The following is a response to opponents of HB 47 and free market health insurance solutions
by Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers and House Majority Caucus Vice-Chair Matt Ramsey
Georgians don’t just need access to affordable health care; Georgians need greater access to meaningful health care. The free-market principles of competition can help drive down costs, provide for greater accessibility, and provide Georgians with more health care options.
It’s true that House Bill 47 will allow Georgia licensed insurance companies to sell products they sell in other states to Georgians. It is also true that cost isn’t the only consideration for the uninsured. Many consumers are stuck in a stagnant health insurance market with fewer carriers and plan choices than their cross-border neighbors. HB 47 would help the uninsured access a more-customized benefits package that meets their health needs.
18% of Georgia’s population has no health insurance. These Georgians are one bad illness or accident away from a complete health and financial disaster. Our state’s uninsured are individuals, families and small business owners that do not have access to insurance through their employer or a family member. The only option they have to purchase insurance is in Georgia’s one-size-fits-all individual market place, which simply lacks the choice and competition to work well for the consumer. HB 47 will unlock the forces of the free market and provide more options for Georgia’s insurance buying consumers.
In addition to bringing greater choices and access to health insurance, HB 47 will also allow Georgia to benefit from innovative plans in other states. Cross-border purchasing of health insurance will cause pressure to create a more competitive Georgia health insurance market. It will bring about quicker access to innovative plans because insurers would face fewer “barriers to entry” into Georgia. In other words, HB 47 will allow Georgians to benefit from new ideas in other states while maintaining access to all of the core consumer and licensing protections important to this state.
If a greater range of plans enters Georgia’s market, it only means that Georgians are freely choosing those plans and becoming insured and it would also reveal that Georgia’s current market place, which inhibits choice, simply is not working. It is also important to remember that this will be Georgia companies selling plans it offers in other states to Georgia consumers. This will ensure Georgia citizens with access to Georgia courts, Georgia’s Insurance Commissioner’s grievance resolution process and all other consumer protections afforded insurance buyers today in Georgia. Simply put, the purpose of insurance regulation is not to achieve fairness or protection for insurers. It is to achieve fairness and protection for Georgians.
It is clear that a one-size-fits-all solution is not working for Georgia’s diverse uninsured population. The Georgia Legislature chose to provide a way for Georgians to gain greater access to more affordable, meaningful coverage without added government regulation.
In the end the debate boiled down to one simple point. Opponents of HB 47 believe the state government is in the best position to decide what is and is not in a consumer’s insurance policy in Georgia. The majority party in the General Assembly, on the other hand, trust Georgia’s citizens to make an informed choice about what insurance option is best for their family or business. We also understand that in the history of humankind it has been proven over and over again that it is a good thing for consumers to have more choice and more competition in a market place. That is exactly what HB 47 will provide.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
4/20/11 Sine Die Wrap Up
Last Thursday night, just before midnight, the gavel came down and brought the 2011 legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly to a close. It was a tough, but in many ways, a very productive session. Earlier in the session the legislature again passed a balanced budget without raising taxes on Georgians that will ensure Georgia will remain a leader among states in terms of fiscally conservative and responsible budgeting practices. The General Assembly also took necessary action to ensure the financial solvency of the HOPE Scholarship program for future generations of college students by realigning the program with the fiscal realities of a program that was paying far more in benefits than it was receiving in lottery receipts.
I wanted to use this letter as an opportunity to give a quick update on legislation I was personally involved in that was still in doubt on the last day of the session. First, and perhaps most talked about, was HB 87, legislation I sponsored to address the social and economic consequences of illegal immigration. I am happy to report the measure received final passage by both the House and Senate on Thursday and is on the way to Governor Deal’s desk. I have never been involved in a more difficult and time consuming legislative initiative and believe the final product is one that will truly make a difference in the years ahead in the State of Georgia. I believe the bill will benefit the taxpayers, who are currently subsidizing the presence of nearly 500,000 illegal aliens in Georgia. I believe the bill will benefit our public schools, which are overcrowded and underfunded. I believe the bill will make our communities safer. I also believe it will ensure jobs are protected for U.S. citizens and LEGAL immigrants. In the waning days of the session there was a great deal of debate and discussion with the opponents of the measure, but in the end, we got the vast majority of what we wanted in the bill with the most critical provisions remaining intact. In fact, it has been called the toughest, most comprehensive bill in the country. To citizens that wrote me and other members of the legislature in support of this measure, please know the support of grass roots citizens is what made the enactment of this bill possible by allowing us to overcome the special interests that were lobbying against the bill.
Another bill that came down to the wire on Thursday that I have been working on for more than two years is a bill to allow Georgia health insurance companies to sell products to GA consumers that they sell in other states. This is a critical free-market oriented reform meant to give Georgia insurance buying families and businesses the benefits of more choice and competition in the individual insurance market. I am very happy to report that with about an hour to spare on the last night of the session we were able to secure final passage of the bill in the Georgia House. HB 47 is now on the way to Governor Deal’s desk for his signature.
