03/16/2010 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

         HR  14-OPPOSE FEDERAL HEALTH CARE REFORM BILLS                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:26:23 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HERRON  announced that the  next order of  business would                                                              
be HOUSE RESOLUTION  NO. 14, Urging the United  States Congress to                                                              
oppose federal health care reform bills.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MIKE CHENAULT,  Alaska  State Legislature,  stated                                                              
that although  he agreed that the  current health care  system did                                                              
not work  for all citizens  of the United  States, he  offered his                                                              
belief  that the  current  national health  care  reform bill  was                                                              
attempting  to impose a  "one size  fits all"  solution.   He read                                                              
from the sponsor statement:                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Also noted by the RGA was the fact that the health                                                                         
     care House Resolution 14 requests the Alaska                                                                             
     Congressional delegation to vote against current                                                                           
     health care reform bills and to develop health care                                                                        
     reform that is affordable and accessible to all legal                                                                      
     residents. It also requests the Governor to review the                                                                     
     constitutionality of the Nebraska Compromise that                                                                          
     guaranteed Nebraskans would receive a break to pay for                                                                     
     expanded access to Medicaid  benefits. This exemption                                                                      
     was granted in order to obtain Senator Ben Nelson's                                                                        
     vote in order to get the 60  votes needed to send the                                                                      
     health care reform legislation to the Senate floor.                                                                        
     Vermont, Florida and Louisiana  also received special                                                                      
     deals in order to get Senators' votes to reach the 60                                                                      
     vote threshold.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     As noted in the letter from  the Republican Governors                                                                      
     Association (RGA), "health care reform should be about                                                                     
     fixing our broken Medicaid and Medicare systems;                                                                           
     instead, the current health  care bills entitle 15-20                                                                      
     million more people to Medicaid….the unfunded mandate                                                                      
     to states and territories is $25 billion."                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     Reform bills "impose a one-size fits all federally-                                                                        
     designed health insurance exchange."  Alaska, as well                                                                      
     as the other states, needs  the flexibility to design                                                                      
     and operate mechanisms to purchase  insurance. Alaska                                                                      
     and the rest of the states will face increased health                                                                      
     care entitlement costs every year if this legislation                                                                      
     passes.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     The proposed health care reform legislation is also                                                                        
     opposed by small businesses around the state and                                                                           
     country. NFIB/Alaska states "it fails to address                                                                           
     fundamental small business priorities. It does not                                                                         
     make health insurance more accessible or affordable to                                                                     
     small businesses….this legislation actually increases                                                                      
     the overall costs of doing business for small                                                                              
     businesses.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CHENAULT reflected on his surveys of other                                                                       
institutions in Alaska.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:30:32 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR KELLER stated that HR 14 was directed against the                                                                      
current federal health care reform legislation.  He assured that                                                                
the  House  Health  and Social  Services  Standing  Committee  was                                                              
committed  to looking  at  health care  reform  issues that  would                                                              
provide quality health care for everyone.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:31:38 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CHENAULT agreed  that it was  necessary to  have a                                                              
health care system  which takes care of everyone.   He opined that                                                              
the  current federal  health care  bill was  "over the  top."   He                                                              
asked  what  other concerns  and  effects  it  would create.    He                                                              
referred to  a synopsis  of comments from  an Institute  of Social                                                              
Economic  Research  (ISER)  study.   [Included  in  the  committee                                                              
packets.]   He said that additional  new insurance  patients would                                                              
impact  Medicare beneficiaries.   He  reflected that  he had  been                                                              
fortunate to  have the  opportunity for  health insurance,  and he                                                              
questioned  the  future  availability  and the  future  costs  for                                                              
health insurance.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:33:46 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  KELLER  reflected on  the  current federal  health  care                                                              
legislation.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:34:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HERRON  pointed to page  2, line 24  of HR 14,  and asked                                                              
if the word deal should be plural.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
[This was treated as conceptual Amendment 1 which read:                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, line 24:                                                                                                           
          Replace "deal" with "deals"                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
There being no objection, conceptual Amendment 1 was passed.]                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:35:28 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  KELLER  moved  to  report  HR 14  [as  amended]  out  of                                                              
committee with individual recommendations.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA objected.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
A roll  call vote  was taken.   Representatives  T. Wilson,  Lynn,                                                              
Herron,  and Keller  voted in  favor  of HR  14.   Representatives                                                              
Holmes, Seaton, and  Cissna voted against it.   Therefore, CSHR 14                                                              
(HSS) was  reported out  of the House  Health and Social  Services                                                              
Standing Committee by a vote of 4-3.