Joins 1800 other state lawmakers in nationwide effort for States Rights against Single-Payer
AUSTIN - State Representative Charlie Howard (R-Sugar Land) has signed an official letter from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to Congressional leaders which expresses the will of more than 1800 state legislators opposing federal reform efforts particularly the Medicare-modeled public plan" and a national health insurance exchange which will trample states rights and lead Americans down the road to single-payer health care.There is broad agreement that the health care system needs an overhaul but after a close look at the proposals in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House one must agree with the Congressional Budget Office that these policies will dramatically increase costs not decrease them said Howard.
The members of
ALEC the nations largest nonpartisan individual membership association of state legislators recently approved the Resolution on Preserving States Rights Regarding Federal Health Insurance Exchanges and a Public Plan which deems the federal public plan anti-competitive and calls the proposed national health insurance exchange a federal takeover" of the states role in regulating health insurance.
The government will never compete unless it can change the rules to win" says Iowa Representative Linda Upmeyer minority whip family nurse practitioner and chair of ALECs Health and Human Services Task Force.
Its an unlevel playing field when a public plan can shift costs to our states private insurers because of low doctor and hospital reimbursement rates and
then raid the federal Treasury for unlimited subsidies" she added.
In the ALEC letter to Congress ALECs lawmakers criticized the federal push to shift health care decisionmaking to Washington.
We all share the goal that patients deserve to choose their own quality affordable private health coverage" says Howard.
But health reform shouldnt just be the job of the federal government."
