Senate Roll Call 725

Legislation watch

2012 Senate Bill 1293: Repeal BCBS tax exemption; regulate like regular health insurer (Senate Roll Call 725)

Passed 33 to 4 in the Senate on October 17, 2012, to convert Blue Cross Blue Shield into a “nonprofit mutual insurance company” (technically "owned" by the policy holders), make it subject to the same regulations as regular health insurers, and no longer exempt BCBS from state and local taxes. The bill requires BCBS to spend $1.5 billion in accumulated reserves over 18 years to augment government health welfare programs.
View All of Senate Bill 1293: History, Amendments & Comments

The vote was 33 in favor, 4 against, and 1 not voting.
(Senate Roll Call 725)

Comment on this vote View others' comments Add to scorecard

Line

Vote

In Favor

Against

Not Voting

Undecided

Democrat

	91%
	8%
	0%

12 total votes

Republican

	84%
	11%
	3%

26 total votes

Line

Repeal BCBS tax exemption; regulate like regular health insurer

IN FAVOR

SENATE DEMOCRATS

Anderson (D)	Bieda (D)	Gleason (D)	Gregory (D)	Hood (D)
Hopgood (D)	Johnson (D)	Smith (D)	Warren (D)	Whitmer (D)
Young (D)

SENATE REPUBLICANS

Booher (R)	Brandenburg (R)	Casperson (R)	Emmons (R)	Hansen (R)
Hildenbrand (R)	Hune (R)	Jones (R)	Kahn (R)	Kowall (R)
Marleau (R)	Meekhof (R)	Moolenaar (R)	Nofs (R)	Pappageorge (R)
Pavlov (R)	Proos (R)	Richardville (R)	Robertson (R)	Rocca (R)
Schuitmaker (R)	Walker (R)

AGAINST

SENATE DEMOCRATS

Hunter (D)

SENATE REPUBLICANS

Caswell (R)

Colbeck (R)

Jansen (R)

SENATE LEGISLATORS WHO DID NOT VOTE

Green (R)

SENATE LEGISLATORS ALL VOTES

Y Anderson (D)	Y Bieda (D)	Y Booher (R)	Y Brandenburg (R)	Y Casperson (R)
n Caswell (R)	n Colbeck (R)	Y Emmons (R)	Y Gleason (D)	- Green (R)
Y Gregory (D)	Y Hansen (R)	Y Hildenbrand (R)	Y Hood (D)	Y Hopgood (D)
Y Hune (R)	n Hunter (D)	n Jansen (R)	Y Johnson (D)	Y Jones (R)
Y Kahn (R)	Y Kowall (R)	Y Marleau (R)	Y Meekhof (R)	Y Moolenaar (R)
Y Nofs (R)	Y Pappageorge (R)	Y Pavlov (R)	Y Proos (R)	Y Richardville (R)
Y Robertson (R)	Y Rocca (R)	Y Schuitmaker (R)	Y Smith (D)	Y Walker (R)
Y Warren (D)	Y Whitmer (D)	Y Young (D)

Senate Roll Call 725 on 2012 Senate Bill 1293

Line

Comments

Re: 2012 Senate Bill 1293 (Repeal BCBS tax exemption; regulate like regular health insurer) by gregtt on November 21, 2012
Well if the Blue Cross behaves like a commercial provider, it should be taxed all like commercial providers. But according to a report I read by John Studzinski, only two of the five companies provided examples of similar cases. Blue Cross-Blue Shield said it had had no opportunity to examine the cases and added that the commercial insurers were not identified.

Re: 2012 Senate Bill 1293 (Repeal BCBS tax exemption; regulate like regular health insurer) by isabelleelise on November 13, 2012

This is wealth confiscation for a Governor slush fund. Communism. Why doesn't the state just take the whole company right now? You know that's the end game here. Nothing will get better until the free market is restored across the board in the health care industry. It's the only way. We are so far from it now though... it's so horrible. Where are the free market thinkers? Not in Lansing.

2012 Senate Bill 1293 (Repeal BCBS tax exemption; regulate like regular health insurer) by admin on November 13, 2012
Introduced in the Senate on September 19, 2012, to convert Blue Cross Blue Shield into a “nonprofit mutual insurance company” (technically "owned" by the policy holders), make it subject to the same regulations as regular health insurers, and no longer exempt BCBS from state and local taxes. The bill requires BCBS to spend $1.5 billion in accumulated reserves over 18 years to augment government health welfare programs

The vote was 33 in favor, 4 opposed and 1 not voting

(Senate Roll Call 725 at Senate Journal 0)

Click here to view bill details.

View pre-2013 Comments.
Your new comments should be made in the box below.