GOP Drives State Efforts Against Reform

(AP)  Republicans in more than a dozen states opposed to President Barack Obama's push for health care overhaul have mounted state-driven efforts to block federal intervention in health care, with some early success.

The push-back centers in some areas on fact - Mr. Obama's stated determination that all Americans should be required to get health care coverage, for example. Other resistance, though, is based on unfounded notions of what has been proposed - fears, for example, that the United States would adopt a single-payer system in which the government would take over health care, something President Obama specifically disavowed on Wednesday.

Even if state lawmakers succeed, doubts remain over whether their proposals would take effect if a federal overhaul were passed. Experts say federal law likely would trump such state changes.

"My sense is that if they pass a comprehensive reform bill, it would probably pre-empt what the state is doing," said Paul Bender, a professor at Arizona State University's law school and an expert in constitutional law.

In any case, supporters aren't letting up.

"It became very clear that the direction for what they call health care reform at the federal level was putting at risk our health care freedoms, and we need to move quickly to make sure citizens are protected," said Republican state Rep. Nancy Barto, sponsor of a measure in Arizona.

CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care

Lawmakers in eight states, only half of which are controlled entirely by Republicans, have filed proposals this year to ask voters to amend state constitutions to prohibit what they bill as restrictions on a person's freedom to choose a private health care plan, mandatory participation in any given plan and penalties for declining coverage. Similar measures were considered in two other states, though they wouldn't have been decided by voters. And lawmakers in three other states say they plan to file similar ballot proposals in the coming months.

Last week, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a potential 2012 Republican presidential candidate, said that federal health care proposals will step on states' rights and there needs to be a discussion about whether aspects of it are constitutional.

"The larger issue and the more important issue is for state policymakers to remind the federal government that there is a proper role for states, there is a proper role for the federal government and we should be mindful of those boundaries," he said.

As far as ballot initiatives, Arizona is the only state so far to put the proposal on the 2010 ballot.

The Arizona measure began to take root more than three years ago, when Republicans still controlled Congress and a health care overhaul was far from imminent.

Supporters say they weren't trying to cure all weaknesses in the health care system and instead were attempting to keep it from getting worse. They say consumers shouldn't be forced to accept restrictions that could come in a government-run health insurance option.

Opponents say the state measures amount to a defense of a failed and inequitable health care system.

"The idea that they want to put in our constitution a roadblock to coverage is silly," said Democratic state Sen. Dan Gelber of Florida. "We have to find ways to cover more people."

The idea of state-guaranteed protections for health care has gained the most traction in Arizona. A similar proposal that was put on the ballot through a signature campaign was rejected last November, failing by less than a half percent.

Eric Novack, an orthopedic surgeon in metro Phoenix and limited-government proponent who led last year's campaign, said he started to shape the concept in spring 2006. He said the measure was rooted in his belief that if the failing health care system didn't protect the rights of patients, it would sacrifice their rights in the name of reform. He doubts Mr. Obama's claim that Americans who already have health insurance will be able to keep their current coverage. "It's such a sweeping statement, it can't possibly be true," Novack said.

Democratic state Rep. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona said the single-payer option that worries the proposal's supporters won't become a reality and scoffed at the notion that Arizona was in danger of becoming a home for socialized medicine.

"Arizona? Really? We are the most libertarian state in the country," said Sinema, who believes any state changes will be made moot by a federal overhaul.

Health care proposals in other states have had less traction. A measure was voted down in the Republican-controlled legislatures in North Dakota and Wyoming, and no action has yet been taken on measures in Michigan and Minnesota. The proposal never made it out of its first committee before the Democratic-controlled New Mexico Legislature ended its last session.

A version of it was introduced in Ohio last month, and Florida lawmakers will consider it when they reconvene next spring.

Similar proposals were filed in two other states, neither of which gave voters the last word. Indiana's Senate forwarded to Washington a nonbinding message urging protections of individual health care freedoms. A binding proposal in West Virginia didn't clear its statehouse before its session concluded.

Lawmakers in Kansas, Louisiana and Georgia said they plan to file similar ballot proposals in the future.

Republican state Sen. Judson Hill, sponsor of a proposal drafted in Georgia, said the measure is the "best way to protect Georgians from the Democrat-led Congress' attempt to socialize health care through their public option health care mandate."

Passage won't be easy in Georgia, where a constitutional amendment needs two-thirds support from the Legislature and approval by a majority of the state's voters. That's a tall order, given that Democrats still hold enough seats in both chambers to block constitutional amendments.

