Tornado Alley (PROG)

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Georgia move to stop Obamacare involvement
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2013-2014 Regular Session - HB 707

The Georgia Health Care Freedom and ACA Noncompliance Act; enact

Sponsored By
(1) Spencer, Jason 180th(2) Stover, David 71st(3) Turner, Scot 21st
(4) Caldwell, Michael 20th(5) Cooke, Kevin 18th(6) Lindsey, Edward 54th

Committees HC: SC:

First Reader Summary

A BILL to amend Chapter 1 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions regarding health, so as to provide a short title; to provide for legislative findings; to prohibit powers, assets, employees, agents, or contractors of the state or any political subdivision, municipality, or other local government authority from engaging in an activity that aids any agency in the enforcement of provisions of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010; to endow the Attorney General with authority to bring suit to enjoin violations of such prohibition and issue advisory rulings; to provide that neither the State of Georgia nor any of its political subdivisions shall establish a health care exchange for the purchase of health insurance nor participate in or purchase insurance from a health care exchange established by a nonprofit organization; to provide that no agency, department, or other state entity shall authorize an employee, contractor, vendor, or any other person acting on behalf of such agency, department, or entity to undertake any action under the aegis of Section 2951 of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 or a process established pursuant to such act; to provide for related matters; to provide for severability; to provide an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20132014/HB/707

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Commentary: Stop bashing the Affordable Care Act

Posted: December 20, 2013 - 10:15pm | Updated: December 21, 2013 - 12:16am


Clint Murphy, fourth district city council candidate

By clint murphy

It is not surprising that so many Georgians are confused about the reforms of the Affordable Care Act.

It seems almost daily that you have a Republican candidate or elected official is making inaccurate statements or using various stories to fit their narrative of what’s wrong with the law.

As a Rotarian, we repeat a Four Way Test that asks, in part, “Of the things we think, say, or do, is it the truth?” I would submit to you that most of the Republican elected officials and candidates for office cannot answer in the affirmative to that question as it relates to the scare tactics being used to derail the ACA.

At the core of the act is the individual mandate that all able-bodied individuals purchase health insurance. This is consistent with individuals taking personal responsibility for their lives and actions. This idea originated with the conservative Heritage Foundation in 1994 and was adopted by the Republican Party as its position on health insurance reform, up until it was made a part of the reforms of the ACA in 2009. Republicans abandoned this position simply because it was adopted by Democrats as part of the ACA.

Georgia is one of only 16 states that does not have a high-risk insurance pool for people with pre-existing conditions. This means people who have a chronic illness or have survived a life threatening disease, such as cancer, have not been able to purchase insurance on the individual market at all.

Thanks to the ACA, that discrimination comes to an end.

It’s not a secret that the roll out of the Affordable Care Act did not go smoothly. Healthcare.gov was almost useless up until the beginning of December. Additionally, unintended consequences resulted when providers canceled some people’s health insurance policies.

The website is working very well now and individuals can and should take a look for themselves. Getcoveredamerica.org is another helpful resource. Or talk with one of the organizations in Georgia that received a federal enrollment grant: Cognosante, Georgia Association for Primary Health Care, and the University of Georgia’s Office of Extension and Outreach.

The Affordable Care Act is not a perfect law and was never meant to be a panacea to the woes of our health care system. Republicans argue that this is an expansion of government. I find that a false notion as we are already paying for the care, be it through higher taxes or higher premiums, and the care provided is at the most expensive and inconvenient point of care — the emergency room. Those costs are hidden within our health care system.

When people have health insurance and have access to primary care doctors, health outcomes improve, worker productivity heightens and costs begin to stabilize. It’s because of the start of these reforms that the rate of inflation for health care costs is at its lowest level in 50 years.

There is still work to be done. But for that to occur, Republicans must come to the table with constructive and realistic ideas and solutions beyond a full repeal of the bill.

To further insist upon that outcome is to deny reality and an insult to the many citizens, like me, who want their government to function for the betterment of all concerned in an efficient manner.

Clint Murphy, a cancer survivor from Savannah, is a former Republican Party activist. He now works as a Realtor.

http://savannahnow.com/column/2013-12-20/commentary-stop-bashing-affordable-care-act#.Ur_ehvvdDbo

.. well done, Clint Murphy ..