Graham Bill Creates Health Reform Opt Out
Sam Stein at Huffington Post reports:
A bill introduced by two Republican senators on Tuesday would allow states to opt out of the requirements enacted by last year's health care overhaul without instituting any additional reforms or meeting minimum-coverage standards
Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) have cosponsored legislation that the Graham said, in a video posted to his YouTube channel, would "give every state the ability to opt out if they choose."
"It is a way to repeal and replace Obama health care with you, the average everyday citizen ... having a say about what you would like to see happen," the South Carolina Republican said. "My goal is to replace this bill with something better. Opting out is a form of repeal and replacement."
The opt-out idea is not unique. The 2010 health care law actually contains a provision that would allow states to exempt themselves from the law's requirements starting in 2017. Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Scott Brown (R-Mass.) cosponsored a measure to move that date up to 2014, but that bill has yet to get a vote. In the meantime, Vermont's congressional delegation has begun the process of using this provision to implement a single-payer system.
What sets Graham and Barrasso apart is that under their approach, states wouldn't have to institute their own sets of reforms before leaving the federal system. With the current law or the Wyden-Brown alternative, the Health and Human Services secretary could grant a waiver.
"The bill leaves health care decisions up to the states, who understand the health care needs of their people better than Washington," said Emily Lawrimore, a spokesperson for Barrasso.
"Right now you have to get a waiver from HHS," said Graham, during a press conference introducing the legislation. "Our bill says you can chart your own destiny. You don't have to go back to the HHS."
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