This Thursday the Senate Health and Human Services Committee will be voting on HB 1560, the Health Care Compact, in committee. Cornerstone strongly supports this bill for reasons listed below.
Cornerstone urges Senators Bradley and Lambert (both on the HHS Committee) to reject Obamacare and pass the Health Care Compact which is the first step to rejecting federal control of health care in New Hampshire and enlarging the universe of choices that New Hampshire citizens have for health insurance.
Some of our Senators seem to be persuaded that we may lose federal dollars if the compact passes. The threat of losing federal dollars was also taken to heart by those in Senate leadership last week when many Senators failed to vote in support of pro-life bills.
I hope our good senators will keep in mind that the prosperity we enjoy in New Hampshire as the state with the largest private sector share of personal income did not occur because we pursue policies that maximize the flow of federal dollars to the Granite State. Our prosperity was born by our focus on maintaining a low tax burden and aversion for intrusive regulations.
The federal government will not bring prosperity to New Hampshire. Please tell our Senators that we don’t want them to trade our state rights to Washington, D.C. in exchange for federal dollars like our neighbors in Maine and Vermont. New Hampshire is the beacon of hope for business owners and families in New England and they need access to a menu of competitive choices for health insurance, not a one-size-fits-all policy.
What will the Health Care Compact do for New Hampshire?
The Health Care Compact, HB 1560, will bring health care regulation and control of our tax dollars back to state government.
The Health Care Compact DOES NOT make any cuts to any existing Medicare or Medicaid programs or benefits.
The Health Care Compact will allow Granite Staters a greater voice in health care by bringing authority back to state government that is far more accountable to voters.
Medicare and Medicaid under federal control have become a massive fiscal liability and Medicaid is bankrupting our state. Between 2001 and 2011 Medicaid enrollment has gone from 83,500 to 163,000 recipients an increase of 98% and Medicaid spending by state government has grown from $878 Million in 2001 to 1.42 Billion in 2010 with federal funding decreasing from 56% to 50% this is an increase of 62%. Most of this growth is due in part to federal mandates and program expansion.
Passing the Health Care Compact will allow New Hampshire to join with other states to regulate healthcare and control health care dollars New Hampshire receives.
By returning Health Care to the authority of state government, citizens have a greater voice in health care policy and, as a result, will restore local control, greater fiscal accountability, and transparency to our health care system.
Please contact Senator Jeb Bradley (Chairman of the Senate HHS Committee) and Senator Gary Lambert (member of HHS Committee) today and courteously ask them to fight Obamacare by passing the Health Care Compact, HB 1560.
Dist. 3, Sen. Jeb Bradley, jeb.bradley@leg.state.nh.us, 271-8472
Dist. 13, Sen. Gary Lambert, gary.lambert@leg.state.nh.us, 271-2609
