(Reuters) - Governor Rick Perry signed into law on Monday a Republican-backed measure that would eventually allow Texas to enter into a "health care compact" with other states to seek flexibility in operating Medicaid and Medicare.
Perry, who is considering a run for president, said taking that step is "a significant way for us to minimize the effects of the coming catastrophe that will accompany the full implementation of Obamacare if that is not stopped first," Perry said.
Oklahoma and Georgia have passed a similar measure, aiming to turn Medicaid and Medicare dollars into block grants.
The compacts idea is a challenge to the Obama-backed Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, which Republicans say is too costly for states.
The compact proposal is one portion of the Texas omnibus healthcare bill ceremoniously signed into law on Monday.
Legislation that passes both the House and the Senate in Texas does not have to be signed by the governor to become law, but Perry lends his name to major issues as a way to drum up publicity for the accomplishments of the legislature.
The comprehensive bill seeks to save Medicaid dollars by expanding managed care, requiring co-payments for non-emergency visits to emergency rooms and reducing payments to providers in cases of preventable medical errors.
The Legislative Budget Board estimates that the measure could save nearly $468 million over two years.
"It ensures that we live up to our responsibility to those who depend on state services and to those who support these programs with their hard earned tax dollars," said Republican state senator Jane Nelson.
The bill also stipulates that no tax money can go to pay for abortions, a ban which is already in current state law.
Perry has long been a critic of the federal government, a theme that has seen more of the spotlight since he indicated he could jump into the Republican presidential primaries.
On Monday, surrounded by local and national reporters, Perry was asked about comments he made to the Des Moines Register on Sunday that he felt as though he were being "called" to run. He declined to repeat the comments, quipping that the term "called" could be applied to anything - including his mother calling him for dinner.
Perry also distanced himself from publicity surrounding the American Family Association, who are the sponsors of a prayer rally he's promoting in Houston on August 6.
The group has been called a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center for its anti-gay stances, and some other religious groups or personalities who have signed on to join the rally have been criticized what some are calling extreme views, including that Oprah Winfrey will host the coming of the anti-Christ.
Perry said he won't fault anyone for supporting him, and that he won't tell anyone what to say - or what not to say - at the prayer rally. But he stopped short of supporting their comments.
"I'm sure that in elections in the past there have been some groups that have endorsed me publicly and that I appreciated their endorsement, but their endorsement of me doesn't mean I endorse what they believe in or what they say," he said.
(Additional reporting by Corrie MacLaggan. Editing by Peter Bohan)
Mormon Mitt Romney not ‘Christian,’ says Fox News host
Republican presidential candidates Jon Huntsman, right, and Mitt Romney greet each other at a Fourth of July parade in Amherst, N.H. (DARREN MCCOLLESTER)
By Elizabeth Tenety Posted at 12:52 PM ET, 07/18/2011
“Well the Christian coalition … I think [Rick Perry] can get a lot of money from that base because [of] Romney obviously not being a Christian … Rick Perry, he’s always on talk shows, on Christian talk shows, he has days of prayer in Texas,” she said.
About one in five Republicans, or 18 percent, said they would not vote for a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ... About the same proportion of independents said they would oppose a Mormon, while a larger number of Democrats, about 27 percent, said they were opposed, according to the poll.
While Romney has largely chosen not to speak about his faith during this election cycle, Pawlenty has been emphasizing his evangelical Christian credentials, declaring in the video [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJBgQnECe3E ]: “I’m running for president because I love this country and I know it was founded under God and I’ve got the record, the results, the experience, the leadership, the judgment and the values and beliefs to lead it to a better place.”
Although Pawlenty’s video does not mention Mormonism, it does seem that he wants readers to factor the faith of their potential president into their vote.
A radio ad titled ‘Faith’ from Pawlenty’s campaign [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA_0yTy_-Fk ] is more blunt, asking: “How well do you really know the presidential candidates who are asking for your vote?”
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