Health Care Reform Pushed Ahead Despite Opposition

By Tom McGillvray, Cary Smith, and Gary MacLaren

As state legislators, we are used to the federal government treating the states like its red-headed stepchild. Washington dictates, and we are expected to follow. Whether it’s transportation, health care, or education, federal money comes with federal strings–and more often than not, the strings outlast the money and the states end up picking up the tab. And the current debate over health care reform is no exception.

We were willing to give President Obama the benefit of the doubt when he called for more discussion and debate. He certainly seemed willing to reach across the aisle to include his political opponents in his recent health care summit. But, given just how much of any health care reform bill is bound to fall on the shoulders of the states to implement and fund, he should have included us–a point which House Minority Leader John Boehner made in a letter to Rahm Emanuel.

But this new era of “bipartisanship” was short lived indeed. Just ask Congressional leaders like Jon Tester and Max Baucus if they support the so-called nuclear option of passing a health care bill Americans don’t want through a questionable legislative maneuver. If Congress does manage to pass the President’s health care reform proposal it is sure to include a mandate for individuals to purchase health insurance.

However, being forced to buy health insurance, or being forced to buy a particular health plan, just doesn’t sit right with independent-minded Montanans, or the rest of Americans judging by recent polls. This is why we plan to introduce the American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act, a state constitutional amendment that protects individuals, employers, and health care providers from being forced to participate in any health care system and preserves individuals’ right to pay directly for care.

This model legislation to protect the health care freedom of Americans is picking up steam and has already been signed into law in Virginia and is pending in 37 other states. Health care freedom will be on the ballot in Arizona in November, and has passed at least one house of the legislatures in Idaho, Missouri, and Tennessee

The President and Senators Tester and Baucus say that a government requirement to purchase health insurance will only affect the uninsured. But according to a Cato Institute, the individual mandate could force 100 million Americans to switch to a more expensive plan they don’t want or need.

In Montana, we recognize the need for health care reform, and we are not waiting for a federal solution. We are pursuing our own reforms with bills that will cut red tape and over regulation, provide tax relief, and protect individual freedom–all of which will help make health insurance more affordable for more of our citizens.

We know that the uninsured can’t get meaningful coverage with a one-size-fits-all health insurance plan. That’s why we plan to introduce targeted solutions to help the diverse uninsured population, like ALEC’s Affordable Health Insurance Act, which provides incentives for young-and-healthy “invincibles” to purchase high-deductible health plans; the Health Care Choice Act for States, which allows citizens to purchase quality, affordable coverage across state lines; the Health Care Tax Relief Equity Act, which provides tax equity for individuals purchasing health insurance on their own; and the Mandated Benefits Review Act, which puts an institutional check on costly health insurance mandates.

President Obama does deserve credit for adding a handful of ideas from his opponents to his legislation but that hardly makes up for its estimated trillion dollar price tag or anti-individual freedom elements.

Tom McGillvray is assistant minority leader of the Montana House of Representatives and represents the 50th District, Cary Smith represents the 55th District in the Montana House, and Gary MacLaren represents Montana’s 89th House District. All three have served on the Montana House Health and Human Services Committee.