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State Sovereignty Resolutions: The NY Times Weighs In
By: John R. Graham
12.29.2009
A number of state legislatures are considering resolutions affirming their constitutionally-based resistance to the federal government taking over every American’s access to medical services. According to the New York Times, legislators sponsoring these resolutions are merely carrying water for various corporate interests in the health sector. Conspiratorially, the NY Times asserts that the idea of state sovereignty over health care popped up at the Goldwater Institute in Arizona, and was then picked up as a theme at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The NY Times asserts that this was because ALEC’s Health & Human Services Task Force is “overseen” by a four-member panel composed of representatives from the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Association, Johnson & Johnson, Bayer, and Hoffmann-La Roche.
Good Grief! I am a private-sector member of the ALEC HHS Task Force, and I can assure the world that nobody “oversees” it. It is a lively forum of discussion about model legislation that adheres to principles of limited government. The push for state-sovereignty resolutions is led by legislators such as Linda Upmeyer (Iowa) and Rep. Nancy Barto (Arizona), supported by various think-tank members, such as Clint Bolick of the Goldwater Institute and myself. (I testified at a committee hearing in Arizona on that state’s proposed resolution.) Dr. Eric Novack, an orthopedic surgeon, launched the campaign for state sovereignty over health care.
I would be amazed if the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Association, Johnson & Johnson, Bayer, or Hoffmann-La Roche, cared a hoot about state sovereignty over health care. But according to the NY Times, appeals to limit federal power over access to medical services can only come from corporate lobbying.
This blog post originally appeared on State House Call.
This blog post originally appeared on State Policy Network.
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