Georgia Takes the Lead in Enacting Positive Health Reform

 

Georgia, in the span of a few hours, took the lead on enacting positive health reform in this country. On Friday, I blogged about HB 1184, a bill sponsored by Rep. Matt Ramsey (R-Peacetree City) that would open Georgia’s individual health insurance market to interstate competition. Just a few hours later, the Georgia House of Representatives passed the bill 108-55 and sent it to the Senate. Governor Sonny Purdue supports the bill.

 

Conservatives have consistently called for allowing insurance companies to compete across state lines. This is a common sense reform that provides health care consumers with much needed choice in health care plans. Liberals in Congress have dismissed calls for opening health insurance plans to competition. But if Congress won’t act on common sense reform, states like Georgia will.

 

The Georgia House voted to open its individual health insurance market to plans offered in other states, provided that the plans are licensed by Georgia's insurance commissioner and describe all of the benefits they will provide. This will give individuals who cannot get health insurance through their employers more and less costly options for coverage, which is very important now that President Obama and the Democrat Congress have required Americans to have health insurance.

 

For the sake of individual Georgians who need to obtain health insurance, let’s hope that the Senate follows the House's lead quickly.