KY lawmaker says state’s insurance exchange unconnected to ACA

When it comes to healthcare reform, the nation continues to be divided. With the open enrollment period come and gone, the success of some of the marketplaces showcases the benefits of the law, while the failures of these marketplaces has provided ammunition for those against the legislation. However, one lawmaker in Kentucky who is against the healthcare reform law recently said his state’s health insurance exchange wasn’t connected with the law.

Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is also the Senate Minority Leader, recently commented that when speaking about the Affordable Care Act, discussing the state’s successful exchange, called Kynect, wasn’t appropriate, The Associated Press reported. Overturning the law would spell the end of Kentucky’s successful state-run marketplace, which signed up more than 400,000 residents, according to the AP. When pressed about the fate of Kynect if the ACA were repealed, the senator said “I think that’s unconnected to my comments about the overall question,” the AP noted.

A spokeswoman for McConnell said that the state would have to determine whether it wanted to set up its own exchange if the ACA were repealed.

The senator is currently being challenged in his reelection race by Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes, a blog on The Hill reported.