"I am against a federal take-over of our health care industry," said Republican state Rep. Kirk Talbot, who plans to file a similar proposal in Louisiana. "I fear that the federal government is about to mandate unfunded and expensive Medicaid obligations."


State-by-State

Lawmakers in eight states have considered proposals this year in opposition to federal health reform overhaul. Here's the status of those efforts:

In Arizona, lawmakers voted to put the measure on the 2010 ballot.

In Florida, lawmakers will consider the measure when they reconvene next spring.

In New Mexico, the proposal failed to win approval before the legislative session ended.

In North Dakota, the state House voted it down.

In Wyoming, the measure was defeated in committee.

In Michigan, no action has yet been taken.

In Minnesota, no action has yet been taken.

In Ohio, no action has yet been taken.

Two other states considered similar proposals, though they wouldn't have asked voters to make the final call:

Indiana's Senate forwarded to Congress a nonbinding message about individual freedom to choose health care.

A West Virginia proposal didn't clear its Legislature before its session concluded.
By Associated Press Writer Jacques Billeaud; AP writers Greg Bluestein in Atlanta and Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, contributed to this report

[caliguy55]

It's a crying shame that President Barack Obama is putting so much time and effort into making America a better place to live, while his opponents (racist or not) are putting so much time and effort into seeing him fail. I cannot understand all these people (and I know they are truly a small minority), who seem to have so much invested in negative politics. Instead of offering viable alternatives or, perhaps, better alternatives to President Obama's plans, these people do nothing but sit around like birds of prey waiting to swoop down on every opportunity to make sure nothing good is done for our country. Certainly, these people can't be stupid enough (maybe they are) to believe that negativism will give them some kind of political gain in the future. Knowing that people like this always lose in the end gives me some hope for the future. And, I believe that the 2010 elections will once again result in a beating for those so ignorant that they hope our President fails at every effort to improve our lives.

[HGOODGUY]

The Republicans have bocome a bunch of RAVING ****** BAGS!!!
No new ideas--just trash anything and everything that is related to President Obama.
Yes I said PRESIDENT OBAMA in case you might have missed the election and the inauguration!!

[bc-1948]

Unbelieveable!!! - Screw the people for political gain. I believe that the majority of people DO want health care reform - I have yet to hear an alternative to a public plan to help keep health care costs from continuing to skyrocket. I am a CPA - have a small group of three - two of us 60+ with pre-existing conditions - at our last renewal, only got two companies that would even quote - so, I pay $21,000 for a 70/30 plan for my wife and I (the two in the group over 60). The other quote was $2,900 per month.

We do need health care reform - and it is much more than just "tort reform" which is about the only thing I hear Republicans offer as an alternative. Give me the option of a public plan - do away with pre-existing condition - and let me join small employers and individuals that want to come together and shop insurance - There is no legislation for a single payer plan -

Look around the world - Spain, Italy and Great Britan have single payer plans - where the government owns the hospitals and doctors. The rest of the countries have a combo plan of private and public entities. Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Japan, France, Germany, Demnark, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Canada and many more have universal coverage - are they all "socialist" countries??

Give me a choice - if you don't want a choice, then fine - but don't deny me and others like me who are paying a tremendous amount for coverage the opportunity to obtain affordable insurance.

[lovegetpeace]

Folks,

As long as the Cost of Private Health Insurance keeps increasing at the 11% Average of the last 30 years, Universal Health Care will be the law of this nation sooner or later just like it is already in the world.

Private Health Care Insurance is expected to double in 7 years according to all Conservative and Liberal economists. So, no big deal if Reform fails this year. Reform will be back within 7 years because our Corporations, Small Businesses and our Economy cannot compete globally with such an Expensive Private Health Care system.

[jaykay3141]

As usual, the GOP is for freedom:

- The freedom to lose your health insurance when you change jobs or your employer decides to drop their group coverage.

- The freedom to have a bureaucrat at an insurance company deny care because paying for it might hurt their bottom line.

- The freedom to be turned down for coverage because you're unfortunate enough to have a pre-existing condition.

- The freedom to be refused treatment outside of the state or counties where your employer's plan is based.

- The freedom to pay a hidden "tax" of $1000 or more each year built into your premiums to cover the cost of treating people without health care.

- The freedom to go bankrupt paying for a catastrophic illness.

