By Georgia Senator Judson Hill
Once again, Jay Bookman skews the facts of legislation to suit his own liberal tendencies (editorial on Sept. 11 –“GOP once embraced what it now condemns”). My proposed Constitutional Amendment does not prevent Georgians from having health care choices. The Constitutional Amendment will preserve and protect the rights of individuals to make their own health care and health insurance choices, whatever their choice may be. This is needed because threats of single–payer health care or an individual/employer mandate are not unique to Washington, DC. Fourteen states have introduced legislation calling for single-payer or a form of government payer health care. The Health Care Freedom of Choice Constitutional Amendment ensures this will never be the case in Georgia.
We believe the states are better equipped to reform health care. So, what role should Washington play? Congress should create an environment in which the free market can flourish. Congress should remove regulatory and legal barriers that restrict states from creating more competitive insurance markets. The taxing of individual insurance should be eliminated so everyone can save money and buy insurance with before tax dollars. Currently, only employer sponsored plans are able to utilize the before tax option. In addition, the federal government can act as a back-up or safety net for those who need more assistance such as participants in Medicare, Medicaid and PeachCare. Otherwise, let the States handle reform.
Bookman has chosen to attack a bill that never came out of committee three years ago. Several years ago a few states were considering offering a health insurance marketplace where individuals and businesses would be allowed to review and purchase health insurance. This was proposed as a potential mechanism to offer portability of insurance and avoid denials for pre-existing conditions when you changed jobs. After Massachusetts’ experiment with a version of the exchange concept many states, including Georgia, looked to other free market solutions. We don’t support individual or government mandates but rather freedom to choose both a health care provider and insurance plan that you want, and thus propose a Constitutional Amendment to preserve those freedoms.
Let’s clear up the issue of a health insurance exchange. There is a HUGE difference between a voluntary state-based exchange and a national health insurance exchange. For one, states (not the federal government) are the primary regulators of health insurance. It is within the regulatory authority of states for states to set up an insurance exchange or marketplace. It is absolutely out of bounds for the federal government to do so. Second, the national health insurance exchange, combined with the public plan, is a lethal combination. It creates a scenario where the government simultaneously plays regulator and competitor. This is like going to a football game and the referee owning one of the teams. Senate Bill 28 did not set up such a scenario. The Bill merely allowed private companies to come together in a common marketplace to sell insurance products; no government option was involved. It did not change the rules of the game in order to win, which is what the national health insurance exchange and the public plan could do.
If Bookman would spend more time focusing on what Georgians really want and less time on legislation that never even came out of committee, then he may realize that Georgians want the freedom to choose their healthcare providers, and they want to be protected against some government bureaucrat deciding what’s best for them and their families. If we begin with this concept then healthcare reform can truly offer more affordable, high quality accessible coverage for every Georgian.
Sen. Judson Hill serves as Chairman of Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee, the Republican Caucus Vice Chairman and the Chairman of the Georgia Senate Health care Reform Committee. He represents the 32nd Senate District which includes portions of Cobb and Fulton counties. He may be reached by phone at 404.656.0150 or by e-mail at judson.hill@senate.ga.gov.
COLUMN
For Immediate Release:
September 14, 2009
For Information Contact:
Raegan Weber, Director
raegan.weber@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028