Mike Dennison reports:
Two Democratic state senators today said they’ll introduce a bill requiring public disclosure of which state lawmakers are signing up for publicly funded health insurance benefits.
“We shouldn’t be keeping secrets here,” said Sen. Kendall Van Dyk, D-Billings.
Van Dyk and Sen. Anders Blewett, D-Great Falls, said the bill they’ll co-sponsor will require disclosure of the names of all legislators who choose to be covered by the state employees’ health plan or accept state subsidies to cover the out-of-pocket costs for their own private health insurance.
“It’s one thing to oppose health-care reform and to obtain private health insurance on your own dime, but too many lawmakers are calling for repeal while enjoying government health-care benefits and doing it behind closed doors,” Blewett said.
Read more in the Billings Gazette.