Health Insurance Bills: One Good, One Very Bad
Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, February 15, 2013 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler
Good morning, Jim. Today’ subject is health insurance bills, one good and one bad. The good bill is S.B. 1 introduced by Senator William Ligon January 17th to fix the situation if one parent tries to deny the other parent access to medical information about their children. If this bill passes, regardless of the custodial status of the parents, both would have equal access to their children’s health insurance records and could freely inspect, review and get copies. Call the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee at 404 656-7580* and ask for S.B 1 to pass out of committee.
Private health insurance is a very good thing to have, but federally mandated health insurance is NOT a good thing and is unconstitutional, regardless of the Supreme Court decision. That brings me to the very bad bill I mentioned. It’s H.B. 46, introduced January 15th by Senator Nan Orrock to establish Obamacare in Georgia. It would create two federally controlled insurance programs to put Georgia into the socialized health insurance business under federal law.S.B. 46 requires Governor Deal to appoint a committee of nine-members, plus three ex-officios to run a new Health Insurance Marketplace Authority and implement Obamacare in Georgia. The Authority would operate OUTSIDE Georgia’s Administrative Procedures Act but would, strictly, follow federal health insurance guidelines, rules, regulations, policies, and mandates. The Authority could elect, appoint or hire officers, employees and agents to operate the new agency and sell insurance, create job descriptions, and set employee pay scales and benefits. They could apply for, receive and use federal funding and other grants to control, offer and sell federal health insurance policies.
Also, the Authority would create a Small Business Health Options Program Exchange to encourage small businesses to enroll in the plan for their employees or pay exorbitant fines for refusing.
If S.B. 46 passes, personal freedom to choose health insurance will be on the way out, if not entirely gone. Fortunately, Governor Deal has notified the federal Secretary of Health and Human Services that Georgia will not establish a health exchange, but this bill was introduced, anyway. It must be defeated. Call 404 656-7580* and ask the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee to defeat S.B. 46. For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.