchanges that will blunt Obamacare’s worst effects. 

In June, several California legislators complained about having their pay cut by state Controller John Chiang because the budget they submitted by the June 15 constitutional deadline - the only deadline they seem to care about - was unbalanced. This latest budget drama shows why California needs a part-time legislature.