Criticizing new federal health reform as ‘hastily drafted,” Georgia’s insurance commissioner has rejected part of $5 billion in government aid to create a high-risk pool for uninsured Americans.
John W. Oxendine
In a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Republican John Oxendine called the recently enacted reform measure “nothing less than a government takeover of approximately 17% of the United States economy.”
He went on to reject participation in any federal high risk pool program “that is part of a broader insurance scheme,” which he believes will be overturned.
Last week, Sebelius sent a letter to all 50 state insurance commissioners and officials seeking their interest in participating in a temporary high-risk pool to help the uninsured until additional reform measures are enacted in 2014, or help enhancing current state programs.
Through federal reform actions, $5 billion is allocated for such an effort to help the uninsured.
In his letter, Oxendine reminded Sebelius that Georgia Gov. Sonny Purdue has announced that he will join 18 other states in challenging federal health reform as unconstitutional. Georgia’s State Senate has also passed legislation prohibiting any state agency from implementing mandates ordered under federal law unless directed by the state’s General Assembly.
“Unlike the federal government, Georgia must balance its budget each year by living within its means and not passing along unconscionable debt to our children and grandchildren,” Oxendine wrote. “President Obama’s health care plan will ultimately result in Georgia spending at least an additional $1 billion each year on Medicaid alone. This new mandate comes at a time when our state is furloughing teachers, laying off employees and cutting public safety and education funding.”
Oxendine added that the proposed high-risk pool offering is being seen as “free money” by other states, but those states and Georgia “will ultimately bear the financial burden for this Washington-imposed program.
“Unfortunately, I have no confidence in any federal assertion that this so-called temporary program will not burden the taxpayers of Georgia,” he wrote to Sebelius. “I am concerned that the high risk pool program will ultimately become the financial responsibility of Georgians in the form of an unfunded mandate.”
Georgia rejects ‘free money’ through federal high-risk pool program via IFAwebnews.com .
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