Finally, a less talked about but important bill I sponsored this year also received final passage on the final day of the legislative session. Many have read in recent weeks about the proliferation of internet sweepstakes cafes around the state, including a facility right here in Fayette County. Prosecutors and cities alike have been struggling with how to address these facilities which have been exploiting what they believe is a loophole in our state’s gambling laws and have been operating what are tantamount to slot machine casinos under the guise of running legitimate sweepstakes. City officials in every city in which one of these facilities have been opened or are attempting to open have expressed concern about their impact on crime and safety and a degradation of local community standards. The bill I sponsored with other legislators, and which is now on its way to the Governor’s desk, closes the loophole that has been exploited. I worked very closely with the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia, the Georgia Municipal Association and the Attorney General’s office in crafting the language and they all believe this will address the issue we sought to address.
Thank you again for giving me the honor of serving on behalf of Fayette County in the Georgia General Assembly this year. Please never hesitate to contact me if I can be of service or address any question or concern you may have regarding your state government.
I wanted to use this letter as an opportunity to give a quick update on legislation I was personally involved in that was still in doubt on the last day of the session. First, and perhaps most talked about, was HB 87, legislation I sponsored to address the social and economic consequences of illegal immigration. I am happy to report the measure received final passage by both the House and Senate on Thursday and is on the way to Governor Deal’s desk. I have never been involved in a more difficult and time consuming legislative initiative and believe the final product is one that will truly make a difference in the years ahead in the State of Georgia. I believe the bill will benefit the taxpayers, who are currently subsidizing the presence of nearly 500,000 illegal aliens in Georgia. I believe the bill will benefit our public schools, which are overcrowded and underfunded. I believe the bill will make our communities safer. I also believe it will ensure jobs are protected for U.S. citizens and LEGAL immigrants. In the waning days of the session there was a great deal of debate and discussion with the opponents of the measure, but in the end, we got the vast majority of what we wanted in the bill with the most critical provisions remaining intact. In fact, it has been called the toughest, most comprehensive bill in the country. To citizens that wrote me and other members of the legislature in support of this measure, please know the support of grass roots citizens is what made the enactment of this bill possible by allowing us to overcome the special interests that were lobbying against the bill.
Another bill that came down to the wire on Thursday that I have been working on for more than two years is a bill to allow Georgia health insurance companies to sell products to GA consumers that they sell in other states. This is a critical free-market oriented reform meant to give Georgia insurance buying families and businesses the benefits of more choice and competition in the individual insurance market. I am very happy to report that with about an hour to spare on the last night of the session we were able to secure final passage of the bill in the Georgia House. HB 47 is now on the way to Governor Deal’s desk for his signature.
Finally, a less talked about but important bill I sponsored this year also received final passage on the final day of the legislative session. Many have read in recent weeks about the proliferation of internet sweepstakes cafes around the state, including a facility right here in Fayette County. Prosecutors and cities alike have been struggling with how to address these facilities which have been exploiting what they believe is a loophole in our state’s gambling laws and have been operating what are tantamount to slot machine casinos under the guise of running legitimate sweepstakes. City officials in every city in which one of these facilities have been opened or are attempting to open have expressed concern about their impact on crime and safety and a degradation of local community standards. The bill I sponsored with other legislators, and which is now on its way to the Governor’s desk, closes the loophole that has been exploited. I worked very closely with the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia, the Georgia Municipal Association and the Attorney General’s office in crafting the language and they all believe this will address the issue we sought to address.
Thank you again for giving me the honor of serving on behalf of Fayette County in the Georgia General Assembly this year. Please never hesitate to contact me if I can be of service or address any question or concern you may have regarding your state government.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Rep. Matt Ramsey Comments on Passage of Common Sense Immigration Reform
State Representative Matt Ramsey (R-Peachtree City) released the following statement today in response to the passage of House Bill 87:
“Today members of the General Assembly came together and firmly resolved to uphold the laws of our society. This legislation closes gaping loopholes that have allowed illegal aliens to flood into our country and state, where they unlawfully take advantage of taxpayer funded services. Current economic conditions have made it painfully obvious that the state of Georgia literally cannot afford to continue this broken system. Our classrooms are more crowded, our healthcare system is at its limits, our transportation infrastructure is overburdened and our law enforcement community is pushed to the brink. Georgians have demanded action, and their state legislature has complied. We continue to welcome and encourage legal immigration, and this legislation helps those individuals, as well as all other legal Georgia residents, by ensuring that employment opportunities are filled by legal residents.”
“Today members of the General Assembly came together and firmly resolved to uphold the laws of our society. This legislation closes gaping loopholes that have allowed illegal aliens to flood into our country and state, where they unlawfully take advantage of taxpayer funded services. Current economic conditions have made it painfully obvious that the state of Georgia literally cannot afford to continue this broken system. Our classrooms are more crowded, our healthcare system is at its limits, our transportation infrastructure is overburdened and our law enforcement community is pushed to the brink. Georgians have demanded action, and their state legislature has complied. We continue to welcome and encourage legal immigration, and this legislation helps those individuals, as well as all other legal Georgia residents, by ensuring that employment opportunities are filled by legal residents.”
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