- The freedom to have a national life expectancy and infant mortality rates comparable to Syria and Cyprus, worse than that of nearly every country on the planet that provides universal coverage.

- And the freedom to pay at least half again as much per capita as citizens of every other industrialized country for all of those other "freedoms".

Let's end the debate. Any Repugnican / "birther" / alien-abduction believer / whatever who feels that all social programs are the work of Lenin and Stalin can simply sign an irrevocable pledge that they will never accept a dime from Medicare, Social Security, or any other safety-net program. If they develop cancer or some other major disease they'll pay for treatment out of pocket or by appealing to private charities. That'll let the rest of us get on with trying to pull the country back from the brink of second-world status.

[gumngak]

It is essential to a healthy democracy that an open debate on the facts be undertaken in the Congress. All else is hot air and obfuscation.

To properly estimate the issues to be addressed we should ask:

Are there really 46 million Americans unable to obtain medical care?
Are there really several billions in overcharges and duplications of services in the present medical care system?

Personally, I am not interested in countering LIES in the public domain but to seek out the source of the lies and properly charge them with a crime like that of shouting "FIRE" in a public theater.

There is no open debate when such lies are perpetrated in good faith by people who believe any obstruction and misapplication is fair game.

Lies smear the bearer, and the innocent who believe the lies are misled and act foolishly.

So, bear with the issue, ignore the liars, ignore the shouting fanatics who encourage the confrontation without hearing any measure fully. And as for false information shared on the internet....again,
seek out the sources. If it be true, it can bear up in court and be heard from its source...and if a mis-representation....not only an apology is in order...but prosecution for endangering the public welface with slander inviting the innocent to act criminally.

Get a grip on the facts and lets get control of our political parties and demand ethical behavior and open debate with reasoned and mutually accepted facts.

[rightbehind]

I hope they do present it to the states voters. So much for democracy in the states they are trying to force the residents to accept it. Sounds like a dictatorship doesn't it? The GOP is about to be squashed out of existence. Everybody is ticked off about what they have to pay for health care. I wish actually that single payer ended up on a national ballot here. I would vote for it in a heartbeat. We could get rid of those phony baloney markets for health care insurance. Now that's freedom!

[burneb]

We Americans already pay enough to fund universal high-quality health care, but only some of us are getting it. Any meaningful reform will always draw hysterical opposition from those who are unwilling to risk or sacrifice a nickel for the national good.

When I was a child, doctors' waiting rooms were full of literature about the evils of "socialized medicine" and how it would ruin us. The big bad gummint would pick your doctor and decide what you could have, we would go bankrupt, etc. etc. Then Medicare passed, and most of this literature disappeared after doctors discovered how much they could make off Medicare.

Now that I have Medicare, I haven't found any government interference at all. Before then, insurance company bureaucrats picked my doctor and decided what I could have.

Our chances of passing real reform should be better now that so many U.S. corporations have discovered how our lack of a rational national system is saddling them with exploding costs, and crippling their competitiveness in world markets. They won't be spending so many millions to oppose it this time. There are now millions more horror stories illustrating how our "best health care in the world" ranks about 37th in the world and fails millions of Americans. Like those who think their insurance company has them covered, until they find out the hard way - not so much.

If we again pander to the greedheads, the whiners, and those who will fight ANYTHING Obama does no matter what, then the question is - do we Americans really deserve a truly good health care system?

[bubbadubba]

Mark Sanford of SC is one of them.
We all know what a great guy Sanford is and he is a credit and "great white hope" for the Republicommunists.
HA HA HA HA HA

[sirbarksalot195]

The reason Republicans are against Medical and Insurance reform is the same reason their for this war in Iraq. They are making Millions or even Billions of Dollars. They do not care if you recieve preventive care. They can afford to get preventive care for themselves and their families. They could care less about you. Just like they can afford to keep their kids out of the battle zone and still recieve benifits for being in the military. Do you really think Joe wilson gives a rats a** about you or me? Do you think he called Obama a liar be he truly believes the President of the United States would lie? OK, I'll grant you that. GW did it every time he opened his mouth. But, the truth is, Joe wilson is so brainwashed by the so called right that he thinks anything that is not part of the Republican self centered platform must be a lie and therefore he couldn't keep his trap shut. I'll tell you what the lie is. The lie is that Republicans care at all about Christ and Christian moral values. Just listen to their Holy High Priest, Rush Limbaugh. Everything about that man shouts lie, and racist, and arrogant SOB.

OK, 'Nuff Said.