Funny. I wouldn't have thought that establishing an expensive entitlement like a high-risk pool was a particularly Conservative act.
Well, it's not an "entitlement", that would be MediCaid, which is medical-welfare. But rather, a High Risk Pool Association is a insurance-like financial structure, that can be completely sustained by private funding once established by the state. HRP patients should be paying a premium just like anyone else.
Done properly, it's not even expensive, however, just like an insurer, a lot of money will flow through it.
The reality is, that there will be relatively few patients in the HRP at a time.
Actually it IS a "conservative act" in that it's in the best interest of the insured community AND the carriers, by keeping premiums/claims low, and enrollment high. Most of the HRP states were Red states.
Of course everything I said above could be all mucked up since it is now in the hands of Congress, but MS, NH and many other states managed to get it right.