Health Insurance Lobby Pushing to Amend States' Constitutions

by Anne Landman — December 30, 2009 - 4:41pm

The health insurance lobby is laying the groundwork to block federal health care reform by working through think tanks to pass state laws invalidating federally-mandated reforms. Conservative and libertarian think tanks have started encouraging states to amend their constitutions to block federal health reform measures, including a mandate to purchase health insurance. The idea of amending state laws to thwart health care reform originated in Arizona's conservative Goldwater Institute, and was picked up by the pro-business American Legislative Exchange Council, whose "health care task force" and "free enterprise board" include a substantial number of drug company executives. In Colorado, Jon Caldara of the free-market think tank Independence Institute, is drafting language for a ballot initiative that would amend the state's constitution to undo the health care reforms Congress is working to pass. At least 14 similar state plans are in the works around the country.

Main Source:

Denver Post, December 30, 2009

Comments

The health care bill will

Submitted by Drug Rehab Arizona (not verified) on December 1, 2010 - 4:21pm.

The health care bill will offer a $250 discount for all Medicare Part D conscripts if we join this year. It will also provide a discount of 50% for pharmaceutical manufacturers like brand-name drugs in 2011. The health care bill is good, if we give it a chance.

Backwards Land

Submitted by Baja K (not verified) on January 7, 2010 - 3:44pm.

We have gone Through The Looking Glass into Backwards Land in the Health Care debate. On one hand, Conservatives and Repuglicans are fighting a bill that would massively enrich the Insurance Industry, and vastly increase revenues for those insurers to invest in Wall Street, and greatly increase revenues to go to insurer lobbying and political campaign funding. The Pro-Business-Uber-Alles side has become anti-business. On the other hand, "Liberals" and Democrats are working overtime to force the nation to patronize AND to provide taxes to go to that private insurance cartel. Right wingers who love privatization of public services oppose this privatization scheme. “Lefties” who despise such privatization support it here, in the absolutely last area that ought be privatized. The sides have switched roles in this case. It will be a great irony if the right-wing, of all people, stops this Insurance Windfall Act. Could it be that this is explained by Conservatives-Repugs simply being displeased that they aren’t getting as much money as they’d like from pharms and insurers…and they expect those contributions to expand considerably to pay them to cut out the resistance?

Amending State constitutions to thwart Fed Health Mandates

Submitted by Edensasp (not verified) on January 6, 2010 - 7:29pm.

I love it!! It's an awesome flex of political muscle and constitutional laws. What attracts me most to these proposed State constitutional amendments is the Federal Government will have no choice but to institute a single payer system as proposed in HR-676.... Amend, amend, amend!!! Single payer healthcare system here we come!!!! (Sure, a few more years, but look for it!!) Goodbye corporate health insurance profiteers!!

Lobby pushing to block state ammending their constitutions

Submitted by John O'Connell (not verified) on January 6, 2010 - 7:11pm.

We've got to keep an eye on those lobbies and prohibit them from writing anything to the "health bill". Once they start to dictate the bylaws of the bill,we are all sunk!

Getting States' rights back

Submitted by stevor (not verified) on January 6, 2010 - 6:19pm.

If we went back to study what the Constitution really said (before James Marshall started to pervert it to give the Federal government powers that it wasn't meant to have) the states wouldn't need to do this. But with Obummer wanting to take away more rights from everybody (and giving them to the United Nations or some yet-to-come one-world-government), it's probably a good idea for states (NOTE: States are the equivalent of countries as in "head of state") to grab all rights they can.